The City of Helsinki organised a quality and concept competition for the development of the Makasiiniranta area in South Harbour in 2021–2022. The aim was to find an entry that would support the development of the area as an extension of the pedestrian city centre and as part of the seaside trail around the shores of Helsinki. Competition entries could propose cultural, service and business construction for the area. The competition, which was completed in November 2022, was won by the Konsortium Gran team’s entry Saaret.
Competition entries were required to fit the new construction into the valuable area and take into account the future of the protected Old Market Hall, Olympia Terminal and the Satamatalo building. The design also emphasised a solution based on climate-smart and sustainable construction methods that supports Helsinki’s carbon neutrality goals. In the two interactive stages of the competition, Helsinki residents submitted more than 2,000 comments on the entries via the Kerro Kantasi feedback service.
Winning proposal values and complements the environment
The panel of judges considered the winning entry, Saaret, to be successful in terms of its cityscape and architecture while valuing the historical and cultural environment. They noted that the entry gives an insightful emphasis to the maritime views of the area and the squares planned for the shore complement the seaside trail around Helsinginniemi cape.
The Makasiiniranta area is proposed to be reserved for Niam Oy, which led the winning consortium, for further planning and for a new detailed plan to be prepared through collaborative land-use planning. The reservation area is currently leased to the Port of Helsinki, but it will be released for new construction when port operations are centralised to the West Harbour and Katajanokka.
The planning principles of Makasiiniranta and Olympiaranta must be followed in further planning, which will define the boundary conditions and objectives of the area’s planning, for example in terms of the urban structure and landscape. The development reservation is valid until the end of 2025.
Design competition to be organised for the new Museum of Architecture and Design
The meeting will also discuss an area reservation for the new Museum of Architecture and Design to be built in the Makasiiniranta area for project planning and collaborative land-use planning. The new museum is to be a national attraction, a museum for everyone and a multi-voiced meeting place that offers the public a wide range of experiences in architecture and design both locally and internationally.
The City of Helsinki and the State of Finland have agreed to cooperate in the implementation of the new museum. In the spring of 2022, the city and the state established the Foundation for the Finnish Museum of Architecture and Design, and in August, Kiinteistö Oy ADM was established to advance the museum’s construction project.
The museum will be built as an independent development project in cooperation with the Makasiiniranta development project. The museum building will be located in the northern part of the area designated for new construction closest to the Old Market Hall, and a separate design competition will be held for it in late 2023.