Winner for Sitra’s Low2No Sustainable Development Design Competition Selected

HELSINKI -

- Jatkasaari to Become a Carbon Neutral District

The Low2No Competition for an energy- and innovation block in Jatkasaari, Helsinki, is shifting from ideas to implementation. The five international teams, selected out of 74 applicants to take part in the competition last May, have delivered their competition proposals during the summer. The competition results were published on Tuesday, September 1st in Helsinki, Finland.

The jury selected the proposal of team ARUP - Sauerbruch Hutton - Experientia - Galley Eco Capital called c_life - City as living factory of ecology the winner. In their proposal, the multinational team leveraged a particularly promising consumer/behavioural framework to empower citizens in meeting the goal of sustainability. In addition, the team presented an innovative funding model for developing Jatkasaari into the first carbon neutral district in Finland.

The international jury found the competition proposals to be of a very high level of competence and rigor. While each team had a slightly different perspective on sustainability and implementation, each proposal provided a comprehensive approach to the Low2No challenge. The proposals suggest e.g. use of extensive indicators for sustainability, and the utilisation of solar power and heat, as well as wind energy. The recovery of waste energy from ferries and ships was a compelling proposition. Most proposals would also connect the competition block into the district heating grid.

The five proposals brought up a range of strategies the jury found particularly insightful: Material efficiency, in particular the use of wooden structures, as a carbon sink strategy; citizen-centric solutions ranging from real-time carbon footprint information to onsite food production; water focused solutions ranging from onsite storm-water management to minimized water consumption; city densification to reduce carbon footprint and stricter city-limits to reduce sprawl. All proposals identified opportunities not only for the Low2No block, but for the City and Finland as well. The jury recommended Sitra and its partners to continue cooperation with all five teams in order to facilitate this systemic change.

The competition is aimed at raising the interest of city decision-makers, developers, planners and constructors to carefully examine the inevitable changes they will be facing. The City of Helsinki has shown pioneering spirit and an open-minded attitude by joining Sitra in this novel competition.

“Sitra’s competition has given valuable material for future practices within the City of Helsinki, which will be encouraging new site owners to similar low energy building”, stated Deputy Mayor Hannu Penttila in the event.

“Selecting the winner was extremely challenging, since all proposals brought up important viewpoints for sustainable development. However, the jury was unanimous in its selection of the winner. A well developed holistic proposal, the strategy highlighted two important insights: the creation of a carbon neutral district dovetailed with consumer oriented planning, thus supporting Sitra’s objective of empowering citizens”, says Marco Steinberg, Director of Strategic Design at Sitra and chairman of the competition jury.

“Jatkasaari Energy- and Innovation City Block is a key project for Sitra, contributing to the systemic change towards sustainable building. The competition also validates my impression of the importance of city planning in improving sustainability and energy efficient”, says Jukka Noponen, Executive Director of Sitra’s Energy Programme.

“We are very pleased at the competition results and will immediately continue the negotiations for realising these plans.

The international Low2No competition seeks comprehensive solutions to low/no carbon building solutions. The competition aims at showing that the national and international targets for lowering CO2 emissions and improving energy efficiency can be reached and even outperformed, while producing an economically sustainable and high architectural environment. The competition hopes that it can also help contribute to the cooperation between Finnish and international experts in different fields. The competition also encourages cities and communities to set more ambitious targets in developing new areas and to adopt new business models in planning.

Low2No Competition Teams (in alphabetical order)

- ARUP (London, UK) - Sauerbruch Hutton - Experientia - Galley Eco Capital - Bjarke Ingels Group, BIG (Copenhagen, Denmark) - Vahanen - ARUP Foresight Innovation - Transsolar Energietechnik - Anttinen Oiva Arkkitehdit AoA - Masu Planning - Passiivitalo.fi - Pasi Maenpaa - Mikko Jalas - Peter Rose & Partners (Boston, USA) - Michael Van Valkenburgh Associates - Guy Nordenson and Associates - Matthias Schuler, Transsolar Climate Engineering - Mobility in Chain - ARO Architectural Research Office - REX/Croxton Collaborative/NOW (New York, USA) - Transsolar Energietechnik - Magnusson Klemencic Associates - Bureau Bas Smets - 2×4 - Arup New York - Front - Jonathan Rose Companies - WSP Group (London, UK) - Heatherwick Studios - B&M Architects - JK MM Architects - Space Syntax - Helsinki University - AA Palmberg Ltd - Pekka Himanen - Pauli Aalto-Setala

Low2No Jury Members

- Prof Michelle Addington, Associate Professor, Yale University - Mr Harry Edelman, CEO, Edelman Group - Prof Harrison S. Fraker, Professor, Berkeley University - Mr Matti Kaijansinkko, Jatkasaari Project Leader, City Planning Department, City of Helsinki - Mr Timo Kokkila, Property Development Manager, SRV Yhtiot Oyj - Mr Juha Kostiainen, Business Director, Sitra/Energy Programme - Prof Ralf Lindberg, Professor, Tampere University of Technology - Mr Kimmo Lylykangas, Research Manager/Architect, Helsinki University of Technology - Mr Marco Steinberg, Director of Strategic Design, Sitra, Chairman of the Jury - Ms Helena Sateri, Director General, Ministry of the Environment of Finland - Prof Christian Werthmann, Associate Professor, Harvard University

Sitra, the Finnish Innovation Fund

Competitiveness and well-being today require broad and far-reaching changes. Sitra gathers information about the future and enables necessary reforms together with a wide range of actors. The programmes and strategy processes of Sitra are designed to meet the challenges Finland is facing. Sitra is an independent public foundation, whose mission is to build successful Finland for tomorrow.

www.sitra.fi/energy

www.low2no.org/competition

Source: Sitra

Further information: Marco Steinberg, Director of Strategic Design, Tel. +358-40-482-7508, marco.steinberg at sitra.fi. Jukka Noponen, Executive Director, Energy Programme, Tel. +358-40-587-4323, jukka.noponen at sitra.fi