Kortepohja is the university neighbourhood of Jyväskylä characterised by an even functionalist architecture. A competition was launched to design a vast dorm complex in place of obsolete structures distributed on two lots linked only on a corner. Aim of our design was to respect the “whitish-modernist” allure of the surrounding built environment while offering a warmer and more informal interpretation of the urban habitat. The massing contradicts therefore the orthogonal geometry of the neighbourhood with an enveloping movement that generates a seamless flow of interstitial spaces protected by the masses.
The buildings, rather conventional in plan with their double loaded corridors, reveal their uniqueness in section and elevation. The articulated shelving façade gives birth to a rather varied serie of combination of windows and balconies, all slightly different, so that each room has its own identity, preventing the risk of the honeycomb effect typical of this kind of structures.
In the southern lot are also located the accessory functions of the complex: a supermarket and restaurant and automatic car silos housing all the requested parking stalls.
