Katutaso

Katutaso is a Finnish architectural and real estate term that designates the ground floor of a building—the level at street level that typically has direct access from the sidewalk. The word combines katu (street) and taso (level). In Finnish building terminology, katutaso is distinguished from basement levels (kellarikerros or kellari) and from the upper floors, which are usually labeled as 1. kerros, 2. kerros, and so on.

In practice, katutaso commonly houses commercial spaces such as shops or offices, as well as entrances to residential or mixed-use sections of a building. It is especially prevalent in urban blocks where street-facing space is important. The arrangement can include storefront windows, public lobbies, or reception areas and may connect to internal stairwells or elevators that lead to higher floors.

The term is primarily used in Finnish-language contexts and appears in architectural plans, real estate listings, and urban planning discussions. While its exact features vary by building and era, katutaso consistently refers to the lower, street-accessible level of a structure, as opposed to the floors above or the subterranean levels below.

For translation, katutaso corresponds to the English terms ground floor or street level. In other Nordic languages, similar concepts exist but are described with different terminology.