Walking on Campus

Walking on Campus This brochure invites you to familiarize yourself with the buildings, nature and stories in Otanimi. Where is the most obvious ‘fifth façade’? Which building is located at Otaniemi’s highest elevtion? The campus is continuing to develop: the West Metro section will launch its operations, a new university building will be completed at Aino Square, and residential construction will be increased. Regional planning is directed by sustainable development and the goal is self-sufficiency in energy. The Otaniemi area is situated in the eastern part of Espoo – practically in the tion. The plan was deployed as the basis for the area in 1950. It included not only the 1950s, when the first larger buildings for the Helsinki University of Technology centre of the Helsinki Metropolitan Area these days. The area is recognized as State research premises and Helsinki University of Technology but sports facilities were completed. The first part of the university’s main building was opened for use the cradle of modern Finnish technology and industry as well as the main cam- and a student village as well. In the same connection, the area received its current in 1964, and the inauguration was held in connection with the promotion ceremo- pus of Aalto University. nomenclature. nies in 1966. Before the construction of the campus, Otaniemi was part of the centuries-old Part of the Teekkari Village and the sports facilities were the first buildings to be Otaniemi grew into a nucleus for research supporting Finnish industry during the Espoo rural landscape. The need for technical laboratories as well as the rise completed for the 1952 Olympic Games. After the end of the Games, Otaniemi has fre- 1970s and 1980s. Approximately 40,000 people currently work in the area. That in the numbers of students in higher education required a move of the Helsinki quently functioned as a sports village for European and World Championship events. number is set to grow in the years to come as Aalto University concentrates its op- University of Technology away from Hietalahti as well as investment in the con- Of the research institutes, the first to be completed were the Geological Survey of erations on Otaniemi. (Panu Nykänen, Ph.D.) struction of a higher education infrastructure. The State purchased Otaniemi Finland building and the University of Technology’s sawmill, which were needed not Manor for this purpose in 1949. only for research in wood technology but as a material supplier for the construction of CONTENTS: Tuula Isohanni and Päivi Kiuru, 2014 WRITTEN BY: Tuula Isohanni, Meeri Karvinen, Meri the area. Löyttyniemi, Tiina Metso, Panu Nykänen, Pauli Saloranta, Tom Simons, Verstas Architects LAYOUT: Architect Alvar Aalto won the area’s design competition along with his spouse, Päivi Kiuru MORE INFORMATION: aalto.fi, artcoordination.aalto.fi/en, aalto.fi/sustainability, aaltonet.fi, Aino Aalto, who succumbed to a difficult illness over the course of the competi- Due to a strike, the planning of the Otaniemi area was extended to the end of the alvaraalto.fi, kaupunkipolut.fi, visitespoo.fi With special thanks to Leila Teräsalmi-Sovijärvi Päivi Kiuru Tarja Trygg Päivi Kiuru 1. OtaKAARI 1 7. JÄMERÄntaival 1 8. DIPOLI 9. TEKnoloGFÖRENINGEN 10. TEEKKARI VillaGE The main building of the former Helsinki Uni- This building, completed in 1966, is the The Student Union building designed by The Swedish speakers’ sorority house, part Teekkari Village was planned and designed versity of Technology, designed by Alvar and only dormitory on campus designed by Al- Reima and Raili Pietilä was completed in of the former Helsinki University of Tech- by Heikki Siren and Matti Melakari. The Elissa Aalto, was completed in 1964. It dom- var Aalto. The four-storey, V-shaped edifice 1966. The materials of the structure, which nology, was designed by Kurt and Thua first stage of the village – nine ‘point’ houses inates the central area of the campus from a has over 200 rooms, and originally it func- represent organic architecture, derive from Moberg and was completed in 1966. The – was completed for the 1952 Olympics. The small hill where the main building of the Ota- tioned during the summers as a hotel. The Finnish nature: pine, copper and natu- building has no straight corners, and a myth- construction of these buildings represents niemi Manor was located during the 1700s. southeast façade on the dormitory’s east ral stone. Of the total number of Dipoli’s ological drinking horn inspired its shape. the world’s largest stunt ever performed by The roof of the auditorium continues towards wing undulates and the layout resembles a 500 windows, only four are the same as Club TF – the first disco in the region of Fin- students: engineering students helped on- the park in the form of an amphitheatre. The fan, which is reminiscent of Aalto’s previ- each other. The opening-and-closing Käpy land’s capital – functioned in the premises, site to clear and move, in a voluntary work red bricks of the campus buildings suggest old ously designed MIT dormitory in Boston. (Cone, 1968), a work of art by Reijo Perko and since the 1980s the tradition has been project, a total of 800,000 bricks from the Finnish industrial architecture, illustrating and Heikki Koivikko, is found in front of the continued by the Täffä AB restaurant. Soviet Embassy, which had been bombed Maija Holma, Alvar Aalto -museum the close relationship of the work done within building. Address: Otakaari 24 Address: Otakaari 22 and destroyed during the Continuation War. Päivi Kiuru its edifices with industrial activity. Address: Jämeräntaival 3, 5, ja 7 2. THE Library 11. Servin MÖKKI The library building designed by Alvar Aalto Kaija and Heikki Siren designed this stu- was completed in 1969. It is Finland’s old- dents’ restaurant, which was completed in SERVINNIEMI est and largest library in the technical field. the centre of the Teekkari Village in 1952. The structure is clearly connected with the Currently in use as a multi-purpose facility, former main building next to it with respect VILLA ELFVIK the building’s unpretentious milieu is born LEPPÄvaara to the materials and contours of the façades. S from its unplaned, sawn-timber board and MAARINLAHTI E R V IN The furnishings in the interiors, designed by K structures that have been left visible. The U J Aalto and Elin Törnudd, are a fixed part of LAAJALAHTI A original Servin Maijan mökki has evident- IE T NATURA AREA AN IJ the whole: a large number of the shelves, ta- 18 A ly been a recreational facility in Helsinki’s M 17 IN bles, counters and lamps are original items. V Alppila district. Address: Jämeräntaival 4 R BIRD-WATCHING E SÄHKÖMIEHENTIE S 12 Heikki Juutilainen Address: Otaniementie 9 TOWER Tarja Trygg TEEKKARI VILLAGE L A V MAARINRANTA V aisalantie 25 I A T KonemieHENTIE 11 N 16 Ä R MARTTI E 4 RAKenta M 10 LEVÓN’S Ä 3. SHOPPING CENTRE PARK J 12. Otaniemi CHAPEL PUUMIEHENKUJ 12 J 13 At the outset of the 1960s, Alvar Aalto de- anauKIO The chapel, designed by Kaija and Heikki Otaniementie 5 24 A taKAARI signed a shopping centre and bank building O 7 Siren, is situated on the highest hill in the KEHÄ I taKAARI for the centre of Otaniemi. The copper gam- O Otaniemi campus area. It stands on a plateau brel roof of the long, one-and-a-half storey on the hilltop, resulting in a splendid series building culminates in a fifth, clamshell-like 1 9 of premises from the front courtyard to the OTANIEMI façade, which descends in front of the busi- TEKNIIKANTIE 14 SPORTS PARK low vestibule and hall seating 140 people, and ness premises into a curved-edged canopy. A ALVARI’S 8 proceeding from the same via the altar wall to Tietotie SQUARE IEHENTIE In 1987, Aalto’s office designed an additional 2 M 26 a natural forest area where a cross has been A L 15 b O building for the north section of the shopping O erected directly into the bedrock. Otakappeli T 3 U BioloGIN15KUJ a AN L 6 IE centre, where Aalto University’s student 23 ME Chapel is a globally renowned and awarded NTIE O Tarja Trygg association currently functions. Address: taKUJ architectural site. Address: Jämeräntaival 8 19 Tarja Trygg A Otakaari 11-15 E MetallimieHENKUJ HAGALUND’S TI N PARK TI O IS taKALLIO M E K 15 c 4. HeatinG plant d A 13. PolytecHnical STUDents’ 15 HA VUORIMIEHENTIE G MUSEUM alunDINTIE The campus-based heating plant building 20 T taranta EK O designed by Alvar Aalto was realized at the N The Polytechnical Students’ Museum is an II K A absolute jewel of its kind. According to the outset of the 1960s. The most visible sec- BetonimieHENKUJ 22 N 21 T I tion of the building is the cube-shaped power E International Council of Museums (ICOM), KIVIMIEHENTIE plant, whose internal engineering is exposed LEHtisaari acting under Unesco, this is the only museum to view from a glass façade. The roof of the owned and maintained by students that con- structure and its linked projection are made A centrates on student culture. It presents as- of copper. The laboratories, offices and con- pects of the engineering student experience E TI tapiola Miestentie EN trol centre are situated in the lower rectan- R that are both visible and less known by means A A S U gular-shaped premises. Address: Otakaari 6 H of objects and stories. Address: Jämeräntaival R A K 3a, open by appointment: [email protected]. Martti Kapanen, Alvar Aalto -museum 300 m Pyry Ekholm Shore road Campus walking route 5.

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