Espoo Green Loop
Sector: Competition
This international competition was organised by the city of Espoo, Finland. The brief involved designing a new hospital, senior citizens centre, housing and related facilities, to form a campus that promotes well-being and rehabilitation.
The proposal sought to exploit the site’s wooded, hilly landscape for therapeutic gain and encourage an active way of life. A new pedestrian route follows an existing contour around the whole site, forming a sinuous “Green Loop” providing full access to even the mobility impaired.
The Green Loop encourages people to explore the site, connecting leisure and fitness facilities, dispersed to a number of pavilions in the forest. Housing is flexible enough to accommodate all ages, promoting a diverse community of mutual dependence between young and old. A cultural centre includes space where elderly citizens can continue to work.
The company’s proposal promotes health in the mind and body. The mind is stimulated by the cultural centre; physical health is encouraged by dispersed activity.
