FINNISH DIGNITY - LATEST HOUSING SOLUTIONS FOR SOCIAL DIVERSIFICATION AND CONSTRUCTION SUSTAINABILITY

Social diversification and change of environmental conditions, are increasing global phenomena and in the last few years Finland has proposed efficient solutions for large accessibility and eco-sustainability of spaces, starting indeed from the residential field. For example the last Biennal Review of 2016 shows that more and more housing estates in Helsinki are designed with the process of “co-housing”, an inverted system in which future residents set-up cooperatives to manage the economic financing, actively participating in designing their flats. This procedure not only satisfy the common request of space customization for different social categories like young people or families, but it guarantees appreciation and adaptability for those who have specific needs like disabled residents, overcoming the traditional stereotype of architects as “space imposers”. In Finland housing strategies intervenes also for categories usually considered as social outsiders: with the program “Housing-first” the number of homeless people is largely decreased giving them a permanent home in new housing blocks or offering them a shelter thanks to a diffuse hostel network. The recent initiative and architectural competition “From Border to Home – Housing Solutions for Asylum Seekers” shows also Finland attention for immigrants, proposing the realisation of temporary and permanent houses integrated in the cities for refugees, supporting the idea of an inclusive and balanced society. All these strategies are realised taking into account environmental sustainability and architectural quality. New housing blocks, correctly integrated in their urban context with well-studied figurative appearance, are built using recycled components or applying traditional materials like bricks and especially wood. It is largely suitable in the country and although recently is often controlled with PEFC standard, it is experimented achieving ambitious scales like in Pukkuoka and Seinäjoki multi-storey blocks or in the project Wood City. With a great carefulness for social welfare and environmental respect, Finland proposes real answers to housing current problems, continuing to give to architecture a crucial role in its cultural debate.