A round wooden chapel is to be built in the Simonaukio Square next to the Kamppi Center in downtown Helsinki.
The small chapel would offer a quiet place for rest for those tens of thousands of people who go past the square from morning till night. Kamppi also houses a bus station, a Metro stop, and a large shopping mall.
The chapel would also provide a possibility to discuss with a diaconal or social worker.
The novelty of the arrangement would be that the Social Services Department and the local congregations would work shoulder to shoulder.
The City of Helsinki and the congregations have silently revived a project which was already buried in 2004.
The zoning for the planned chapel is to be handled by the City Planning Committee of Helsinki on Thursday.
”Kamppi requires a symbol that emphasises soft values. There is a need for privacy amidst all the bustle”, argues Director of Planning Tuomas Rajajärvi.
Rajajärvi wanted a wooden, warm building to counterbalance the rocky surroundings. He asked K2S Architects to design such a building.
The planned chapel will accommodate a hall for some 100 people, and the plan is to arrange musical performances and hours of devotion.
Those who need help can discuss with a diaconal or social worker in the reception rooms.
”We have to go to those places where people move and to listen to them”, says Paavo Voutilainen, the head of Helsinki’s social services.
The estimated budget for the project is EUR 3.5 million.
