The Greenest of the Green

About the city. The population density in the inner city of Helsinki reaches more than 16,000 inhabitants per km2; the rest of the city is more sparsely populated. Helsinki is growing rapidly, and new residential areas are being built up densely. Therefore, the quality and availability of green spaces is very important.

Goal

The aim of the project is to explore the functionality of green areas on the roofs of apartment buildings and gain an important insight into the impact of green roofs on housing construction and a sense of community.

Implementation period. The project was designed in 2014-2017 and implemented in 2017.

Fact

Jätkäsaari-the area where the “The Greenest of the Green” project is located (100 ha, under construction in 2003-2030, total population 21,000), is situated next to the Baltic Sea, which assumes harsh environmental conditions (wind, sun) for vegetation.

Solutions

The Greenest of the Green is a residential building with 121 apartments and a total area of 2256 m2 of green roofs and rooftop courtyards. The greenery consists of six different types of green roofs and roof gardens, such as meadows, berry and fruit yards, kitchen garden, sunken garden, sedum roof, and green facades.

Each of the green roofs has its own profile, research facility, and character. The southern topmost terraces are open meadows: roofs of biodiversity. They are intended strongly for research purposes and offer a habitat for insects. Fruit gardens are located on the seventh-floor roofs, and relaxation areas are located next to the sauna. The community room opens onto the kitchen garden where residents can grow their own food and plants. The garden has several cultivation boxes and a large shared greenhouse.

The green continues from the roofs to the facades of the building. The street-side facades are covered with wooden and steel bars for climbers ‘ to grow on and are dotted with large steel planting boxes. The green roof courtyard has a playground, butterfly bar, and research areas. A special concrete coating is designed to absorb nitrogen dioxide.

Vegetation was planted in the fall of 2017, and the first spring/ early summer of 2018 showed that most of the approximately 100 species planted survived the difficult winter of 2017-2018. Joint design workshops have created a solid value base for the operation and use of shared green spaces. The results obtained so far show that successful community gardening on the roof is possible and supports social interaction and a sense of community in an apartment building.

The information collected in the framework of the Greenest of the Green project will help to develop environmentally and socially sustainable solutions based on nature.

Team

University of Helsinki, Fifth Dimension research group, Roslings Manor Gardens, TA Companies, Architecture & Design Talli, Technical University of Tampere (prof. Harry Edelman & team), Construction company Reponen, City of Helsinki (Developing blocks of flats -program)

Timeline

The City of Helsinki awarded the project the annual Rakentamisen Ruusu 2017 award to highlight exemplary construction projects. The Scandinavian Green Infrastructure Association awarded The Greenest of Green block the Scandinavian Green Roof Award 2018.

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