Malmi jaama kujunduskonkurss

Bullhorn Cembrit Design competition

Info: http://www.cembrit.com/bullhorn-27000.aspx

PRESS RELEASE, 3.10.2011

Part of the World Design Capital Helsinki 2012 program

“The Bullhorn” international design competition invites architects to improve the living environment of urban dwellers

Cembrit Oy, a company specialising in the manufacture of fibre-cement board, is organising an international architecture competition, the theme of which is urban transit areas. Cembrit invites architects and designers from around Europe to create solutions that improve the living environment around railway station areas. The design site is Malmi Station, which is one of the largest public transport transit hubs in Helsinki. Significant prize money will be awarded to those competition entries in which fibre cement is used creatively, enriching the urban environment. The aim of the competition is to act as a voice for a better built environment. The competition is part of the World Design Capital Helsinki 2012 program.

The people living and working in cities spend increasing amounts of time at stations and transit areas, which are often generic, dull and unappealing places. The objective of “The Bullhorn” international design competition is to create aesthetically lively solutions which bring about functional improvements by utilising cement fibre board. The focus is on people’s arrival at the station – by bus, train, car, bicycle or foot. Functionally new, aesthetically high-quality competition proposals are thus sought which challenge standardised solutions.

The competition is being organised jointly with Helsinki City Planning Office and their Suburban Project. One of the themes during the year of the World Design Capital Helsinki 2012 is to find solutions to urban development challenges that have an important influence on the quality of people’s living environment as well as their well-being. The idea is well suited to Cembrit’s objective to create inspirational solutions for exceptional living environments.

The City of Helsinki wants to further develop the Malmi area as an active and competitive regional centre. Its present functions and dwelling potential will be enhanced, for instance, with the forthcoming new Ormuspelto residential area and the future transversal public transport trunk line, Jokeri II. Good new ideas are being promoted in cooperation with the area’s residents, enterprises and the city authorities.

”The challenge in renewing traffic hubs is to turn them into attractive places for both the residents of the area and commuters – taking into consideration the noise and other disadvantages caused by traffic. Sufficient parking spaces should be arranged so as to avoid the creation of extensive passive and unattractive areas. There is also a lot of wear on public transport facilities, which must be taken into account also in the construction and maintenance of the facilities,” says architect Elias Rainio from the Helsinki City Planning Office.

”As a manufacturer of building materials Cembrit is responsible for producing elements for the built environments of the future. In order to be successful at this we need input and visions from people who utilise our products in their work – such as architects and designers,” outlines Jan Deding, managing director of the Cembrit company.

Participating in the practical implementation of the competition are the Finnish Association of Architects (SAFA), the Finnish Association of Designers (Ornamo) and Pentagon Design.

The three best competition entries will be awarded monetary prizes totalling over 20 000 euros. Prototypes of these will be built together with Cembrit, and will be presented first as part of the World Design Capital Helsinki 2012, and afterwards in an exhibition that will tour Europe.

The competition entries must be sent at the latest by 15.1.2012. The competition results will be published in May 2012. Further details of the competition rules, the competition program and other information are available at: www.cembrit.com/bullhorn

Cembrit’s façade products will be on display at the company’s stand (6k99) at the Façade 2011 trade fair at the Helsinki Exhibition and Convention Centre from 12.-14.10.2011.

Further information:

Virpi Riekkinen, sales director, Cembrit Oy

email:

telephone: 045 – 636 5254

Elias Rainio, arkkitehti, kaupunkisuunnitteluvirasto (Malmi)

email:

telephone: 040-336 0671

Tero Santaoja, projektipäällikkö, Lähiöprojekti

email:

telephone: 040 – 334 2281

Cembrit
Cembrit makes it easy to build sustainable and impressive environments. We offer professionals within the building sector innovative fibre cement products and tailored services for many different needs. The 1200 committed employees in the Cembrit company work to produce versatile and inspiring solutions for facades, interiors and roofs.