The Linnanmaa Community Garden is a pollinator’s paradise

The community garden on Yliopistokatu was built according to the principles of sustainable development. It is a garden for students and pollinators alike.

In the courtyard of Yliopistokatu 22 in Linnanmaa, the landscape has changed. A day care center that once stood empty in the shadows of tall student buildings has been demolished and replaced by a community garden. But the day care facility has not been completely cleared away, as the recycled material from the demolition has been used in the garden. The Linnanmaa community garden is PSOAS’ first garden project based on sustainability, recycling and biodiversity.

“PSOAS is committed to sustainable construction, renovation and long-lasting materials, so that we have as little impact on the environment as possible. On this site, the building had fallen into disrepair and was not worth renovating. We have also received requests from tenants in various contexts for pollinator meadows and growing boxes,” Eerik Junnikkala, Real Estate Manager at PSOAS, explains the background to the construction decision.

The communal garden and adjacent courtyard include recycled asphalt, lighting fixtures, cycle paths, walling, concrete and kerbstones. In addition, trees felled in the nursery yard have been harnessed for biodiversity in the decay garden. The garden also contains insect hotels, wildflower meadows and tenants’ growing boxes. The flowers and trees planted in the garden have also been chosen with biodiversity and pollinators in mind.

Sustainable building is a departure from the norm

The person responsible for the idea and design of the community garden is Minna Hänninen, a landscape designer from GreenDreams Oy, who originally proposed a sustainable garden area for PSOAS.

“The design world has long been dominated by the pursuit of natural and low-carbon construction. I was pleasantly surprised that PSOAS was inspired by the idea of building a garden with recycled material. The time and place were now right.”

Sustainable yard construction was a bit of a departure from the norm, says Joonas Pankka, foreman of Invera Oy, the contractor on the project.

“We tried to make use of everything that was demolished from the site. The biggest change was in how and where to store the stuff, because usually it’s taken away. We spent time sorting, cleaning and organizing the material. The newest thing that didn’t come up anywhere is that they wanted to reuse the asphalt in chunks.”
Wildflower meadows, kitchen gardens, insect hotels and decay gardens contribute to biodiversity by providing nesting and roosting sites and food for pollinators and other creatures. In the community garden, nature and people can spend time together in harmony, as there are plenty of activities for students to do. In addition to communal farming, the garden is a place to barbecue, exercise, relax, play board games, Mölkky, petanque, badminton and volleyball. Welcome to enjoy nature and togetherness in the Linnanmaa Community Garden!