Rovaniemi plans 12-storey student housing building

Rovaniemi is planning a 12-storey apartment building for students near the University of Lapland and a university of applied sciences, Yle reports. The proposal has raised concerns about the building’s visual impact and the shadows it could cast.

The city has been assessing the need for new rental housing since last autumn with KAS Housing, the city’s rental housing company, and the Domus Arctica Foundation, which builds student housing.

In October, the city began amending the local detailed plan for a plot on Ylikorvantie, close to the higher education institutions. The plot is currently designated for commercial and office buildings, with public services also permitted. Its existing building rights cover 600 square metres, and buildings may have up to two storeys.

Under the proposed amendment, the plot would be designated for apartment buildings. Building rights would increase to 5,100 square metres for the apartment building and 150 square metres for auxiliary buildings. The site would accommodate a 12-storey student housing building.

Rovaniemi has faced a difficult student housing situation for several years, and the shortage has continued to worsen. Inari Turkia, chair of the student union at the University of Lapland, said concerns about finding housing can affect students’ wellbeing.

Concerns over shadows and the landscape

The city says a taller building would allow significantly more homes to be built on the plot than a low-rise building. The plan has nevertheless attracted concern.

Five comments were submitted when the zoning plan was displayed this spring. The feedback said a 12-storey building would differ considerably from the other buildings in the area, which are about six storeys high. Respondents also feared that it would cast shadows over a park and substantially alter the landscape.

According to the city, the building’s location in Rantavitikka, outside Rovaniemi’s city centre, means that it would not dominate the landscape despite its height. The difficult housing situation also supports taller construction, the city says.

The city board is due to consider the zoning amendment on Monday.