Cobe and Lundén Architecture Company highlight the project for its ambitious use of wood, strengthening the connection between the urban environment of the city and nature. This fact reinforces Espoo's commitment to developing innovative solutions to the environmental and social challenges of the future.
The design proposes a new, distinctive house for the people, strengthening the future identity of the city. It promotes interaction, social gatherings and dialogue between city representatives and Espoo residents. The space is open and flexible with respect to outdoor public spaces.
Rendering. Wooden Community and Municipal Building by Cobe and Lundén Architecture Company.
Description of project by Cobe + Lundén Architecture Company
The Espoo House will serve as the new public heart of the city and a marketplace for community making. The building is part of a larger masterplan for the so-called Espoon Keskus, one of five major urban centres in Espoo, creating a diverse neighbourhood with new residential buildings, commercial facilities, public transportation, and green urban spaces. By introducing an urban structure that extends from north to south, and across the train tracks, the project provides a robust foundation for unifying the strongly divided sides of the city. All in all, the project seeks to reinforce Espoo’s role in Finland and internationally as an attractive city centre for art, science and economy.
Rendering. Wooden Community and Municipal Building by Cobe and Lundén Architecture Company.
“Espoo House will be open to all and be an active interface and meeting place for the citizens and decision-makers who together contribute to the positive development of Espoon Keskus. It will be a new kind of administrative building, built to support a more open and participatory society. With an environmentally conscious construction, it provides a good foundation for a healthy urban life at the heart of Espoo”.
Eero Lundén, Founder of Lundén Architecture Company.
“Espoo House will be constructed primarily of wood; columns and beams of mass timber, slabs of CLT and a wooden clad façade, continuing Finland’s rich tradition of building in wood. While minimizing the emission of CO2 compared to traditional concrete constructions, wood will also be visible throughout the building and create a warm atmosphere and quality. Unlike historical, large-scale and formal city halls, we envision a human, social and tactile house for the people, and an urban living room for community building”.
Dan Stubbergaard, Founder of Cobe.
Rendering. Wooden Community and Municipal Building by Cobe and Lundén Architecture Company.
Landmark within the city structure
Espoo House forms one block in a patchwork of new diverse blocks with distinct identities, informed by the existing surroundings. The building consists of a collection of rectangular volumes that differ in height in response to the site. With its sculptural roof profiles, the building becomes a recognizable landmark in the city, while complementing adjacent housing blocks in scale and appearance. Constructed primarily of wood, the new landmark strives to serve as a model for innovative wood construction.
A house for the people
A programmatic distribution with a mix of workspaces and public areas throughout the building promotes interaction, social encounters, and dialogue between city representatives and Espoo’s residents. The ground floor is an open and flexible extension of the public outdoor spaces. The public spaces extend vertically within the building, from the ground to the top-most level. An atrium-like public space transforms its shape and size on each floor, providing flexible and diverse meeting places for all. The atrium also allows natural light to fill the central parts of the building. The top floor houses a public multi-purpose hall and winter garden, providing an ideal setting for large public events with expansive views over the city and surrounding landscapes.
Rendering. Wooden Community and Municipal Building by Cobe and Lundén Architecture Company.
Using wood to optimize the construction and create a future-proof layout
Espoo House will primarily be made of wood, with the aim to reduce the overall CO2 footprint of its construction, compared to building in concrete or steel. The load-bearing structure consists of mass timber with a span of 6x6 meters. The dimensions are chosen to minimize the material use for the building, and to provide a generous room height.
In addition to being an effective material in terms of its renewability, low carbon footprint, energy efficiency and design for disassembly, wood also provides a pleasant indoor environment and a stress-mitigating acoustic profile.
The wooden structure also offers flexibility for different layouts on each floor, enabling easy adaptation to the building’s evolving needs over time. The wooden post and beam structure allows for the division of spaces in various ways, and the various floor levels feature unique spatial solutions. This enables diverse work environments and extends the building’s lifecycle and usability.
Construction for Espoo House will begin in early 2026 and is expected to open in 2029.
