Article Highlights:
Social seating
The 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 discussions with landscape architects about the role of scale in urban planting, our development team has expanded the system to offer larger planter options.
In Lahti, the new larger planters accommodate bigger shrubs and small 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 artwork by Olavi Lanu.
Green Oasis is a welcoming public space for everyone – inspired by the success of the popular urban experiment Mini Health Forest. The pocket park’s features and functions were co-developed through a participatory process involving a wide range of 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.
What was once a rather grey and hard square is now alive with greenery, play, togetherness and urban energy – bringing the feel of Lahti’s green spaces right into the heart of the city.
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
