Vision by AOR
Renaissance of the Periphery
Rather than falling, population growth is on the rise, and the value of land is climbing up in new areas. The meeting points of urban and rural areas are fertile ground for new types of residential zones that can offer a community-forward, self-sufficient living environment with ecological values. The silence of today will transform into tomorrow’s vitality.

Renaissance of the Periphery
Population growth in Finland and other Nordic countries is on the rise, as a significant part of the world’s population moves to more liveable areas due to the impact of climate change. As arable land and ecologically diverse nature dwindle globally, the value of land is climbing in areas where it was sinking just a short time ago. In addition to urban growth centres, new types of settlements are emerging at the urban-rural crossing point, providing a living environment that leans on social interaction, self-sufficiency, and nature. Today’s rural tranquillity will turn into tomorrow’s vitality.
In 2100, the value of land in rural Finland has changed radically. Land area used for construction will be minimised, as land is earmarked for food and energy production and for restoring biodiversity. At the same time, the combined effect of changing migration flows and climate refugees has multiplied the population in previously sparsely populated peripheral areas.
New employment opportunities and the vicinity of nature turn rural areas into desirable places to live. As a result of ecological reconstruction, the importance of locally produced food and renewable energy is growing. The profitability of food production will also be affected by the improved cultivation conditions in Finland due to global warming. In rural areas, self-sufficiency means an increasing demand for labour in the energy and food sectors.
Carbon storage in forests and soils, biodiversity restoration, and local and rural tourism also have an impact on employment. In an increasing number of sectors, the choice of where to live is no longer determined by the workplace’s physical location. The loss of value of services based on urban consumer culture further advances this trend. The natural values of peripheral areas and the support and security offered by their small communities are becoming more important factors in choosing where to live.
Rising land value, population growth, and sustainable construction has a decisive impact on lifestyles in rural areas in 2100. The vision of AOR Architects sees the currently disregarded peripheral areas as the pinnacle of change, and presents future housing and habitation models that are both sustainable and community-based. The videos featured in the exhibition portray the changing face of peripheral development through building typologies fit for future rural housing. They also serve to illustrate the shift towards more ecological architecture – and a more socially sustainable society.




AOR
AOR Architects is a 15-person Helsinki-based architectural office founded in 2015 whose core competencies include adapting buildings to demanding environments, working on sites that are in a sensitive or natural state, engaging with challenging landscapes, and handling dense urban zones. AOR Architects was awarded the Finnish State Prize for Architecture in 2021, as well as the Pietilä Award in 2018.
AOR’s work has been recognised in numerous architectural competitions. The office’s prize-winning entries include Jätkäsaari Primary School, Tuusula High School and Community Centre, Karhula School and Library, Kottby Primary School, an apartment house on Hannikaisenkatu in Jyväskylä, a new extension for the Tampere Art Museum, and the development of the former Maria Hospital area in Helsinki.

Muut visiot


Infinite Loop
Waste is no more. Objects belong to organic systems that shape our living surroundings and its materials in endless circulation. Bacteria and other organisms with the ability to transform provide a framework for the everyday environment.


Upclose and Local
Fundamental preconditions for life have changed from global to regional or local due to changes in the state of the environment and development in politics, economy and technology. Nature has merged together with urban surroundings to support the future lifestyle.


The next Building Act
In 2100, buildings can no longer be demolished. Deposit charges for residential buildings serve to direct material flows. The repurposing of buildings is made possible through urban everyone’s rights, along with dynamic city planning systems. Quality and additional value are born from local solutions. The vision of JADA Architects presents future legislation composed of ten radical sections addressing construction and the environment that link together resources and social capital.


A Recipe for Good Living
What components of habitation provide wellbeing, decrease loneliness, and facilitate worthwhile social interactions –– yet do so within the ecological carrying capacity? The recipe lists the crucial ingredients for good living in the future.


Lifestyle-driven Housing
Lifestyles, living situations, and the concepts of family and household are diversifying. In the future, living solutions will be based on lifestyle rather than on the lives of the average person. The increase in diversity and conversion flexibility in the housing stock makes the city resilient, serving both individuals and community.