Introduction
The Espoo international competition was to design a town for 90,000 people which would also act as a centre for a sub-region of 320,000 people within the Helsinki Conurbation. Espoo is adjacent to major road and rail links between Sweden and Finland and only 20 minutes from Helsinki. The site is characterised by low hills and river valleys, with a bay to the south and a ski and recreation area to the north.
Rick Mather, working with Don Genasci, won third prize in the international competition. The design aimed to reinforce the dominant feature of the site - the Espoo river valley. The valley floor is left open as a park, buildings being confined to the sides, but all parts of the town are directly related to the park with the two main centres linked across it. The town can grow without changing this inherent relationship between its parts.
Building
Third prize in new town competition
22 Mar 68
L'Architecture d'Aujourdhui
Concours international pour le centre d'Espoo, Finlande
Georges Candillis - Nov 67
52 Arckitektur Wettbewerbe
1967
Arkkitehtuurikilpailuja
International competition for centre of Espoo
no 8 - 1967