Our proposal Avec received an honourable mention in the Fazerila-Santamalmi area design competition ‘for the development of green areas with landscape and nature as starting points’ this December. The proposal was made in collaboration with Architects Anttila & Rusanen Ltd., and Liikennesuunnittelu Kutoset Oy also participated.
According to the jury, Avec is a proposal of unique urban appearance, with a successful solution for the green area network. In connection with the habitat of the moor frog, there’s a green heart with sufficient green connections in different directions. The well-designed Tehtaanpuisto (factory park) between the factory and residential area received special praise. According to the evaluation minutes, the proposal utilises the area’s landscape as a starting point and the green areas have been developed in diverse ways.
Avec envisions the future Fazerila-Santamalmi as a tasty and relaxed city district, where Fazer factory heritage and Santamalmi’s sand eskers with their anthropogenic changes are combined in an experiential way with the new residential environment. The blue-green network of diverse park areas is the backbone of the new tram city. The habitats of the moor frog (Rana arvalis) will be preserved and diversified as part of the adventurous Sammakkolaakso (frog valley) park. In the proposal, lush, green vegetation is paired with shapes and colours of the candy world.
The landscape of the area is fascinatingly layered. The moor frog and many other species have found a home in the reforested landscape of the former gravel mining area. With the new phase of urban development, the layers of the landscape are being highlighted. The diverse park connection running through the centre supports the ecological corridor that borders the planning area and is significant in the scale of Uusimaa, reaching from Vanhankaupunginlahti to Ojanko. The parks of Santamalmi are a link in the outdoor recreation network, with routes leading to Vaarala Riviera, Slåttmossen nature reserve and all the way to Sipoonkorpi forest.
Fazerila’s Tehtaanpuisto is located at the intersection of the new block structure and the existing factory environment. The neighbourhood park weaves together industrial history and preserved trees of the esker area, and offers an active new urban space for employees, visitors, residents, and outdoor enthusiasts. Sammakkolaakso park opens onto Fazerintie via a spectacular landscape staircase. It is a natural park area rich in biodiversity, and the landforms resulting from gravel mining on the surrounding slopes are utilised to implement interesting housing solutions. The habitats of the protected moor frog are preserved as part of the park complex. Purified stormwater is directed into a series of ponds at the bottom of the valley, diversifying recreational use and the habitat of the moor frog.
The invitational competition was organized by Oy Karl Fazer Ab in cooperation with the City of Vantaa during 2025. The competition area is located in the immediate vicinity of the Fazer factories and is part of the new residential and work area being planned in Vaarala, through which the future Vantaa tram will pass.
