“The most participatory project I have been party to”, Juha Mäki-Jyllilä, Lead Architect of JKMM Architects
JKMM Architects is part of a carbon-neutral urban development project ‘Savonkatu’ led by NCC and the City of Helsinki. The common goal is to create in close interaction with the citizens in the coming years a new community-driven, dynamic and architecturally welcoming housing and business district between Alppila and Pasila, North side of Helsinki downtown. Our lead architect Juha Mäki-Jyllilä describes the participatory design process in his latest blog post on www.savonkatukehittyy.fi:
“The development of Helsinki’s Savonkatu quarter is being conceived in close partnership with the city and its residents. The participatory design process informing our work at JKMM Architects is based on expansive research, questionnaires and interviews. A genuine dialogue of this nature enables our team to identify this sensitive area’s ecological, social and economic needs and goals.
Both the breadth and depth of the grassroot-level exchanges that have taken place on the Savonkatu project are in my experience exceptional. It has been hugely rewarding to bear witness to how interested the local residents, business owners and other stakeholders are in the development of this quarter. The varied and innovative study tools we have used to gauge public opinion have been invaluable in appreciating this. About 1000 respondents have to date expressed their views on the future of Savonkatu. In addition to this, we receive other informal feedback on a weekly basis that sheds light on new points of view. This is the most participatory project I have been party to as an architect.”
Read the full blog post here.