New form of communal life

Living in a city, your neighbours are often total strangers to you and your interaction with them is nothing more than a quick ‘hi’ in the stairwell. What’s more, the common facilities for residents, built in the air raid shelters down in the basement, do not exactly inspire you to engage in communal activities. Many long for the old village culture where everyone knew their neighbours and children were raised by the whole village.

Lately both housing developers and residents have shown growing interest in communal housing. One such project is the upcoming Kotikatu365 housing and service quarter in Hatsala, Kuopio. The first residential building of the community will soon be completed. A daycare centre and a nursing home were built in the area back in September. By 2030, Hatsala will include several residential buildings, a multistorey car park and many common facilities.

WORRY-FREE OPERATOR MODEL

Built by Health City Finland in Oulu and Kuopio, the Kotikatu365 quarters are the first area complexes in Finland that are based on the principle of communality. In addition to their communal concept, the operator model of the areas is innovative.

“The model includes enabling resident events in the community, maintaining shared equipment and vehicles and common facilities, and providing information through a resident portal,” says CEO of Health City Finland Pekka Ronkainen.

More Common Space

In the spirit of communality, the buildings have been designed to include functional and comfortable common facilities. For example, residents have access to a well-equipped gym and sauna facilities, lounge areas and playrooms for children.

“The aim is to encourage natural, everyday encounters between people. Residents can come and spend time in the facilities, and we also organize various low-threshold events,” says Ronkainen, describing the concept.

have become more active. We have also received feedback from women saying that their sense of security has increased significantly,” says Ronkainen, summing up the results.

FUTURE-READY

Kuopio has long been interested in communal construction. This residential and service quarter model was first presented to the city almost ten years ago, after which the search for a suitable site began.

“We wanted to test communal housing in Kuopio, so the aim was to find the best possible site for the project close to the very centre of the city,” says Housing Director of the City of Kuopio Katri Hiltunen.

“A spot at a good central location now opened up in Hatsala as the public swimming pool and bowling alley moved elsewhere,” she adds.

Resident surveys show that the communal concept and operator model have been positively received.

“Residents in Oulu have noticed that their life has become easier, and especially the more elderly residents

The communal housing projects in Kuopio and Oulu are being followed with great interest in other cities as well. Communal living can, indeed, be one of the upcoming megatrends in housing. At least Kuopio is ready for it.