Nine groups have been shortlisted for a redesign of the Helsinki old harbour area of Makasiiniranta, which will become a pedestrianised zone linked with the city centre containing a seaside trail and a new architecture and design museum.
The nine teams are:
- Foster + Partners, Maanlumo and Ramboll with Hines Nordics
- HGR Property Partners, PES-Architects, VSU, WSP, Sweco
- Consortium Gran, K2S Architects, White Arkitekter, Ramboll, HTJ
- Merellinen Helsinki 2030, JKMM, Loci, Ramboll
- NCC Property Development Oy and NCC Suomi Oy (NCC, Architects Soini & Horto, AOR Architects, MASU Planning, Destia, Ramboll Finland, Salsa Concept)
- Skanska CDF Oy and Skanska Talonrakennus Oy (Skanska Talonrakennus, ALA Architects, SLA S/A, Sitowise)
- South Harbour (NREP, SRV, Anttinen Oiva Architects, Nomaji Landscape Architects, Sitowise)
- AALTO Development, LMA, NÄKYMÄ Oy Landscape Architects, Sitowise
- Elävä Eteläsatama (Ålandsbanken, Tommila Architects, Arkkitehdit Rudanko + Kankkunen, A-insinöörit, VSU)
The jury will focus on the design’s suitability within Helsinki, feasibility and environmental impact.
A maximum of four competitors will be selected for the second phase of the competition in March 2022, with a winner due to be announced in the autumn of 2022.
The competition winner will not design the museum, for which a later competition will be held.
Juhana Vartiainen, Helsinki’s mayor, said: “Our goal is a memorable and maritime Makasiiniranta, where culture and leisure time are omnipresent, attracting people from near and far.
“Events, services and the inviting trail in the maritime landscape contribute to the extension of the city centre to the South Harbour, while also improving the vitality of the area’s businesses.”
Ville Lehmuskoski, Helsinki Urban Environment Division’s executive director, said: “The level of the competition groups is high even on an international scale. Expectations are equally high – this is a showcase for any operator in the field, and the consortia have certainly done their absolute best in the competition entries.
“This is not just about creating the maritime façade for Helsinki, but about creating an iconic place and landscape that are meaningful to Finns.”
