Competition for Vuores central blocks won by entry 'Vihreä vuo'

The winning entry is designed by Riikka Kuittinen, architect SAFA, Mikko Kämäräinen, architect SAFA, Miia Mäkinen, architect SAFA, and Virve Väisänen, architect SAFA. The assistant was Nelly Isopahkala, architect SAFA. The illustrations were created by Janoušek & Havlíček and Luo arkkitehdit Oy.

The entry Vihreä vuo solves the urban structure and handles the Vuoresaukio Square with particular merit. The jury recommends that, in further planning, the increase of the floor area be examined in a controlled manner and the dimensioning of the blocks be specified with regard to light angles and maintenance routes, among others. Further planning will also examine the development of parking in terms of feasibility and phasing.

"The Vuores architectural competition showed the amazing level of Finnish design competence. The competition entries combined versatile urban planning thinking, strong architectural expression and sustainability goals. In particular, the winning work Vihreä vuo was distinguished by its thoughtful overall approach and strong identity, but there were also many insightful ideas for the development of the area in the other recognised entries," says Ilkka Porttikivi, Deputy Mayor of Urban Environment and Infrastructure Services.

A total of 50 entries were submitted by the deadline, all of which were accepted. The public had the opportunity to comment on the competition entries between 18 December 2024 and 7 January 2025. The jury also read the public feedback. Comments were submitted via the competition website. A total of 181 comments were received.

Commenters paid attention to qualities such as the scale, height and quantity of construction, city centre-like features, adaptation to the existing buildings, handling of Vuoresaukio Square, greenness, services, traffic and parking arrangements, and architecture.

Other award-winning entries and further work

The entry Solina placed second, while Vuoreksen huippu came third. Two works, the entries Cor and Räsykatot, were redeemed. The jury also gave an honourable mention to the entry Humu.

The jury recommends that the centre of Vuores be developed further based on the entry that placed first, Vihreä vuo, but ideas from the other recognised works can also be adopted, if necessary.

"When Vuores was first created, an architectural competition also provided a solution on which the new district was based. The aim is that new ideas and modern solutions will help us build the central part of Vuores that's still missing. Reference planning for the local detailed plan will be launched on the basis of the winning entry, and the reference plan will be prepared alongside the local detailed plan," says Hanna Montonen, Acting Head of Urban Planning.

As is typical of public architectural competitions, the level of entries varied from well-researched and highly developed to highly draft-like. However, the jury assessed that the overall level of competition was high. As a result of the competition, a unique, attractive and pleasant district centre can be developed for Vuores.

"Reference planning for the local detailed plan will be launched on the basis of the winning entry, and the reference plan will be prepared alongside the local detailed plan. The reference plan is one solution that can be used to implement the local detailed plan. The draft of the local detailed plan will be made available for public review. Our aim is also that the local detailed plan proposal will then be ready for processing by the Committee for City Planning and Infrastructure Services this year," Montonen adds. 

Vuores is one of the newest districts in Tampere. The small-town-like neighbourhood is a unique combination of proximity to nature, high-quality architecture, art, eco-friendliness, and cutting-edge technological solutions.

Evaluation of the winning entry

In the winning entry Vihreä vuo, the new centre of Vuores is created by breaking up the urban structure, rather than creating a location that is denser than the rest of the area. In the entry the curved edges of the green finger protruding from Vuores Central Park have been extended through the entire area, so that the concave shape of the structure forms a soft, lap-like edge for Vuoresaukio Square.

In the entry, the blocks are formed in a balanced and effortless manner, lowering towards the existing structure. The proposed block-specific parking solution serves the phasing of the area. In terms of sustainability, the entry is among the most successful in the competition.

The proposed volume of construction is very moderate compared to all other entries. However, the urban structure and building types presented in the work still allow moderate consideration for elevation in further planning without losing the characteristics of the work.

As a whole, the urban structure idea presented in the work creates a foundation that would seem to be able to withstand many changes necessary for the further planning phase while maintaining its identity.

Premises of the competition

The competition sought proposals for the reference planning of the central blocks of Vuores and for the basis of the pending amendment of the local detailed plan. The aim is to form a visually, functionally and architecturally distinctive entity, which is still missing from the only partially realised central block area of the Vuores district.

The competition area extends over five blocks with Vuoresaukio Square and part of Vuoreksen puistokatu street. The size of the competition area is approximately 3.2 hectares. The area is located in the Vuores district in Tampere, approximately 8 kilometres south of central Tampere, along good transport connections and in the vicinity of forest areas and lakes.

The competition sought ideas for the design of high-quality blocks containing housing, commercial space and public services, as well as for strengthening the green environment and service network, not to forget sustainability objectives.

The Vuores district is constantly growing, and at the beginning of 2025, there were about 7,750 residents. Upon completion, Vuores will have 11,000–14,000 inhabitants, depending on the residential areas to be included.

You can find the review memorandum of the competition, including its award-winning works and authors, on the competition website. The website also continues to showcase all the entries that took part in the competition.