Oravarinne passive houses, Espoo, Finland Oravarinne – meaning Squirrel Hill – is the name of the suburban street in Espo, southern Finland, where these three colourful new passive homes were built. The dwellings were a pilot project by TA Yhtymä, a social housing association, to see how well suited the passive house standard was to the
region’s cold climate, and how practical it was to build them here. The project showed that it is possible but “not yet the economic optimum”, according to its designers Kimmo Lylykangas Architects. ”For that, better products, especially windows, have to enter the market first.” Indeed, meeting the passive house standard here demanded a super-insulated building envelope. The walls were constructed with reinforced concrete that was then insulated externally
with 400mm polystyrene, while the attic features over 600mm of mineral wool. All the windows are quadruple-glazed. Each of the buildings has a simple compact form — minimising the surface area from which heat can escape — surrounded by a terrace. The depth of the terrace varies depending on which way each facade is facing. For example, deep south-facing terraces provide shade in summer, but still let in the lower-angle sunlight in winter. Meanwhile, generous glazing provides views to the development’s wooded surroundings. u