The City of Helsinki is holding an architectural competition to find the best possible design for the new multi-purpose building to be built in the Meri-Rastila area in Vuosaari.
The jury has whittled the 70 entries down to five proposals for the final stage of the competition. The winner will be selected in late November, and the construction is scheduled to start in 2026.
Finalists share aspiration to preserve old buildings
The multi-purpose building is planned for the plots of the current community building and the Merirasti chapel, which are located close to the Rastila metro station. The existing community building consists of the school, daycare centre and youth centre buildings, and the chapel serves as a venue for cultural activities. The facilities need renovation and renewal.
Because the population of Meri-Rastila will increase in the future, the new multi-purpose building will need to be a larger and more versatile centre. In addition to the current services, the multi-purpose building offers facilities for the playground, home care staff and resident evening activities.
The competition gave designers the freedom to propose repairing and expanding existing buildings or replacing them with new buildings.
The proposals selected for the final stage differ from each other significantly in terms of how new construction would be placed among the old and what the new buildings would look like. Various reforms have been proposed for Meri-Rastila square, among others.
All five finalists have proposed that the current school facilities and the Merirasti chapel be preserved as part of the new multi-purpose building. In addition to this, some of the proposals include the preservation of the existing youth centre.
Residents can comment on the proposals until 20 October
Meri-Rastila is one of the sites for suburban regeneration, and as such the City of Helsinki is going to be investing in the development, services and infill construction of the area in the coming years. The architectural competition is aimed at identifying a solution that is ideal for the Meri-Rastila milieu and renews it in a positive way in the process.
Residents can comment on the proposals until 20 October by completing the Kerrokantasi online survey. The residents’ feedback will be used in the more detailed planning of the multi-purpose building and its surroundings.
The surroundings of the multi-purpose building will also change in the coming years. The City is currently planning e.g. the renovation of several streets and Haruspuisto park. The related construction work is scheduled to start in 2026.
