2016
Merihaka guide signs - Helsinki - Finnland

Merihaka is a late 1970’s seaside housing area that consists of tall element built apartment towers with raised pedestrian deck.
The area is often used as an cautionary example of the austerity that idealism of
mid-20th century cityplanning produced. However, the area is much loved by its inhabitants who appreciate the views, serenity and exceptionally generous collection of communal spaces.
The local office has produced a set of guides and street signs that make the area more easily orientable and comprehendible since navigation on the two primary levels used to be based on alphabetically named towerblocks, instead of street names.
The project uses a limited set of means: an informative bronze model placed in the center of Merihaka and a series of enamel signs with street names and axonometric maps of the district placed in crucial points.
It is above all the carefully considered quality of these signs that encourage observation and appreciation of Merihaka.

[project selected by Leo Alexander Lindroos]

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Architecture as Resource / Imprint