Article Highlights:
Social seating
What was once a rather grey and hard square is now alive with greenery, play and urban energy. Today Lahti’s Lanu Square invites people to stop, linger, meet and enjoy a coffee or snack from one of the nearby cafés.
The arrangement of the furniture creates a variety of spaces for socialising, from smaller pockets for intimate encounters to larger modules that offer room for groups to sit together. Whether meeting others or simply taking a moment to relax, the square offers different ways to be part of the public space.
Introducing larger planters
Parkly’s modular system is designed to respond to different needs and contexts. Following requests by landscape architects our product development team has evolved the Parkly system and enabled it to offer larger planter options as well.
In Lahti, the new XXL planters accommodate bigger shrubs and somewhat larger trees, as well as perennials that bloom in changing cycles throughout the seasons – bringing more variety, height and biodiversity to the urban environment.
Play and Curiosity as Part of Public Space
Parkly’s simple modular shapes invite play and movement – and in Lahti, the planters take this a step further. Children are drawn to explore different paths through the Green Oasis: stepping stones, logs and custom-made leaf shapes that continue the story of the nearby sculpture by Olavi Lanu.
The Green Oasis pocket park’s features and functions were co-developed through a participatory process involving a wide range of local stakeholders.
The Green Oasis offers greenery, cooling, and a place to socialise and enjoy the heart of Lahti city centre – an urban living room surrounded by the city’s many services. More than 20 plant species were carefully selected to thrive across different seasons and blooming cycles, ensuring colour and life throughout the year.
Built on the Mini Health Forest test phase completed two years earlier, the project incorporates lessons learned and feedback from local stakeholders. The system-based approach showcases the adaptability only Parkly can offer to cities. Residents enjoy the same quality design, refreshed with a new colour concept while maintaining features such as durability, comfort, and long-lasting quality.
Lanu Square Green Oasis is also one of the first locations to feature our Niilo Chair – bringing versatile, movable seating to the space, whether in the shade or the sun, alone or together. Read more about the chair here!
Lanu Square Green Oasis planning:
landscape architecture by Niilo Tenkanen / Leuto Landscape
placemaking and co-creation process by Päivi Raivio / RaivioBumann & Parkly
