Anu Soikkeli’s research while affiliated with University of Oulu and other places

Participatory and user-centered design has taken inspiration from each other, and the classical roles of users, researchers, and designers have merged in the co-designing process. Participatory methods consider the balance of power between the designer and residents and the needs and usefulness of the research. Community members should be involved as partners, advisors, and participants. In Finland, participatory design is law mandated in urban planning projects, but participation that goes beyond the initial publicization of information, is genuinely interactive, and spans all stages of the project is underutilised and the methods of participatory practice are still unfamiliar to many designers. The methods commonly used are the research survey and the workshop, often mentioned as participatory design methods. From the residents’ perspective, participation only becomes participatory when the participant gains the experience of influencing the development and its outcomes. The article examines resident surveys and workshops as tools to produce information and evaluate their interactivity in two case studies. It shows that the diversification of methods is necessary to ensure genuine participatory planning in the renewal of suburban neighborhoods. The research was done as part of the project Reshaping living: New structure and new life for old suburbs (AsuMut), funded by the Ministry of Environment.

As the values and power relations in the world change, so do the desires regarding water use and recreation. The general appreciation and debate emphasize the importance of rivers and their role in ecosystem functions. Dismantling of dams is seen as one way to restore the diversity of watercourses and, in particular, the natural life cycle of migratory fish. However, in practice, it is evident that other factors besides their ecological benefits influence dam removal decisions. In the past, the large dams suffered from a monodisciplinary view on storing water only for electricity generation. The local population and the environment did not play a major role in the past. Dam removal is inherently transdisciplinary effort, multiple objectives are at stake and have to be addressed concurrently. A transdisciplinary approach is needed to address sustainable water management issues at a local to regional scale, this can be achieved in collaboration with various stakeholders. The main aim of this article is to show how to develop a framework that can support the decision-making process by accommodating the input of different stakeholders while increasing the transparency of the decision analysis process about the future of aging Finnish hydropower dams.

Construction work is very resource-intensive, and construction projects contain many parameters, in which the choice of building material is one of the critical decisions with numerous criteria, e.g., cost, durability, and environmental impact. Moreover, this complex process includes different parties such as contractors, architects, engineers, where contractors are the most influential decision-makers in material selection. Increasing the use of renewable materials such as wood, which is a technically, economically, and environmentally viable alternative in buildings , can make construction more sustainable. The perceptions of the contractors influence what they propose and therefore the increase in wood construction. With the increasing resource efficiency and the need to adapt to climate change in the construction industry, there is need for contractors to implement sustainable practices. In this chapter, contractors' perceptions of the use of wood in buildings were examined. The results are expected to contribute to environmental remedia-tion by developing strategies to counter perceived barriers and providing insight into new solutions to a conservative space and expanding the use of wood to achieve a more sustainable construction industry. In addition, recommendations for future research, e.g., adhesive-and metal-fastener-free dovetail wood board elements as sustainable material alternatives were presented.

One of the most effective ways to cover real estate development and renovation processes by improving functionality and energy efficiency is wooden additional floor construction. This entry maps out, organizes, and collates scattered information on the current state of the art and the benefits of this practice including its different stages, focusing on the case of Finland. The entry presents this topic in an accessible and understandable discourse for non-technical readers. By highlighting the benefits and opportunities of this sustainable application, the entry will contribute to increasing the awareness of wooden additional floor construction, which has many advantages, and therefore to gain more widespread use in Finland and other countries.

Increasing the construction of wooden apartment buildings has its place as part of preventing climate change. This chapter aims to explore the possibilities of expanding the construction of wooden apartment buildings on plots owned by the City of Helsinki in the Mellunkylä area by developing a series-produced wooden apartment building concept suitable for complementary construction—The Noppa concept. The sustainability of this approach is considered from the perspective of materials, construction methods, adaptability of the designed spaces, and housing design flexibility. In this study, the Noppa wooden apartment building concept with cross-laminated timber (CLT) elements has been developed varying in its facilities and architectural design features through architectural modeling programs to be used for complementary construction. The research findings are based on a theoretical approach that has not yet been practically tested but is proposed considering existing construction practices that need further investigation. It is believed that this chapter will contribute to the spread of wooden apartments to achieve a low-carbon economy as one of the key tools in tackling climate change problems. Particularly, proposed architectural design solutions will contribute to decarbonization of buildings as well as zero energy building (nZEB) approach.

The cultural landscape carries symbolic values or at least narratives that inspire experiences and create identities. Landscape is not just what we see but also how we see it: we use our eyes but interpret with our minds and ascribe values to the landscape for intangible reasons. Heritage protection seeks to save cultural values. In the northernmost part of Europe there are strong non-visible local elements of the Sámi landscape, but they are not always visible to the professionals evaluating it. Understanding tangible and intangible values of the landscape is crucial for guiding planning and land use. For the Sámi people, their cultural landscape is created through interactions between humans and nature over the course of many generations. The general Finnish view emphasises a cultural landscape as something modified and built by humans, and the Sámi region has been interpreted as a wilderness in the regional or even the national cultural landscape inventories. Being able to identify important values in the landscape allows the Sámi cultural heritage to carry itself forward and, thus, to help maintain the vitality of the Sámi culture. This article presents a contribution for specific challenges connected with the Sámi cultural landscapes and land use in northern Finland.