Tapiola Garden City, Finland


Related person
John P. Schooley Jr. (photographer)
Date
Planning and building began in 1951; The town center and neighborhoods were completed by 1965
Description
Tapiola Garden City is a suburban town with 17,000 inhabitants in the City of Espoo near Helsinki. It was developed by the private, non-profit enterprise group Asuntos ti (the Finnish Housing Foundation). Without the support or help of the State or local authorities, they began to plan the town in 1951. The person primarily responsible for the realization of the project was lawyer Heikki von Hertzen. He supervised the pre-planning of Tapiola in the mid-1940s with Otto-Iivari Meurman, a Professor of City Planning who had drawn the first plan for the area. The area was divided into a town center (designed by architect Aarne Ervi (1910-77) and three residential neighborhoods (Eastern, Western and Northern) with 5,000 to 6,000 residents each. The design and architectural quality of Tapiola has received world-wide acclaim and has influenced the development of American towns such as Reston, Virginia and Columbia, Maryland. Architects who designed the residential buildings include Aulis Blomstedt, Kaija and Heikki Siren, Viljo Revell, Alvar Aalto, Osmo Sipari, Raili and Reima Pietilä, and Jorma Järvi. This image was taken in 1969 by John Schooley, FAIA, during an Urban America tour. Urban America tours allowed architects and planners to visit New Towns and meet professionals involved in their planning and continued development. Keywords: Asuntosaatio, Finland, Etela-Suomen Laani, Etel Suomen Lni, Espoo, settlements, garden cities, New Town, residential structures, housing, house, alley, garage, outdoor spaces, walkway, transportation structure. Submitted by John Schooley, FAIA.
Style/Period
1950s (1950 - 1959)
1960s (1960 - 1969)
Material
grasses
coniferous trees
deciduous trees