The City of Oulu is allocating building lots to developers to support its goal of increasing the local market availability of reasonably priced family homes. The average house price and house sizes are specified in the lot allocation conditions. For the Iltatähti site these were EUR 1,800 /m² and 57– 107 m². The aim of the imposed price control was to place pressure on developers to deliver rational, simple house designs.
The design theme for the Iltatähti development was the use of colour. The principle colour scheme is grey, traditional red ochre and forest green supplemented with yellow and white, with the colours blending across the facades, closed eaves and felt roofs. Together, the colour-play and configuration of the buildings lend the site a village-like aspect.
The site is enclosed by pine forest and roads. The location’s characteristic young woodland was retained as much as possible on the site as large, intact tracts. The buildings are positioned along two axes to form interesting wedge-shaped yard areas from which the surrounding buildings appear at different angles, often overlapping each other.
The site is bordered to the north by two-storey apartment buildings. These conceal behind a courtyard area formed by the site’s small-scale buildings. These colourful buildings can be glimpsed from the road through the openings between the grey two-storey apartments, offering a suggestion of the scale and cheerful character of the courtyard within.