Vantaa Masterplan — Sustainable urban regeneration of the Katrineberg area

Katrineberg is an area of Vantaa, north of Helsinki, where a historic manor house, a hospital, a number of residential properties and the countryside along the River Vantaa coexist without any overarching design to tie them together. The international competition called for the regeneration of this fragmented area in a sustainable manner, without erasing its history. The proposal by Barberio Colella Architetti, led by Micaela Colella, is based on a simple conviction: sustainability is not a goal to be flaunted, but the way in which a neighbourhood is brought together and then lived in.

The masterplan is structured around three key areas. The first preserves and enhances the existing heritage: the historic manor house is set within a new green square, whilst the hospital is being converted into a care home, refurbished with a facade retrofit and surrounded by a park dedicated to the elderly. The second approach restores the urban fabric, which is currently fragmented: new roads and a reorganised road network connect a new residential district to the east and new buildings to the north, where civic, commercial and tourist hubs are concentrated. The third opens up the area to sustainable tourism, with well-equipped nature trails leading down to the River Vantaa for hiking, camping, walking and, in winter, cross-country skiing.

Sustainability becomes the guiding principle for the development as a whole. The project enhances biodiversity through native species and interconnected ecological corridors, and aims for carbon neutrality through the use of recycled and low-impact materials, passive technologies and renewable energy sources, managed by renewable energy communities that make the neighbourhood more self-sufficient. The homes are built from timber using prefabrication techniques based on digital designs; the green roofs provide insulation, retain water and support wildlife; a tree barrier protects the buildings from the prevailing south-westerly winds; wastewater and rainwater are treated in constructed wetlands and reused for irrigation. Each house has a sunspace, which stores heat in winter and, when opened in summer, becomes an outdoor space. Soft mobility is employed: within the residential neighborhood, cars are permitted only for emergencies and for people with disabilities, whilst vehicular traffic is confined to Katriinantie and the area around the hospital.

The neighbourhood is designed to cater for individuals and families at different stages of life. Detached houses for large families sit alongside co-housing blocks, where single people, young couples and older residents share shared spaces on the ground floor – from the kitchen to hobby rooms – thereby reducing loneliness and costs. The age-friendly design, inspired by the Communal Age-Friendly Villages initiative, ensures accessible routes all year round, lighting and rest areas, essential services within 500 metres, and spaces that encourage interaction between generations. The project is a proposal developed for an international competition.