FinEst Twins – Smart City Centre of Excellence (external link)
Focusing on sustainable smart city development, FinEst Twins is coordinated by TalTech, Aalto University, Forum Virium and Estonian Ministry of Economic Affairs and Communications.
Key Research Area: Human-centred living environments
We are developing interdisciplinary research to enhance the planning, design, and testing of better living environments.
The goal of human-centered living environments is to better understand how individuals experience their physical environment and how art, spaces, buildings, and communities can enhance this experience.
The challenges of urbanization, efficient use of resources, changes in population structure, as well as the opportunities offered by digitalisation, business services and the experience of nature, are all included in this multi-dimensional research.
The results of this research provide useful knowledge for societal development.
The Aalto Networking Platform brings together our researchers and external parties for multidisciplinary collaboration in the area of human-centered living environments. With our recently opened Living+ Hub, we offer these actors a place to meet, exchange ideas and collaborate. In addition to events focusing on networking and collaboration, we organize educational lectures and seminars for students, Aalto staff and the public, and thus increase awareness of the topics, research and current challenges related to human-centered living environments.
Aalto Living+ Forum
The annual Living+ Forum is a public multi-disciplinary lecture series on themes related to human-centered living environments.
Upcoming events
Latest news in this area
Lippa wins Closing Loops design competition
The design competition promotes the circular economy in construction in the City of Helsinki.
150 years of higher architectural education in Finland
University-level teaching of architecture in Finland dates back to 1872.
Additional measures are needed to manage the use of electric scooters
According to a recent report, Finland should consider age, speed and alcohol limits for the use of electric scooters and other means of micromobility.
How will e-scooters transform urban spaces?
We often think of electric scooters as part of the switch to eco-friendly mobility but their role in urban landscapes is more complicated.Flagships and Centres of Excellence
Urban Academy (external link)
Urban Academy (Kaupunkiakatemia) is a platform and network that brings together multidisciplinary research, teaching and societal impact in the field of urban studies. It is a partnership of five organizations: University of Helsinki, Aalto University, City of Helsinki, City of Espoo and City of Vantaa.
Infrastructure
Aalto Living+ Hub
The Living+ Hub is an experimental space for research, development and innovations activities connecting researchers, students, companies and cities.
Aalto Built Environment Laboratory
Aalto Built Envinronment Laboratory (ABE) is a new collaborative research and learning initiative of Aalto University, School of Engineering.
MAGICS – Media – Arts – Games – Interaction – Computing – Science (external link)
MAGICS is an infrastructure network to support research into motion recording, and virtual environments. It is a joint effort of Aalto University, Tampere University and the University of the Arts Helsinki.
Featured research bodies
Group X (external link)
A focus group at the department of architecture at Aalto University
Smartland consortium (external link)
The consortium helps to identify and develop effective and sustainable land-use policies. The consortium is led by Aalto, Universities of Helsinki and Turku and the Finnish Meteorological Institute.
Key research area contact
Dr. Aija Staffans
Manager, Human-centred living environments, Key Research Area, Aalto Networking Platform