New Development of the Seinäjoki Station Area

The building permit for the new development of the Seinäjoki Station Area has been approved. Construction will begin during the fall.

The plan for the new development of the Seinäjoki Station Area by OOPEAA provides a comprehensive array of services, housing, and public space to meet the needs of the growing city. Seinäjoki is one of the top five growth centers in Finland today.  The new block is a collage of elements that are essential to life in the city. With its dynamic mix of services, housing, and public spaces, it provides a new interpretation of Seinäjoki as an urban place. It is composed of five main elements: the new train station, a center for wellbeing and healthcare services, offices and commercial spaces, housing, and open public spaces.

Seinäjoki Station Area – A Nodal Point in the Heart of the City

Located right in the middle of the city, the train station is the heart of the city and the entire surrounding region. It is a point of access into the city and a point of connection between the city and the rest of the country. Historically, it is also the cornerstone of the development of Seinäjoki into a thriving regional center of business, healthcare, and education. Today, it is a natural focus point of new development in the city.

Forming a rhythmic collage of varied roof forms and building shapes, the new block stays true to the original idea of Seinäjoki as a capital of the flatlands of Ostrobothnia. As if created by a flood, characteristic to the open expanses in the region, the new block is a collage of elements that are essential to life in the city. With its dynamic mix of services, housing, and public spaces, it provides a new interpretation of Seinäjoki as an urban place. Building on the existing grid plan, it introduces a new level of density and brings new energy to the city. With its human scale, it activates this central place in the city without forgetting the individual people collectively make the city. 

A Balanced Mix of Housing, Services and Public Spaces

Responding to the needs of the growing population in the city, the new block provides both housing and services. With a balanced mix of housing, services, businesses and open public space, it helps to strengthen social sustainability in the area. The goal is to create an active urban area in the core of the city.

To meet the increasing demand for housing in the growing city, the block includes a new residential area as a key component of the plan. In the coming years, it will be complemented with additional new housing to be built in the Pohja district on the other side of the tracks. As part of the current development, a new underpass will be built to connect the Pohja neighborhood with the city. It will also provide safe and convenient access to the train platforms.

Centrally located and conveniently accessible by foot and by bike as well as by public transit or car, the new block is a natural place for the new Aallokko Center. It will provide a broad mix of healthcare and wellbeing services for both the city and the region around it.

Careful attention is paid to creating a series of open public spaces with a pleasant environment for people to gather, to take care of daily chores, and to informally meet and spend time in the area. The more public squares are complemented with more intimate inner courtyards in the residential part of the area. The sheltered and green courtyards provide a pleasant communal space for the residents to use together. The surface materials on the square and the courtyards have been carefully chosen to help the natural absorption of storm water.

Establishing New Connections

A new square around the station will provide much needed open public space in the center of the city. It will complement the already existing open public spaces around the Aalto Center and the Central Market Square. Together the Station Square, Market Square and the Alto Center will form a series of open public spaces in the center of the city.

The new block serves as a gateway into the city. It connects the city center with the new developing areas around it and with the rest of the country. Through an underpass, it opens a new connection between the city center and the Pohja neighborhood in the north and provides safe access to the train platforms.

Trees and greenery along the streets add to the pleasant ambiance of the area. They also serve to signal a slower pace for traffic around the station. This helps improve traffic safety for pedestrians. To encourages people to come to the train station by bike instead of by car, ample bicycle parking is provided. This makes it convenient to leave your bike at the station when taking the train. To free more space on the street level, car parking is arranged in a parking house. The green wall of the parking facility is both aesthetic and functional at once.

The plan builds on the study by OOPEAA in collaboration with the Gehl People to develop a vision for the Seinäjoki City Center. For more information on the Seinäjoki Vision, see HERE.

For a more information about the new plan for the Seinäjoki Station Area, see HERE.