These photos were taken on the 16th and 18th of July 2008, with the Housing Fair in full swing. Well over 20,000 people had already visited when I arrived on the Wednesday. The photo numbers roughly correlate with the exhibition numbers, but although I did my best to get them correct, no responsibility is inferred as to accuracy. The official Messut website is a much better source of comprehensive and accurate information (and they have some pretty cool photos too!).
Exhibit 1 - This first set is of Villa Simila (171 m2 + sauna 30m2 + garage 44m2), built by the local trade college and furnished in a cool style.
Exhibits 2-4 - Peab Seicon were showing three flats in their northerly tower (Suvituuli). I checked out the two downstairs ones, which don't have the feeling of being overlooked, despite being on the ground floor.
Exhibits 5-6 - Peab Seicon's southerly tower (Suvitähti) had two flats on show - here they are...
Exhibits 7-12 - Vaasan Meri flats - I only featured one of these flats, but I think it makes best use of being on the ground floor by having two levels. There was such a queue for the lift that I never made it up to the roof garden.
Exhibit 13 - Atrium Elite (154.5 m2 + sauna 61.5 m2) the first detached house on the right on Liito-oravankatu (the one I referred to earlier as the 'Lego House' as it is constructed from lightweight thermal blocks) and even larger on the inside than I imagined. It had a lovely cool and airy feeling.
Exhibit 14 - the 'TV Talo' or TV House (198 m2), featured on TV and partly developed by the viewers, turned out much nicer than I thought it would. Personally, I would have chosen some other colour than bright blue, but that is just a matter of paint.
Exhibit 15 - Talo Col Legno (233 m2 + sauna 18m2). I was lucky enough to get a preview of this house when temporary stairs to the balcony were the only way up to the second floor. It was pretty bare then, but I was impressed by its size. I particularly like the atrium style living room and the bathroom with a view.
Exhibit 16 - Hailuoto (142 m2) - A more feet-on-the-ground kind of house for a family of four.
Exhibit 17 - Oravanmarja (146 m2 + 25 m2) - What the Finns call a 'one and a half storey house', made from solid wood and featuring another atrium-style living space, very light and airy, and with a very pretty garden too.
Exhibit 18 - Honkaranta (230 m2) - Just the right size for a family of four, with plenty of room to get away from the others. Good-sized terrace and balcony overlooking the sea. I would like something similar, but set in about half a hectare of seaside property.
Exhibit 19 - Emmi (245 m2) - Another log house with a lot of corners and features to hold the eye. This one has probably the prettiest street-side facade of all the beach properties, which for the most part seemed to point their better sides towards the sea.
Exhibit 20 - Kastellin Aika 188 (188 m2) - Unfortunately, I didn't get a good shot of the back of this house, which happens to be a lot more interesting than the street side. All in all, a very attractive house with a fine garden.
Exhibit 21 - Talo Yari (180.3 m2) - Yet another atrium living room, a feature which is becoming more and more popular. It is good to see a movement away from sheer practicality and maximum use of floor space.
Exhibit 22 - Lapponia Majakka (199 m2) - This is a fine leap away from practicality and into the land of dreams. The terrace and balcony wrap around two sides of the building, and even extend onto the garage roof - plenty of room for relaxing in or out of the sun. The tower will provide a great view of the bay, although it may block the sun a bit. This is another house that deserves a huge plot.
Exhibit 23 - Jämerä-Kivitalo Funktio (207 m2 + 18 m2) - This is an exceptionally light and airy house, made even more so by the simple internal styling and predominantly white paintwork. It contrasts sharply with the more traditional designs and reminds one of a more Mediterranean lifestyle.
Exhibit 24 - Jukka-Talo (163 m2) - Another light and airy interior, something I find very practical and refreshing, especially taking into account long dark winters.
Exhibit 25 - Vaaja-Talot (185 m2) - Big house, big windows at the back, spacious glassed-in terrace and a really cute garden.
Exhibit 26 - Sivo Joutsenlahti (195 m2) - The woody exterior contrasts nicely with the really modern and spacious interior, with great terrace and balcony.
Exhibit 27 - Meriorava (215.5 m2) - Traditional wood, but somehow a break with tradition, with unusual styling and lots of space to live and breath and get away from the rest of the family.
Exhibit 28 - Talo Siena (175 m2) - Traditional red on the outside, lots of white on the inside, lovely kitchen.
Exhibit 29 - Villa Laura (223 m2) - OK, something completely different. Absolutely huge living areas (a big plus for me, the kids could get up to full speed before hitting the brakes in that living room), tons of glass, a bit too much bare concrete for my liking, but that of course could be finished in another way. I got a lot of feedback about this house, and it was either one way or the other, with nobody sitting on the fence.
Exhibit 30 - Hartman Koti Purje (197 m2) - Unusual roof angles and a well protected porch on the street side are balanced out at the back with symmetry and functionality.
Exhibit 31 - Talo Fokus (210.5 m2) - Not so symmetrical (I'm a bit old-fashioned in that way), but a really great kitchen and lots of glass to let in that natural sunlight.
Exhibit 32 - As. Oy Vedenjakaja Loiste - 214 m2 - Now there is something palatial about this design which grabs my eye and, as with many of the exhibits, it should be on some private beach with the garage at the side. This is one of those on my hotlist.
Exhibits 34 to 39 - Starkki-Kylä - Varying sizes - the photos are a general representation and speak for themselves. Very modern, very light and cool.
Exhibit 40 - As. Oy Vaasan Aurinkosilta - 131 m2 - Somehow looks bigger on the inside, with lovely room designs.
Exhibit 42 - Heikius Hus-Talo - Really interesting external designs with extensive balconies. A great way to capitalise on a small plot.
Exhibit 43 - As. Oy Vaasan Suvinelikko - 131 m2 - A well styled interior makes great use of the available space.
And here follow some general shots of the area...
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