Experiential light for the Kuusijärvi nature site

Vantaa’s popular outdoor recreation area is constantly evolving

Lake Kuusijärvi in Vantaa is the most important and most used outdoor recreation area in the city. Its development started in the 1970s, when a parking area and an outdoor lodge were built, as well as paths around the shore and some fitness trails. The Kuusijärvi outdoor recreation area is one of the city’s top priorities and will continue to be developed in the future.

The area has a valuable and diverse forest landscape. It is home to rarer plants and birds, and the area south of the lake in particular is old-growth forest. Lake Kuusijärvi has the largest swimming beach in Vantaa and an extensive network of outdoor trails for skiers in winter. In 2019, the Kuusijärvi outdoor recreation area was connected to the Sipoonkorvi National Park trail network by the construction of the Sudentassu Bridge. The imposing 126-metre-long bridge over the Old Porvoo Road opens up a whole new dimension for outdoor enthusiasts to expand their territory.

Wooden poles a natural choice for a wooded environment

In the beautiful natural setting of Lake Kuusijärvi, it was natural to use wooden lighting poles. For the outdoor trails and the parking area, clear-cut Tehomet Inari, Ruka and Koli poles were chosen. Sami Hämäläinen, Sales Manager of Tehomet’s wooden poles, says that the poles use glued laminated timber beams made of domestic PEFC-certified pine, which have excellent strength and stiffness properties.

– The poles are protected by a surface treatment method developed by Teknos, which is environmentally friendly and provides the best possible protection throughout the product’s life cycle. In the Kuusijärvi site, the designers decided on a colour scheme that was calm and in keeping with the forest environment,” Sami recalls.

According to Jari Vuorinen of Lighting Design Collective, who did the lighting design, the wooden lighting poles were a natural fit, as the metallic surfaces felt out of place in the forest environment of Lake Kuusijärvi. The background was also based on his own and colleagues’ good experiences with Tehomet’s wooden lighting poles in various locations.

The aim was to bring an experiential level to the lighting of Lake Kuusijärvi, alongside the usual fairway and route lighting, to enhance the atmosphere of the area, Jari explains the design approach. In addition to the general lighting, some of the poles also have spotlights to highlight the surroundings. The poles have different lengths for different purposes, from low bollards to tall poles for general lighting.

Jari Vuorinen is fascinated by the study of contrasts and opposites. – The rectangular column shape was used to create a posture in the whole, so that especially in daylight the columns stand out because they have a distinctive character. The wooden square column is soft in its own way, however, and fits in with the surrounding nature.

According to Petra Tammisto, landscape architect for the City of Vantaa, the lighting was used to distinguish between different types of trails. – In the more sporty areas, where there is a ski trail, a cooler colour temperature is used, because it is important to see the contours of the terrain as well as possible when going fast. On the route around the lake, the lights are used to create a warmer atmosphere,” explains Petra.

Milla Hakari, lead designer at LOCI Landscape Architects Ltd., who was responsible for the overall design of the project, says that the aim was not to have strong lights in the area, but to have subdued lighting that emphasises the natural features. In Kuusijärvi, special attention was also paid to accessibility and the special needs of the dark season, with particular attention paid to safety of movement.

Maintenance of wooden structures ensures a long service life

The City of Vantaa has also used wooden lighting columns in other projects, and Ismo Arminen, the building supervisor responsible for their maintenance, does not see any particular challenges in maintaining wooden poles. In Vantaa, maintenance and repair of outdoor lighting is carried out centrally once a year in the autumn.

Pole shoes are not used except in exceptional cases for the maintenance of rigid wooden poles. For safety reasons, the poles are now serviced using a pallet truck with a crane that can reach up to 14 metres. In Lake Kuusijärvi, maintenance has already been taken into account in the design of the routes.

Cooperation showed its strength once again

Jari Vuorinen is pleased with the cooperation and flexibility of all parties involved in the project. He recalls with satisfaction the smooth progress of the process. – We received answers and technical drawings from Tehomet quickly and professionally. This is important because good quality technical documents facilitate understanding by other design disciplines, which helps the project to move forward. And that’s all to the good, because it makes us designers look good!

– We used proven products in Tehomet’s production that we already had confidence in, says Jari. – This made the design easier, as I mostly needed technical-level confirmations, such as how to fix the luminaire in a certain way or where to make the penetrations. It’s the designer’s responsibility to coordinate these elements so that everything looks good and works correctly from a technical point of view.

Landscape architect Petra Tammisto is pleased with the result. She feels good when she visits the site and sees the poles in their surroundings. They stand out from the usual wooden and metal poles and blend in well with the wooded surroundings.

The wooden poles of Lake Kuusijärvi also support the beautiful outdoor area during the day. Here, the lighting, architecture and natural values form a coherent whole and also last visually year after year, says Petra.

Appropriately discreet and safe lighting

Lighting professionals are skilled at designing comfortable and safe living environments, but can people outside the industry appreciate and notice lighting and lighting columns? Especially in urban environments, infrastructure structures can go unnoticed because they often do not receive conscious attention.

Petra Tammisto agrees, pointing out that in city centres, for example, where there is already a lot of visual stimulation, it is natural for infrastructure to be unobtrusive. General lighting should be fairly neutral and unobtrusive, and luminaires and poles should be elegant in a low-key way.

What a walker notices in his environment depends largely on his own horizon of experience, his level of conscious experience. Petra points out that we often perceive the environment as a whole without distinguishing it precisely. Materials and structures in poor condition and of poor quality create a general sense of unpleasantness, even if they are not necessarily consciously thought about. Individual luminaires or poles do not even need to be the subject of discussion or to catch the eye, but are tools for achieving the most comfortable and safe lighting possible.

Tehomet supplied a substantial quantity of wooden lighting poles for the Kuusijärvi area, including a distinctive Orrella lighting pole that was installed at the campfire site.

Pole colour: brushed Nutmeg
Steel parts: RAL 8022

The following professionals involved in the project have been interviewed for this customer story.

Milla Hakari, Landscape Architect, LOCI Landscape Architects Ltd.
Jari Vuorinen, Lighting Designer, Lighting Design Collective
Ismo Arminen, Construction Supervisor, City of Vantaa
Petra Tammisto, Landscape Architect, City of Vantaa
Sami Hämäläinen, Sales Manager, wooden poles, Tehomet