Tuusula (FI)

How can the site contribute to a productive city?

The project site, Anttila farming centre, is situated in a beautiful rural landscape by Tuusula lake, near Hyrylä centre. Anttila has served as a research and education centre for farming but has become mostly vacant. Large barns and research buildings together with housing are available for new use. Some of the old farm buildings are suitable for food production, or they could be converted into something new, even into housing. The goal is to find new ideas and concepts for the area. How could local food production, services and housing coexist in Anttila a new way? How could Anttila become a post-agrarian productive village?

City strategy

Tuusula municipality is part of the Greater Helsinki area, located only half an hour from Helsinki and 15 minutes from Helsinki-Vantaa airport. Tuusula is a combination of active municipal centers and peaceful countryside. The three centres – Hyrylä, Kellokoski and Jokela – each have their own identity. The Tuusula city strategy is to grow via densification.
Lake Tuusula is an inherent part of Tuusula’s identity and cultural heritage. A unique community of artists formed on the shores of the lake in the early 1900’s and this heritage is still prominent today. Enhansing the recreational use of the lake is currently one of the municipality’s key development projects.

Site definition

Anttila farming centre is situated near Tuusula lake, 3 km from Hyrylä. Hyrylä is Tuusula’s administrational center with 20 000 inhabitants. Anttila consists of several historically valuable farm buildings, such as a cowshed from the 1930’s. There are also buildings that are at the end of their life spans, as well as housing.
The history of Anttila is long and the most active years were 1940-1980 when Anttila functioned as a national test farm for new crops. When the research center moved out, Tuusula municipality purchased the area with its buildings. Since then Anttila has been used for education, greenhouse farming and storage, or rented out for various uses. The area is currently in a stagnant condition and is in need of revitalisation.

How is production inserted in the urban diversity programme?

The task of the competition is to create a vision for the Anttila area. The competitors are asked to propose new use for the old buildings and to incorporate housing for the site. Productive themes will be addressed by asking:
• What kind of production could fit in the old protected buildings?
• Could Anttila function as a platform for developing ecological food production methods?
• How will food production evolve in the future? What kinds of facilities will it require?
• How could production and housing coexist in Anttila in a new way?
• What could Anttila offer for Hyrylä, for people who live in the Greater Helsinki area or for international tourists?
• How can Anttila reinvent itself as a popular destination in Tuusula?
• What kinds of temporary uses could Anttila have?
• How will the new development of Anttila resonate with the cultural heritage of Tuusula?
• What kind of a role will Lake Tuusula play in the future of Anttila?

Aerial view from the WestProtected cowshed

GreenhousesTuusula Lake