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MASTER PLAN FOR
­ROVANIEMI, KNOWN AS
THE REINDEER ANTLER PLAN
1944–1946
In the wake of the Lapland War and the destruction of
Rovaniemi by the German military, the main focus of attention
was on rebuilding the settlement. Work on the new town plan
was assigned to the Reconstruction Office of the Association
of Finnish Architects, headed by Alvar Aalto with Viljo Revell
as his deputy. The planning office was led by Yrjö Lindegren
with a staff comprising architects Bertel Saarnio and Markus
Tavio.
The master plan for Rovaniemi was designed for optimal
flexibility so that problems could be tackled in order of
urgency. The point of departure for the plan was the position
of the Rovaniemi market town as the capital of Finnish
Lapland and as a transport hub for the whole of northern
Finland. The layout is based on a central park serving as
the point of origin of the principal traffic routes. The five-
armed layout was characterised as “Reindeer Antlers” due to
the shape of its outline on the map. The horns of the reindeer
are formed by the road flanking the railway and the Ruijantie
street. Two other branches of the park run along the town
centre, thereby forming the head of the reindeer, with
thesports centre providing the eye. The fifth branch traces
the reindeer’s back.
1. KORKALORINNE
HOUSING AREA
Korkalovaara, 1956–1960
Seeking to respond to the post-war housing shortage
Rovaniemi market town initiated co-operation with the
Housing Foundation in 1956 with a view to constructing
a residential area in Korkalovaara on the southern slope
of the fell. A two-stage process resulted in two four-storey
apartment blocks, three two-storey terraced houses, a heating
plant, a shopping centre and garages.
Even though the project was never realised in its entirety,
it proved a success and demonstrated that a garden city
area could also be realised on the Arctic Circle by giving
careful consideration to solutions for northern conditions.
For example apartment buildings were placed so that they
would protect the yard from the northern cold, and dwellings
in general face south to optimise lighting conditions for
residents, even at the darkest time of year.