In 2004, the City of Helsinki organised an open international architectural competition for the town plan of one of its north-eastern neighbourhoods. The objective was to create a new wooden urban village in the district of Myllypuro as part of the national Modern Wooden Town project. The winning entry was by APRT Architects, an architecture firm based in Helsinki.      

The Puu-Myllypuro [Wood-Myllypuro] area has become a dense and colourful neighbourhood with red, yellowish, burnt orange and at times brownish and even dark low-rise buildings. The goal was to create an urban, low-rise residential area with a distinct character – an urban village. Its scale, urban structure and buildings are well suited for housing and timber construction. The area consists of flats of various sizes and each apartment has a small garden. The Myllypuro wooden village is a great representation of the capital city’s efforts to promote densely built and low wooden construction.     

Within the wooden village there is also a small street section with artists’ residences and ateliers. Each of these individual buildings had different designers and they represent a mixed set of architectural styles. For instance, there is a white single-family house with two floors that includes two atelier spaces, which was designed by architect Kari Järvinen.     

The local detailed plan, drafted by architect Aaro Artto of APRT together with the city planning department, was adopted in 2007 and construction began in 2010. The area comprising wooden low-rise buildings is nearly completed and will have around 2,000 residents.