The Turku Cityscape Working Group has decided to award the Turku Good Construction Award 2021 to the Turku Student Village Foundation. The aim of the award, which will be awarded for the fourth time, is to highlight high-quality construction and successful entities.
The justification for the award mentions the foundation’s activities as a long-term promoter of high-quality construction. TYS has been building, renovating and maintaining student housing in Turku since the 1960s and has invested in the design and quality of new projects.
The Cityscape Working Group states that TYS maintains its old properties with due respect for the historical values and architecture of the building. In addition, the maintenance of the properties aims to be climate-friendly and to adhere to the values of sustainable development, as well as to take into account the changing needs of housing. TYS’s climate strategy is ambitious; the foundation aims to be carbon neutral by 2029.
In the award, the working group also takes into account TYS’s property portfolio in the RKY areas, i.e. Student Village West, Ylioppilastalot and Auranhelmi, which is a student dwelling renovated in an old factory building in 1998.
Newest housing location Tyyssija part of the award
The foundation’s newest construction projects, Ikituuri, Aitiopaikka and the newly completed Tyyssija, also received praise from the cityscape working group. There has been an open-minded attitude and a daring search for new and interesting design language for housing construction. Construction involves the responsible development of student housing, new energy solutions and the values of sustainable construction.
Tyyssija is TYS’s newest housing location, located next to the campus area right in the heart of Student Village at Inspehtorinkatu 12. Construction of the site began in April 2020 and was completed on schedule at the turn of 2021–2022. A total of 186 new student apartments, residents’ common indoor and outdoor living spaces and laundry, sauna and storage facilities, as well as retail premises on the first floor of the building, were completed at Tyyssija. Tenants for the location’s apartments were selected in November 2021 from those who applied for the location by drawing lots. New tenants were able to move into the apartments on 3rd January 2022.
As the new heart of Student Village, Tyyssija offers various services not only to the tenants of the location, but also to the entire Student Village and the surrounding area. TYS’s office has moved to the first floor of the location and other retail premises will host the opening of K-Market Ylioppilaskylä, restaurant Arkea and CampusSport Gym during February-March.
In total, TYS owns approximately 5,000 apartments for approximately 7,000 inhabitants in 20 housing locations around Turku and is the largest provider of student housing in Turku and the third largest in Finland.
Turku Good Construction Award
The Turku Good Construction Award is given annually to a location that can be:
- a construction project completed in the last three years that has been carried out with high quality and innovation, or that has improved the comfort of the urban environment.
- an entity or measure that has promoted quality construction.
- an urban planning site that has successfully created a framework for a good living environment and a comfortable urban environment.
The award was first presented in 2018, when it was awarded to the Syvälahti multipurpose building. In 2019, the award went to Ruissalo shipyard and in 2020 to Crane 22.
The award was presented in the courtyard of Tyyssija on 3rd February 2022. The award was presented by Paula Keskikastari, the Chairman of the cityscape working group, and received by Risto Siilos, CEO of TYS.
