Katja Soini 2014

Katja Soini | Presenta/on in the course of Design Collabora/on at Aalto University | Helsinki, March 18 2014

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Lhi 2072 (Suburb 2072) is a joint project (2012-2014) in collabora/on with Aalto University, Vahanen Oy and Helsingin Energia + other project partners, and funded by TEKES

Facilitating redesign of suburban development with collaborative design Finnish suburbs built in the 1960s-1970s are now facing extensive renova/on. The issue concerns 1/3 of the Finnish residents inhabi/ng suburbs, and the es/mated total cost is 30-50 B. This demands redesigning the complex sociocultural system to keep up the auent society in regard to maintaining the quality and value of the housing stock, gh/ng against segrega/on, and generally mee/ng the diversifying needs.

The project Lhi 2072 aims at exploi/ng this inevitable and also unique momentum to achieve the wider eects for sustainable and ethical suburban renova/on and development with the means of collabora/ve design. The main outcome of the project is a collabora/ve development plaeorm for polyphonic and energy-ecient renewing of the neighbourhood in the momentum of renova/on.

More informa/on (mostly in Finnish): hhps://blogs.aalto./lahio2072/ and hhp://issuu.com/lahio2072 In polyphonic collaborative design, different views focus to the same point, similar to a kaleidoscope. Black circles refer to the Lhi 2072 project partners and white circles iden/fy actors who joined in dierent project ac/vi/es.

Katja Soini 2014

Design research literature that together compile the on-site design collaboration approach

Generative research for the front end of design Sanders, Elizabeth & Stappers Pieter Jan. 2012. Convivial toolbox: GeneraCve research for the front end of design. Amsterdam: BIS Publishers

Constructive design research to apply design ethnography Koskinen, Ilpo; Zimmerman, John; Binder, Thomas; Redstrm, Johan; Wensveen, Stephan. 2012. Design research through pracCce: From the lab, eld and showroom. Waltham: Elsevier

Participatory innovation to focus to outcomes in addition to process Buur, Jacob; Mathews, Ben. 2008. ParCcipatory innovaCon. InternaConal Journal of InnovaCon Management 12(3): 255273

(Design-driven) innovation of meanings VerganC, Roberto. 2008. Design, meanings, and radical innovaCon: A metamodel and a research agenda. Journal of Product InnovaCon Management 25(5): 436456 Norman, Donald; VerganC; Roberto. 2014. Incremental and radical innovaCon: Design research vs. technology and meaning change. DesignIssues 30(1): 78-96

Empathic design to understand the situations and feelings of another Koskinen, Ilpo; Baearbee, Katja; Maeelmki, Tuuli. 2003 Emptahic design: User experience in product design. Helsinki: IT Press Maeelmki, Tuuli; Vaajakallio, Kirsikka; Koskinen, Ilpo. 2014. What happened to empathic design? DesignIssues 30(1): 67-77

Co-design as a tool, a mindset, a structure Vaajakallio, Kirsikka. 2012. Design games as a tool, a mindset and a structure. Aalto University publicaCon series Doctoral DissertaCons 87/2012

Katja Soini 2014 Katja Soini 2013

being present on-site activities joining forces bringing in ones resources co-capability learning how to collaborate

On-site design collaboration approach in Lhi 2072 emphasises

Katja Soini 2014

KONTULANKAARI 11

KURKISUONTIE 11

KEINUTIE 5 KONTULANKAARI 2

BASECAMP D-ASEMA AT KONTULA METRO STATION

Tackling collectively the suburban renovation challenge in an apartment building network The AVE MELLUNKYL! -pilot mission was to convey everyday dwelling and living experiences and to take ini/a/ves for beher housing and property maintenance in parallel with the mandatory technical renova/on. Residents regardless to the possession system enjoyed peer-to-peer support and were driven by the common aspira/on of good living. The original network of the project Lhi 2072 comprising of the local democracy group, experts of renova/on, energy management, social work and designing researchers expanded and included now also residents, boards of the limited liability housing companies and housing commihees of city-owned rental houses, local building management rms Kontulan Huolto Oy and Heka Kontula Oy, and the City of Helsinki Environment Centre, who all shared the concern of suburban renova/on and wished to explore the complex sociocultural system in prac/ce.

Local democracy Management of the limited liability

company and tenant democracy

HOUSE HOST(ESS)-TRAINING

APARTMENT BUILDING NETWORK

VISUAL COLLABORATION

HOUSE TIMELINE

CUSTOMISED ENERGY

MANAGEMENT OF APARTMENT

BUILDINGMELLUNKYL TIMELINE

SOCIAL SECTOR AND RENOVATION

MESTOILLA-VIDEO

COMPETITION

EVENT PRODUCTION

RESIDENTIAL SPACES MAP

OF MELLUNKYL

AVE MELLUNKYL! -piloting was based on collaboration in the apartment building network. Network introduced real estate management and contruction as part of the local grassroots democracy work. To support the network, during the pilot we tested tools and approaches appearing in the picture. More about the pilot (in Finnish): hhp://issuu.com/lahio2072/docs/ave_mellunkyla____-pilo/t_-_katja_

Katja Soini 2014

The young got their voices heard in suburban development through telling about their everyday in the hoods at Mestoilla video competition

117 young people with 34 videos took part to the Mestoilla compe//on by showing their collec/ve ac/vi/es in favourite gathering places of Mellunkyl, their fears about drugs and intruders popula/ng other places, and visions for the future where loca/ons are in more ac/ve use for the young. Housing and communica/ons minister Pia Viitanen rewarded the prizes at Mellunkyl Democracy Evening. The messages presented in videos as alterna/ve perspec/ves to suburban development were channelled to decision-makers and ac/vists in poli/cs, local democracy, city development and repair construc/on business among others. The compe//on was organised in collabora/on with local schools, youth centres and Lhi 2072 partners.

The winning video Lhimestoilla showed with parkour style the optimistic, multicultural and urban side of the neighbourhood. Video by Markus Maidla, Roni Seppnen, Aleksi Partanen, Jesse Repo, Aaron Bojang ja Erik Mutanen. See video: hhp://kelaamo.//Edu/Elokuvat/Elokuvat/?video=2810&iframe=true

Videos in their locations in Mellunkyl neighbourhood. Videos were shared in a website moderated by Kelaamo community. See all videos: hhp://kelaamo./mestoilla

Katja Soini 2014

Three minutes walk from the Kontula metro station and the neighbourhoods main shopping mall was the perfect location for the students. Students felt like being at home and established collaboration with appr. 130 local people and the neighbourhood. Design studio in the field was in addition to a collaborative workspace, the place for events such as the WDC weekend and workshops. More informa/on: hhp://365wellbeing.aalto./projek/t/suburb-2072/

Trans-disciplinary students dwelled in the suburb to learn how to combine the local everyday life with long-term trends in their societally-aware design concepts

The project Suburb 2072 challenged a team of interna/onal trans-discplinary and interna/onal students to create a vision of a suburb theyd love to live in 2072. The project was an experiment to combine trend forecas/ng and collabora/ve design methods to tap both major mega trends and everyday aspects in regard to a societal cause of renewing the suburbs. The innova/ve teaching methods included for example dwelling in loci, in a design studio in the eld. The project was part of 365 Wellbeing that consists of 12 projects represen/ng actual services or processes in the ci/es of Helsinki, Espoo, Kauniainen andLah/. 365 Wellbeing is a part of Aalto Universitys extensive WDC-program called Living+ and the World Design Capital Helsinki 2012 ini/a/ve. The student visions on the suburb of Mellunkyl as an oasis of good living was used as one of the star/ng points in the project Lhi 2072.

Design studio in the eld

Katja Soini 2014

What to do when want to do on-site design collaboration?

Go to the people, do not expect that they will come to you Residents generally need to have an extremely good reason to come and join your acCviCes. Go and meet people in their natural surroundings. Take your parters with you.

Keep everybody up to date on the progress of the project Your acCviCes probably takes a lot of Cme; let your companions residents, local acCvists, company representaCves and other partners know what it is goint to happen next. That allows then to book schedule and prepare themselves mentally for acCCviCes.

Use your personality Working locally, on-site, means that you need to expand your typical professional role. You have an excellent opportunity to apply the variety of skills. By being yourself you will encounter people more genuinely.

Learn to communicate like locals do The common language whether spoken or visual is found in interacCon with local people. Take every opportunity to learn how to communicate your ideas; what resonates with people.

Be prepared for the unexptected twists in the project schedule It doesnt maeer how well you prepare the project, yourself and your partners, you will face surprises on-site. You will meet surprising situaCons, unexpected people and subject. Keep your exible enough to be responsive with these suprises.