Valtion koulukodit

A safe and therapeutic space and operating culture support young people as their lives change

Valtion koulukodit and Senate Properties are working on a project to develop reform schools’ operations and spaces to better correspond to modern challenges. Reform schools are schools that combine home with school to provide a framework for specialist-level substitute care and education. The aim is to help children and young people to fulfil their hidden potential and to succeed in life.

A living environment that supports wellbeing also helps users to cope

“Young people display symptoms in more complex and challenging ways nowadays, which requires reform school environments to adopt new features. It is important for young people’s psychological wellbeing and development that they feel comfortable and at home at the reform schools. Our aim is for as many young people as possible to be able to cope as fully fledged members of society,” says the Finnish Institute of Health and Welfare’s Matti Salminen, who is responsible for Valtion koulukodit’s operations.

A functional space concept based on customer needs

As a framework partner to Senate Properties, Workspace was involved in creating a functional concept for both the spaces and interior design based on the reform schools’ new customer needs and influence. The first site to implement the concept (Vuorela reform school’s Opistola) was completed at the turn of 2020, with other projects due for completion in coming years.

Senate Properties and Workspace Oy were responsible for strategic design, coordination, and management of the overall project, as well as for the visual appearance of initiated projects at e.g. Vuorela, Sippola and Sairila. Workspace Oy’s partners were also extensively involved in the work. Delfoi Oy was responsible for process analytics and for charting customer segments and services. Marketing Clinic was responsible for analysing the customer experience and customer understanding. Melkior Oy carried out impact analyses.

Read more about the concept here and about Vuorela reform school here.