Oulu (FI)

How can the site contribute to the productive city?

At the end of the 1960’s the University of Oulu was moved to Linnanmaa, 5 km outside the city center. An architectural competition was arranged in 1967 to design the campus and a new neighbourhood center of Kaijonharju next to it. In the winning entry the university was intended to form a vibrant entity with Kaijonharju and it’s urban facilities.
The area didn’t, however, develop as proposed in the competition. Today the housing area and university are two secluded, monofunctional areas with poor connections between them. The objective is to densify and diversify the areas, bring in new services and small businesses and to build new connections. The goal is to make Kaijonharju an attractive, 24h urban district.

City strategy

Oulu, also known as a city of technology, is the largest city in northern Finland and the fastest growing metropolitan area in Scandinavia. Oulu’s population of 200 000 is the youngest in Finland.
The city strategy is to make Kaijonharju-Linnanmaa district a vibrant and diverse part of the urban fabric. It will be connected to the city center by developing the areas between Kaijonharju and the center into a dense urban zone that will inhabit 10 000 people. Kaijonharju will have good public transportation and bicycle connections to the center and the city has also prepared to build a new tram line there in the future.

Site definition 

University of Oulu is situated in Linnanmaa, 5 km outside the city center. It has 14 000 students and 3 000 employees. The campus buildings are architecturally acknowledged and have received RKY status (culturally significant built environment). East of the university is Kaijonharju, a suburban area with 3 800 inhabitants. Kaijonharju is characterised by large open parking areas, low density concrete housing blocks and green forested areas. There are few services in the area and they are mainly located in a shopping center in the middle.
Between Linnanmaa and Kaijonharju is the student village of PSOAS that has apartments for 1 500 students. Many of the buildings, built in the 1970’s, are now at the end of their life span. They will be demolished and replaced with new ones.

How is Production Considered in the Urban Diversity Program?

Oulu University of Applied Sciences (OAMK) will move to the same facilities with the University of Oulu in Linnanmaa in 2019. The shared campus will improve collaboration between the two universities and also attract more students, experts, services and companies to the area. It is estimated that approximately 20 000 people will study and work in the new campus. 1 000 new student apartments will be needed and also the services in the area need to be increased and improved. The task of the competition is to create a vision for the developing area:

- How to connect Kaijonharju to the university campus and to the surrounding urban structure?
- How to make Kaijonharju a versatile and diverse urban district?
- How to create a new urban identity?
- How to make the new local center of Kaijonharju function with new hybrid buildings and a public transportation hub?
- How to serve and attract different types of people from different ages and backgrounds?
- How to create and support local businesses?
- How could the university or PSOAS promote new models of production in this neighbourhood?
- How to support non-profit communal activities to improve the overall profile of the area.

Yliopistonkatu street

Kaijonharju housing blocks

Kaijonharju shopping center

Bicycles on campus