New student apartments in the centre of Kotka

The student housing project we planned for the center of Kotka, “the Cabin”, has been completed. With the relocation of campus for University of Applied Science for South-Eastern Finland to Kotkansaari, the location of the old student apartments became difficult, so there are now 84 new apartments built for students at the intersection of Koulukatu and Rautatienkatu streets.

In cooperation with Kymen Seudun Osuuskauppa and Kotkan Opiskelija-Asunnot

The apartments in the “Cabin”, which got its name through a competition, are a continuation of the previously completed S-market Kotkansaari and the shared parking garage on the same plot. Both Kotkan Opiskelija-asunnot Oy and Kymen Seudun Osuuskauppa are our long-term partners, so the cooperation in both projects went smoothly as usual. Juha Ranta, the project manager for Kotkan Opiskelija-Asunnot Oy in the project, praises the smoothness of the cooperation project. According to him, the student houses were completed on schedule, and the project was completed under the cost estimate.

Landscape saunas and spacious balconies

The bold coloring of the facades of the buildings can also be seen in the interiors. The buildings were named orange and green houses. The buildings have nine apartments with different floor plans. The size of the apartments varies between 23 and 44 m2, with the average size being about 30 m2. Most of the apartments have a spacious glazed balcony that is the width of the entire apartment, which is usually about 15 m2 in size. The balcony can easily accommodate a small table with chairs, and there is still plenty of space for green plants, for example. Of the common areas, the shared saunas located on the roof floor deserve a special mention, offering magnificent views over the center of Kotka all the way to the sea.

The new student apartments in the city center proved to be in high demand, as they were booked quickly. The relocation of the campus, which has been moved to the Kantasatama harbor, has increased the demand for apartments in Kotkansaari.

The housing design of the “Cabin”, the commercial premises of S-market Kotkansaari and the architectural design of the parking facility were carried out by the staff of our Kotka office, all the way from concept design and zoning to detailed and interior design. The main designer of all three projects was Tuukka Karjalainen, Managing Partner of Laitila Architects.