When thinking about sustainable urban development, using sustainable materials in new buildings is what often comes to mind. But there is more – if the existing buildings have potential or even structures that could be saved, why not use them by refurbishing or transforming them into something different, even in a wild way?
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Henna Helander is an experienced architect and leader. Her experience from both the public and private sectors, and her wide knowledge of the construction industry, cities and housing made us eager to ask what she thinks about those topics in today’s Finland. Speaking from architect to architect, Natalia and Henna discuss how sustainable urban development and great design relate, and how to keep cities liveable.
“I love buildings which have both potential and problems”, Henna says and refers to the preservation and renovation of buildings.
Her diverse background in the field of architecture, city planning and almost everything related building industry includes extensive experience from the City of Helsinki, and also an interesting role as CEO of Paimio Sanatorium, Alvar and Aino Aalto’s architectural masterpiece. She was also the president of the Finnish Association of Architects, SAFA, for five years. Working in public and private side can differ from each other. What were the highlights of both?
As a fast and innovative person, Henna admits that she likes the pace of the private sector. There, it is possible to test different things and see the results quickly. Or as it is said in startups, fail fast. But Henna also reminds us that in city development, a long time span is often needed, and the public side is able to provide it. A city is not based on one person’s idea. Development should always allow people to attend the discussion, and that takes time.
Sometimes the laws and regulations that guide the development of our cities and lives can still feel pointless or outdated. Then it would be important for the public side to go back to them and consider if they still apply.
“Those old processes and laws keep old structures up. The processes can be changed and they have to be changed from time to time. But then it is important to know where you are aiming at”, Henna says.
One trend that characterizes Finland is the emptying of small towns. The lack of people leads to a lack of services which again makes it more attractive for people to move to bigger cities.
Different kinds of digital solutions like matchmaking platforms for service providers and consumers could help, but Henna also raises an important point of making the most of the built environment we have. Even with digitalisation, many of the services are still tied to physical spaces and buildings.
When cities are making service network studies of where different services like kindergartens are needed, the spaces are not always thought of. Then, after closing, they suddenly have empty buildings with no use or plans to utilize. This is both expensive and not sustainable. As long as we have empty spaces in the city, we are not tackling climate change.
“When we are talking about the climate crisis, I think the biggest thing the cities could do is to have all their spaces filled with services or filled with people so that there are no empty buildings”, Henna explains.
What else is sustainable urban development made of, in addition to not having empty spaces?
Besides using sustainable materials in buildings, Henna says that we should be very careful about demolishing old buildings. When buildings are left empty, demolishing is often what happens next. Using at least the existing concrete structures would help in making the development more sustainable and the city more diverse and interesting.
At its best, architecture can act as a driver in making the cities attractive. This is often overlooked in smaller towns and municipalities in Finland, Henna says. Small towns could benefit from analysing what are the most interesting places they have, and then emphasising those features. And in these cases, many times the old and unique buildings win over the new and shiny. So when developing, why not refurbish the best of the existing and even transform those in a wild way?
“New generations already think that vintage clothes are much more interesting than new ones. That those have like a soul. We should also have the same spirit when we are looking at cities and buildings”, Henna says.
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