Type-Planned Houses

Type-planned houses My intertextual study is about very common type of finnish house, better known as”veteran- house” or “type-planned house”. These houses were build after the Second World War and they were one of the key factors in solving the huge housing shortage after the war. Finland ceded most of Finnish Karelia, Salla, and Pechenga to Soviet Union and half a million people had to leave their homes. Over half of the evacuees were agricultural population. They received new farms in Southern Finland as compensation for their losses. The huge rebuilding project was organised by the government, helped by countless organisations. They promised land to war invalids, war widows and veterans with families. Sweden also donated 2000 houses after the war. The most important co-operator was the Finnish Association of Architects, whose members voluntarily and free of charge developed and designed type-planned houses and town plans. File was created for the publication of type- planned house blueprints, building instructions and individual standards. There were dozens of different models of the type-planned houses, but the most common model became the 1,5-storied clapboard house with a saddle roof. These houses spread from the rural Finland to population centres and towns. All in all, around 75.000 veteran’s houses were built during the reconstruction era 1940-1960. After the war Finland had a shortage of everything else, except land, timber and working hands. For example people re-used old nails, straightened them and nailed again and they mixed stones with concrete. For years, the industrial production went to the Soviet Union as war indemnities. The solution to housing shortage was a wooden one family house, built with one’s own hands. The blueprints and detailed instructions were free. Loans were fairly easy to get and some of them were cut in several portions witch were received after certain part of house was finished. Building engineers toured the country to help, guide and to supervise that the instructions were followed. Neighbours helped each other. The basic model is one with rooms concentrated big gardens. The building site is big and some around a central chimney. The kitchen, living of these sites have been divided in half so it’s room and bedroom were all downstairs. The possible to build two houses on the same site. upstairs could be finished at a later time as often People want their own house with a garden and was the case. House had a separate entrance to prices are high especially in southern Finland. upstairs, so two families could easily share a Nowadays residential areas have strict rules how house. Basement was for cellars and sauna and to renovate houses. The windows, the roof, the later on a garage. Surface area differs from 38,5- wall surface material, and house extensions have 80 m², but it was also possible to build more to be designed according to the type-planned rooms in the attic. Yard around the house was house regulations in some areas. All though the quite big, since self-sufficient food production outside has a original look, the inside can be was important during the shortage. Everyone quite modern with a bigger kitchen and a new should have their own vegetable garden. They room division. Type-planned houses are healthy, grew berry bushes and apple trees, and the houses economical and quite enduring in spite of the all had big cellars for preserves. Toilet and sauna shortage of materials when they were built during were usually outside. There were no running the years after the war. water or electricity in many areas after the war, but the standard of living improved rapidly. In my hometown of Valkeakoski these houses are very common. Industry and population grew There were also criticism: house model was during the reconstruction era and my hometown too dice-like, concrete foundation too high and has many type-planned housing areas. The in general houses looked barren. Now days paper industry also built many houses for their garden hides quite well these aesthetic flaws. workers. There is something familiar and safe Type-planned house reflects architectural ideas with these houses and they are a very common of the time and the house model wasn’t typical part of Finnish landscape. for Finnish architecture. Functionalism required that house planning should affix on practical source: YLE documentary-Type-planned structure and only necessary functions. These houses(http://www.ebu.ch/CMSimages/en/ houses were designed for the nuclear family YLE_Type_planned_houses_script_VA_tcm6- which was uncommon family size in country 41121.pdf) side. Traditionally it was a custom to have grand parents and workers under the same roof. Reconstruction era in Finland was quite a long period of time (1940-1960) so there were changes in house models, materials and domestic appliances. By 1950’s it was easier to get materials and houses were a bit bigger, but they were still type-planned houses with recognisable features. Many of these pictures that I have took are 1950’s houses. In the 1970’s architecture changed and the houses became usually lower and with a flat roof. Apartment houses were also very popular and many type-planned housing areas were destroyed. Many of the houses have been remodelled and are hard to recognise as type-planned houses. Gardens don’t have the same importance any more, and they’ve been changed into flowerbeds and children’s play areas. In recent years appreciation for the type- planned houses has been a rising trend. There is something nostalgic about these houses with Deviations Type-planned houses are very traditional part of Finnish landscape. I’m mainly interested in the changes in their appearance. There are few things and deviations which I’m focusing on such as building materials, building extensions, colour, building plan and area planning. In 1940’s these houses were the answer to the housing shortage. The type-planned houses were designed to be economical and easy to build. This housing program standardise house models and area design, and created similar neighbourhoods where everyone had exactly the same house as their neighbours. Design also suggested what kind of family should live in them and they were created for a nuclear family. 1940’s house design can be considered private with entrance and Valkeakoski-kuvateos / valkeakoski seura 1956 garden in the backyard. On the other hand these houses had windows in every directions and the lack of vegetations after construction made them very open to the rest of the neighbourhood. In some point houses were turned around and the entrance and verandah were build on the street side. Colours were light and apparently the same if you look at these pictures of my home town from 1950’s. I have no idea what kind of neighbourhoods these areas were. I’ve read people stories about building type-planned houses and they hardly never talk about the neighbourhood. They always mentioned helpful neighbours and friends who helped them, but after the house was built these stories focused on renovating. There was always something to do, something unfinished or things that needed to be changed. In my hometown these areas are all over the town not far from the city centre. Probably type- planned housing areas lack typical suburban problems and I think these problems are more common in concrete suburb which were created in 60’s-70’s. I don’t know if suburb is appropriate These colour pictures from the 70’s were my starting point word for type-planned housing area or as a matter for this study. I think my grandmother had took them from her yard. My first reaction was that these similar dice-like of fact for any area in Finland. houses are quite attractive. Here are few examples how type-planned houses have changed over decades. Comparing these houses from present to the time they were built should give me some kind of point which to focus on. These are very common type-planned houses with two entrances, one chimney, two floors and a basement, right surface material (board or plastered surface) light colour and dice-like model. In 1940’s the entrance was usually in the backyard and in the 50’s entrance and verandah were on the street- or lateral side of the house. This house has lot of deviations, which makes it The roof material is traditionally cement tile. stand out from the rest of the houses. Windows The garden is always behind the house. are of the wrong type. Tiles combined with green board are unusual material for the wall in type- planned houses. The eaves are too wide and extension has flat roof. Attic level and windows are too dark and popular cement plate is wrong surface material. How to make your house bigger? Extension should have saddle roof and adapt to This house has new windows and wrong kind of the original house. extension. The garage can be built in the basement or in a different building in the yard. Many decided to These extension are quite big, different colour extend their house instead. than houses and of the wrong shape. This extension is made out of tin plate and it doesn’t fit well with the rest of the house. Tin plate and cement plate aren’t traditional materials for type-planned house. Also dark window panels are from 70’s-80’s. I think that biggest deviations in appearance are changes in the colour and house extensions. Now days type-planned houses have more strict rules how to renovate and a building permit is required even for small changes in many areas.

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