helsinki eastern harbour competition lores 291004

Helsinki Eastern HarbourHelsinki Eastern HarbourSörnäistenranta and HermanninrantaSörnäistenranta and HermanninrantaInvited architectural ideas competitionInvited architectural ideas competition

22. 10. 2004�8. 4. 200522. 10. 2004�8. 4. 2005Competition briefCompetition brief

HELSINKI CITY PLANNING DEPARTMENT, PUBLICATIONS 2004:11

City City of of HelsinkiHelsinkiCity Planning DepartmentCity Planning Department

3 Helsinki Eastern Harbour – Architectural Ideas Competition

© The City of Helsinki,

City Planning Department 2004

Graphic Design: Arna Tulipää

ISSN 0787-9024

ISBN 952-473-290-4

Helsinki Eastern Harbour – Architectural Ideas Competition 4

Index

Summary .................................................................................................... 5

1. Invitation .............................................................................................. 6 1.1 Organisers, purpose and nature of the competition ................. 6 1.2 Participants ................................................................................ 6 1.3 Compensation ............................................................................. 6 1.4 Jury.............................................................................................. 6 1.5 Competition rules and approval of the competition brief ......... 7 1.6 Submission of competition documentation ............................... 7 1.7 Competition language................................................................. 7 1.8 Competition time......................................................................... 7

2. Competition details ........................................................................... 9 2.1 Documentation............................................................................ 9 2.2 Competition process and queries............................................... 9 2.3 Judging and publication of results............................................. 9 2.4 Further measures following the competition ............................ 9 2.5 Copyright ..................................................................................... 9

3. Competition area ...............................................................................11 3.1 Background of the competition .................................................11 3.2 Location, borders and land ownership......................................11 3.3 Present land use.........................................................................12 3.4 Change in urban structure.........................................................13 3.5 Development stages...................................................................13 3.6 Status of the urban structure ....................................................15 3.7 Present planning situation.........................................................17 3.8 Current status of the environment ........................................... 18 3.9 Buildings and structures........................................................... 20 3.10 Roads and traffi c arrangements............................................... 21 3.11 Environmental hazards ............................................................. 21

4. Competition task .............................................................................. 22 4.1 Bases for the plan and planning guidelines............................. 22 4.2 Aims of the competition............................................................ 33 4.3 Evaluation criteria ..................................................................... 34

5. Instructions for preparing the competition documents... 35 5.1 Required documents ................................................................. 35 5.2 Anonymity ................................................................................. 35 5.3 Submission of documents......................................................... 35


The aim of this two-stage ideas competi-tion organised by the City of Helsinki is to clarify the guidelines for a local plan for Helsinki eastern harbour an area. The area is situated close to the city centre, that will become available for new land-use when the harbour activities in the area come to an end in 2008. The plan must meet the planning objectives and be in keeping with the spirit of the area, and provide high quality and feasible starting points for the planning of the detailed plan for the initial city blocks.

The primary objective of the planning is to create the conditions for a high-quality urban environment that is so-cially and environmentally sustainable. The fi rst stage of the competition seeks basic ideas (1:4000) for land use for the entire 135 hectare competition area. The local plan should be based on the planning principles ratifi ed by the City of Helsinki City Planning Committee, which include a minimum scale (approx. 500,000 m2 of housing and 340,000 m2 of business premises) for future building. A land use diagram showing the main land use purposes as well as the traffi c solution for the area is to be presented at this stage.

The planning emphasis in the second stage, alongside the local plan, will be on the solutions for the detailed planning of the initial city blocks to be built around Kalasatama metro station. These city blocks will form the functional heart and the focus of the new city district. In this stage the local plan (1:4000) for the entire competition area is to be presented as well as the land use plan (1:1000) for the initial city blocks, together with the nec-essary sections and other illustrations.

For the local plan the organisers are looking forward to receive ideas for the basic arrangement of the urban struc-ture, the physical structures and the form of the new city district, as well as its relationship to the surrounding urban structure, the relationships between the different forms of land use, and the treat-

ment of the shore zone and the maritime functions located in the area.

For the detailed planning of the initial city blocks the organisers are hoping to receive well studied proposals of a more detailed nature for the city block struc-ture to be built around the metro station and the relationship to the surrounding urban structure in terms of scale, forma-tion of the area and nature, for each of the functional entities, as well as the in-teraction between the various functions, the external outline of the metro station environment and the arrangement of the different levels, the relationship between the different types of buildings and the possibilities for new forms of housing, the characteristics of the public area, the treatment of the shores, and the traffi c solutions.

The competition jury will primarily pay attention to the functional and cityscape aspects of the proposal. The merit and feasibility of the proposal is regarded as more important than perfection.

During the course of the competition a seminar will be organised, to enable the participants to acquaint themselves with the competition issues in more detail as well as having the opportunity of being given a guided tour of the area.

Defi nitions:master planswe generalplande Flächennutzungsplan

local plan

swe delgeneralplande Flächennutzungsplan

detailed plan

swe detaljplan, stadsplande Detailplan, Bebauungsplan

Summary


1.1 Organisers, purpose and nature of the competitionThe City of Helsinki is holding a two-stage closed architectural ideas compe-tition for the planning of Sörnäistenranta and Hermanninranta areas, which will become available for the new land-use when the harbour operations come to an end.

The competition area, hereinafter referred to as Kalasatama (‘The Fish Harbour’) area, is located on the eastern edge of downtown Helsinki. The area comprises approximately 135 hectares of land, which is currently being used mainly for harbour operations, industry and storage.

The purpose of the competition is to clarify the guidelines for a local plan that is in keeping with the area and meets the planning objectives, and, based on this plan, high quality and feasible starting points for making the detailed plan for the initial city blocks.

The idea behind the two stages is to create good preconditions for the suc-cess of the competition and to help the competitors choose the correct starting points for the more detailed planning.

A local plan for the whole area will be prepared by municipal authorities on the base of the competition results. The preparation of the detailed plan for the fi rst areas around the metro station will commence simultaneously with the preparation of the local plan. The other detailed plans will be prepared area by area according to the schedule deter-mined by the progress of construction in the period 2010–2020.

Construction at Kalasatama area is estimated to begin in 2009 after the har-bour operations have moved to Vuosaari district. The majority of the construction is scheduled for the 2010s and 2020s.

1.2 ParticipantsThe following architect bureaus are in-vited to participate in the competition.

Arkkitehtitoimisto Harris-KjisikHelsinki, Finland

Erskine Tovatt Arkitekter ABDrottningholm, Sweden

KCAP, Kees ChristiaanseRotterdam, Holland

1.3 CompensationEach participating architect bureau that submits a proposal which meets the requirements of the competition brief will be paid EUR 40,000 (VAT 0%). Of this fee EUR 10,000 will be paid after the fi rst phase, and the remainder after the second phase. The fees will be paid out through the Finnish Association of Architects and 10% will be withheld to cover the fee of the jury representative appointed by the Competition Commit-tee of the Finnish Association of Archi-tects, and other costs.

1.4 JuryThe competition entries will be evaluated by a jury whose members are:

Pekka Korpinen

Deputy Mayor, Chair

Pertti Kare

Director of Strategic Urban Planning Divi-sion, City Planning Department

Tapio Korhonen

Director of Finance, Economic and Plan-ning Centre

Anneli Lahti

Architect, Director of Town Planning Divi-sion, City Planning Department

Kari Raimoranta

Architect, named by the Competition Committee of the Finnish Association of Architects

Tuomas Rajajärvi

Architect, Director of City Planning De-partment

Matti-Pekka Rasilainen

City Engineer, Public Works Department

Matti Rytkölä

Head of Department, Real Estate De-partment

Heikki Somervuo

Project Director, Economic and Planning Centre

Mikael Sundman

Architect, Project Leader, City Planning Department

Tuomas Hakala

Architect, City Planning Department, Secretary.

1. Invitation


The following people will act as ex-perts for the jury:

Maria Jaakkola-Kivinen

Landscape Architect, City Planning De-partment (landscape planning)

Matti Kivelä

M.Sc.(Eng), City Planning Department (traffi c)

Eija Kivilaakso

Offi ce Manager, City Planning Depart-ment (environmental hygiene, geotech-nology, social economics)

Antti Mäkinen

Planning Manager, Port of Helsinki

Olavi Saarinen

Real Estate Manager, Helsinki Energy

The jury may consult other experts if needed.

1.5 Competition rules and approval of the competition brief

The Competition Rules of the Finnish As-sociation of Architects will be adhered to in this competition. The City Plan-ning Committee and the Competition Secretary of the Finnish Association of Architects have approved this competi-tion brief.

1.6 Submission of competition documentationThe competition brief and documenta-tion will be sent free of charge to the participants.

1.7 Competition languageThe language of the competition is Eng-lish.

1.8 Competition timeThe fi rst stage of the competition com-mences on 22. 10. 2004 and closes on 17. 12. 2004. The second stage of the competition begins on 21. 1. 2005, and the competition closes on 8. 4. 2005.


2.1 Documentation1. Competition brief (this document)2. Stages in the Growth of a Town. Hel-sinki City Planning Department Publica-tion YB 1/823. City of Helsinki Master Plan 2002, map4. Competition area and surroundings, map5. Competition area, map showing Hel-sinki Energy’s buildings and structures, draft of traffi c plan for Sörnäinen tunnel, binding starting points of the plan. 6. Soil conditions7. Draft of the local plan for Kalasatama area8. Illustration of the draft local plan 9. Plan of Kalasatama metro station. HMT Arkkitehdit Oy 26. 4. 200410. Land use plan for the immediate sur-roundings of Kalasatama metro station. Arkkitehtitoiminta Kai Wartiainen Oy, December 200311. Alternatives for the development of the gasworks area. Arkkitehtitoimisto Schulman Oy 31. 5. 199912. Aerial photos of the competition area and its surroundings.13. Statistical form14. Location, outline and scenic areas of Helsinki Park

2.2 Competition process and queriesThe competition will commence at the opening seminar on 22. 10. 2004. The competition brief and the necessary background information will be pre-sented to participants at the seminar. In conjunction with the seminar, the partici-pants will also be given the opportunity to visit the competition area, entry to which is otherwise forbidden.

After the fi rst stage the jury will give its written recommendations for further planning. The second phase of the com-petition will start on 21.1.2005 (according to initial estimates). The competition brief will, if necessary, go into more specifi c detail for the second stage.

During the course of the competition the participants will have the opportunity to put written questions to the jury. The question period for the fi rst stage will end on 19. 11. 2004 and for the second stage on 1. 3. 2005. The aim will be to provide answers to the questions imme-diately, but within one week of the end of the question period at the latest. All questions and answers will be sent to all the competitors.

The questions should be addressed anonymously to:

Tuomas Hakala, ArchitectCity Planning Department,Town Planning Division,PO Box 2100FIN-00099 City of Helsinkitel. +358 (0)9 169 4224,fax. +358 (0)9 169 4290e-mail: [email protected]

2.3 Judging and publication of resultsThe jury will aim to conclude the compe-tition by 20. 6. 2005.

The competition will be judged ac-cording to the evaluation criteria set forth in section 4.3. The results of the competi-tion will be announced at a separate oc-casion to which the participants will be invited. The competition proposals and the minutes of the jury will be on view at this occasion.

2.4 Further measuresfollowing the competitionThose who have made the best proposal may be given the opportunity for further work in conjunction with the land use plan on the basis of the decision of the jury. The preparation of the local plan it-self and the detailed plans will be done by the City Planning Department.

2.5 CopyrightThe competition proposals will remain the property of the organisers and will not be returned. The copyright of the plans will remain with the authors.

2.Competition Details


3.1 Background of the competition

Helsinki’s maritime goods traffi c will be centred on the new harbour in Vuosaari district, about 15 kilometres to the east of Helsinki centre. Consequently the land use will be changed not only in the East-ern harbour area (Kalasatama) but also in the Western harbour area (Jätkäsaari) and the Central Pasila (Keski-Pasila) rail-way marshalling yard.

Helsinki City Council ratifi ed the plan to establish Vuosaari harbour in 1996. In its resolution concerning the implemen-tation of the decision, the City Council advised the City Planning Department to draw up planning proposals for the areas that would become available after harbour operations ceased. The detailed plan proposal for Vuosaari harbour was ratifi ed by the City Council in 1998 and approved by the Ministry of the Environ-ment in 2002. In the same year the de-tailed plan came into legal effect when the Supreme Administrative Court reject-ed the appeals concerning the issue. The new harbour is already currently under construction and it is estimated to be ready for operation by the end of 2008.

The decision to build the harbour at Vuosaari district signifi ed what is per-haps the largest change in land use in downtown Helsinki since the industriali-sation that took place at the end of the 19th century. Construction of the new harbour creates the conditions not only for massive reconstruction in the areas becoming available following cessation of harbour operations, but also for open-ing up the eastern shore of downtown Helsinki to the residents of the densely built city districts behind the harbour. The signifi cant reduction of heavy goods transportation and the end of railway traffi c will create broader opportunities for enhancing the environment of the downtown area.

3.2 Location, border and land ownership

The competition area is located on the east side of the Helsinki downtown area, as an elongated zone on both sides of the main thoroughfare to the city cen-tre from the east (Kulosaari bridge). The competition area is bordered on the western side by Hanasaari energy supply area and by the main roads from the city centre northwards (Sörnäisten rantatie and Hermannin rantatie), on the

3.Competition Area

northern side by Toukola seaside park in front of Arabianranta residential area, and on the eastern and southern sides by water areas.

The competition area has a land area of approximately 135 hectares, of which 114 hectares are built harbour and indus-trial areas and 21 hectares are used as park areas.

The land is owned by the City of Hel-sinki. Part of the area is rented privately, and part is used by various municipal organisations.

Competition areas

Competition area

Initial city blocks

Original shore line

13 Helsinki Eastern Harbour – Sörnäistenranta and Hermanninranta – Architectural Ideas Competition

3.3 Present land useThe present land use of the southern part of the competition area (Sörnäistenranta) is characterised as industrial and harbour environment, which has a strong impact on the cityscape. The competition area operates as a harbour with storage depots and ships, and with a massive power station and piles of coal in the immediate vicinity.The land in the northern part of the competition area (Hermanninranta) is primarily used for storage: Car storage for vehicle importers and winter storage for boats spread out over wide areas. There are also fi sh processing depots and food warehouses in the area. The depot for the Public Works Department and temporary storages are located on Kyläsaari area, the northernmost part of the competition area.

Close to the competition area on its western side there is a permanent urban structure with mainly offi ce buildings located alongside the main streets and residential blocks backing onto these. The population density is high in the apartment blocks which form a typical downtown area.

The maritime surroundings of the competition area as well as the islands and the eastern side of the competi-tion area are parts of the future Helsinki Park in the City of Helsinki’s Master Plan 2002. This complete area extends from the eastern maritime area of the city centre to the northern forest areas. The park contains areas of both historical and natural value.

Competition area from the east


centre with its commercial and cultural services is close by. Hakaniemi district with its market is within walking distance. Good connections to Mustikkamaa is-land recreational area, Korkeasaari zoo and northwards to Vanhakaupunki bay recreational area will enhance the condi-tions for turning Kalasatama area into a compact, urban city district.

3.5 Development stagesHelsinki has traditionally been socially di-vided. Workers and industry developed originally in the eastern part of the city while the southern and western parts have been the stronghold of the upper middle classes. The historical explana-tion for this division is that the eastern parts were practically undeveloped until industrialisation revolutionised the city structure from the 1860s onwards. Within the European context the late in-dustrialisation was exceptionally strong in Helsinki. The population doubled every twenty years from the beginning of in-dustrialisation right up until the Second World War. Few European cities have experienced such rapid growth, no mat-ter that the scale in Helsinki is modest. Some of the growth can be attributed to advantageous factors pertaining to the area itself and to its surroundings. The railway and the harbour, large by the standards of those days, were completed in 1864, two years after the country’s fi rst railway started operating between Helsinki and the inland town of Hämeenlinna.

The area was practically undeveloped, navigable passages were easy to open and the rocky areas behind the shore-line provided advantageous conditions for establishing housing for the workers close to the factories, yet far enough away from the areas occupied by the social elite.

3.4 Change in urban structureThe competition area is a very important part of the extensive zone of transforma-tion that extends from the centre of Hel-sinki to the north-east. The main thrust of the change is the move away from in-dustry, storage and harbour operations which are replaced by residential areas, administration, services and recreation. Through the change in land use of the competition area, the cityscape and functional appearance of the area will change to a city district characterised by living and working close to the sea. Its location in downtown Helsinki pro-vides the starting points for planning the urban structure, which, in the future, will manifest itself as an effi cient, rich city-scape, with a vibrant urban life. At the same time the new residential quarters close to the sea can mainly be supported by metro and tram public transport.

As part of the downtown area, the location of the competition area is ad-vantageous from a regional perspective. The area has good traffi c connections in all directions in terms of vehicular access and public transport. Being bordered by the sea raises the area’s value and desir-ability as both a residential and working area. The maritime situation also pro-vides the opportunity for the develop-ment of water-front activities.

Seen from the perspective of the ad-jacent residential area, Kalasatama area has been a remote industrial, storage and harbour area, whose shores have in the main been closed off to the residents. The future waterfront promenade will be open for the public and provide new possibilities for local recreation.

Because of its location the area has the natural prerequisites to become invit-ing and attractive in the future. The city

Sörnäinen district in the beginning of 20th century

HELSINKI 1700

HELSINKI 1800

HELSINKI 1850


The strong growth illustrates the fact that at the turn of the 20th century ap-proximately one third of all Finnish in-dustrial jobs were in Helsinki, while at the same time Helsinki’s population was around 3 % of the country’s total.

In this way Helsinki became socially divided on an east-west axis, as did so many other European towns. The only ad-ditional nuance in this process of change was that some industry and, to a certain extent the workers, even were located at the same time in the city’s westernmost part, next to Western harbour.

The Eastern harbour has been con-stantly growing and changing for over 150 years. The biggest change took place in the 1960s when the harbour was ex-panded to almost its present size. At that time the 20 … 30 metres high, almost circular rocky islands were levelled to ground level and the areas in between were fi lled to become docks and yards for the harbour.

An earlier major change took place in the 1910s when Helsinki’s fi rst large pow-er station and gasworks were built in the competition area. This phase produced a group of production buildings for mu-nicipal engineering, whose architecture still today represents a high international standard. New power stations were sub-sequently built on the sites of the former islands, on good foundations for building. Hanasaari A power plant, which has re-cently been decommissioned having reached the end of its life cycle, was built in the 1950s, and the B plant in the mid-1970s. Its controlled architectural mass with its high chimneys dominates the entire Sörnäistenranta area.

The development of the northern part of the competition area has been slower and of a lesser magnitude than the south-ern part. The depth of the water area is less and the bridge to Kulosaari has ef-fectively prevented the development of harbour operations in the area. Most of the area was formerly water, which has been fi lled in. Only the three islands be-longing to the natural topography have provided good foundations. Pikku Verk-kosaari and Iso Verkkosaari islands have had various industrial activity since the 1980s. At present the buildings in the area are mainly occupied by food whole-salers and fi sh processing industry.

The northernmost island, Kyläsaari, had a long history of being a recreation-

al area with beaches for swimming and for boats for the workers’ districts of the city. There was a major change in this area in the 1960s with the construction of a water purifi cation plant and waste incineration plant. Both of these were decommissioned in the 1990s on the completion of Viikinmäki underground central purifi cation plant.

HELSINKI 1900

HELSINKI 1940

HELSINKI 1960

HELSINKI 1980

Helsinki’s fi rst large power station

Sompasaari island and Sörnäinen harbour in 1937


3.6 Status of the urban structure

During the course of history, the compe-tition area became developed to the front of the workers’ districts. The relationship between these districts to the shore and to the former island area has gradually been almost totally severed.

At the same time the area has tradi-tionally been on the eastern extremity of the downtown area. Examined from a socio-historical angle the other end of Kulosaari bridge sees the start of a com-pletely different world: the Kulosaari of the social elite.

This community functioned as an in-dependent municipality outside Helsinki from the time it was established at the beginning of the 1900s right up to the end of the Second World War. Right up to the present time the island has re-tained its position as a highly regarded district of villas, whose few apartment buildings are even a desired residential environment. The many embassies that are located there are an indication of the high regard it is held in. Because of this combination, Kulosaari bridge in many respects forms a short transitional zone between very different urban struc-tures.

On the social scale a polarity has arisen between the urban structures of the wealthy elite and of those dominated by the workers. On the functional scale the polarity of the two ends of Kulosaari bridge arises between habitation and heavy industry. On the environmental scale on the one side there is verdant nature and a built up area characterised by a small scale, and on the other side compact, brick and stone built urban structure.

If one changes the viewing perspec-tive to the south-north direction one notices a similar polarity between the areas divided by Kulosaari bridge. The northern side of the competition area leads via a calm water surface towards an open landscape that is practically in its natural state. The long vistas end at Viikki ornithological conservation area and the pristine nature of the shores. The background opens on to the highly regarded residential and Art and Design

A Villa on Kulosaari island

area with its seaside parks under con-struction on Arabianranta shore. Nature is tangibly close by on the northern side of the area.

Kalasatama area seen from Viikki ornithological

conservation area


The south side of the competition area lies close to some of the most compact, and in that respect the most urban-ised structure in Helsinki. In the south the views open up vistas towards the characteristic silhouette of Katajanokka district, dominated by the Uspenski Or-thodox cathedral and the 1820 the Naval barracks complex, currently occupied by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. In the west, the competition area looks towards the stone and brick buildings of Kruununhaka district, which got its basic form at the beginning of the last century. Right next to it is a massive group of concrete residential and com-mercial buildings, refl ecting the attempts at building effi ciency of the 1970s in the form of pre-fabricated building elements. The compact city is tangibly close to the southern side of the area.

Looking at the competition area from the outside, the north side will take its form as part of the continuous urban structure or front-line that ends at Ara-bianranta residential area.

Correspondingly, the south side will form a signifi cant new element in the middle of the maritime cityscape. Its furthest parts will push very closely to the centre, from whose shores it will be an impressive sight.

The naval barracks complex in Katajanokka district seen from competition area

Katajanokka district and Uspenski Orthodox cathedral seen from competition area

Kruununhaka district seen from competition area


3.7 Present planning situationRegional plan for Helsinki area

In the ratifi ed regional plan for Helsinki (1996) Kalasatama area is mainly desig-nated as an area for residential activity. The power plant area in Hanasaari is separated as a special area and the area alongside the road called Hermannin rantatie is shown as an area for work-places. The shore zone has recreational areas on the northern side of Kulosaari bridge, and also shown is the connec-tion of an indicative path to the current network of pedestrian and cycle paths. Also running through the area is the main regional thoroughfare (Itäväylä), and its interchanges.

Proposal for the Uusimaa regional plan

In the proposal for Uusimaa regional plan (2003) Kalasatama area is mainly marked as an area for residential. An energy sup-ply area is in Hanasaari. The shore area on the northern side of Itäväylä is marked as being reserved as a recreational area, which continues as an unbroken zone to Toukola seaside park.

Helsinki master plan 2002Helsinki Master Plan 2002

In the Master Plan 2002 (2003) Kala-satama area is marked as a residential area mainly dominated by apartment buildings. The area around the future Kalasatama metro station is for central area functions. Hanasaari A and B plants and the adjacent coal pile area are pro-posed for changing to a residential area. The plot on northern side of Hanasaari B plant is reserved as an area for techni-cal supply and a future power plant. The shore area is reserved as recreational area, which at the same time makes the border for Helsinki Park.

According to the markings for the area to be planned, a new local plan will be prepared for Kalasatama area. The master plan shows the land use forms and the relationships between these for the area to be planned. The location and borders for these will be resolved in the local plan.

In the Master Plan 2002, the amount of fl oor space for new-build construction for the area to be planned has been set. This includes 500,000 m2 of housing and 340,000 m2 of business premises.


3.8 Current status of the environmentSurface forms, geology and fi llings

In terms of the surface form, the com-petition area is a fairly low-lying. Eng-lantilaiskallio (English rock), close to Kulosaari bridge, is the only point higher than the surroundings. The heights of the land surface and traffi c areas are shown in Appendix 5 of the competition brief.

When building in the shore area the lowest ground level building height is +2.3 metres. The lowest building height refers to the surface drainage level. When building below the lowest building level the structures should be watertight and equipped with drainage pumping. There is practically no tidal movement in Helsinki.

The former gasworks area, Eng-lantilaiskallio rock and the area at the junction of Verkkosaarenkatu street and Hermannin rantatie road are areas of non-cohesive soil and rock, good in terms of construction.

Most of the competition area is sea area that has been fi lled up. At its widest the reclamation zone is over 500 metres from the original shore at Kyläsaari is-land. The fi lling has been done on top of a base that has good geotechnical bear-ing characteristics, as well as on top of clay layers which are poor in terms of bearing.

View from English rock towards south

Kulosaari bridge and part of the Helsinki Park seen

from the south

Drilling shows that in Sompasaari area the thickness of the fi lling varies from 1 … 7 metres. The lower surface of the clay is at a depth of approximately 5 … 15 metres. In the area on the north-ern side of Kulosaari bridge the fi lling is mainly on top of clay, with the thickness of the layer of fi lling being approximate-ly 3 … 8 metres. In Verkkosaari area the lower surface of the clay is at a depth of approximately 10 metres and this depth increases beyond Kyläsaari area to over 40 metres.

In Sompasaari area the fi lling material is mainly blast rocks, sand and gravel. More northwards and in Verkkosaari area, in addition to the above the fi lling material also includes building waste, china clay, printing ink remnants from printers, and waste containing clean-ing fl uids. In the area of Kyläsaari incin-eration plant there are deep fi llings from incineration slag. Incineration waste has also been transferred southwards to the southern parts of Kyläsaari area and en-capsulated inside the land. There have also been fi ndings of gasworks waste near the fi llings. Kyläsaari shore struc-ture is a fl oating double platform built from blast stone on top of clay.


Water area and groundwater

The competition area includes a coast line of approximately 7 kilometres.

The water quality in Vanhakaupunki bay has improved considerably following the building of the new water purifi ca-tion plant. The average depth of the bay is less than 2 metres. The water depth increases in the sea area of the southern part of the competition area, and from the area around the end of Katajanokka district to Sörnäinen harbour there is a 9 metre shipping passage.

Because of the location of the com-petition area and the low-lying nature of the area, the groundwater surface is rela-tively close to the land surface.

Climate and wind

The low-lying nature of the area gives its own characteristics to the climate. The location of the area in the densely built up city area puts its own stamp on the microclimate of the area. In those places where the sea in summer cools the area to a slightly lower temperature than inland and in winter slightly allevi-ates the cold, the city and its buildings have a constant warming effect on the microclimate.

The prevailing winds in Helsinki are south-westerly. The effects of the tem-perature differences between the sea and the land infl uence the air currents of the area and consequently the wind. With respect to the open sea, the com-petition area is situated at the bottom of the protective bay. With respect to the prevailing south-westerly wind, the centre and the southern downtown area protect to some extent the area from the wind.


3.9 Buildings and structures

The present building stock of Kalasatama area is entirely from the 1900s. The fl oor area totals nearly 240,000 m2. The build-ing stock comprises 120 buildings in dif-ferent types of use. Almost 200,000 m2, around 80 % of the building stock in the area, is used for industry and storage, which gives a good idea of the present use and nature of the area. Most of these buildings can be demolished.

Inside the area is a coherent industrial entity of architectural merit, made up of the preserved buildings of the electricity plant and gasworks, built between 1909 and 1913.

In terms of industrial history, the value of these protected buildings is concealed in the fact that they were not only the most advanced production plants of the time, but also the fi rst buildings of rein-forced concrete, in which the architec-ture and new construction material form a coherent, constructive entity.

The architect was Selim A. Lindqvist and the builder was Finland´s foremost expert in concrete structures, Jalmari Castrén. The Viennese architectural in-fl uence of that time can be seen in the details and in the overall impression of the power plant. The power plant is one

of Finland’s most important monuments of industrial architecture. It has been pre-served well and it is carefully maintained, partly restored.

The building stock of the gasworks is simpler, with the architect only respon-sible for the outer shell. The old gasom-eter is of a high standard in architectural terms and has achieved landmark status as a certain cohesive element of the traf-fi c environment of the Itäväylä thorough-fare’s slip road. Together with the newer telescopic silo rising in an iron skeleton, the gasometers form an inseparable en-tity based on contrast. The more ordi-nary industrial buildings submit to these while at the same time they complete the practically urban architectonic entity, the careful preservation of which is self-evi-dent as a starting point for the planning of the area.

A power plant (Hanasaari B) serving the downtown area operates in the Ha-nasaari energy supply area near the com-petition area. This plant also produces district heating, and also provides the ever-increasing district cooling. The plant (architect Timo Penttilä) was completed in the mid-1970s and it is estimated that it will operate until 2025–2030, maybe later. Until that time the power station will operate in a slightly reduced area than at present. A new power plant will be built in the area marked on the Master Plan 2002 as a future energy supply area. This power plant will replace the existing Hanasaari B plant and will be built while the current plant is in operation.

The fuels used in the power plant are coal and oil, in the future even perhaps

A Typical storage building in the area

Old gasworks

Hanasaari A power plant

Hanasaari B power plant


gas and flammable waste. The start-ing point for the construction of the new power plant is that its fuel stor-age (240,000 m3) will be situated either partly or wholly as above-ground silos (2 pcs Ø = 50 m and h = 70 m), or as silos completely below ground. In this way the current above-ground coal storage area will in time become available for other use.

Helsinki Energy has a harbour area for coal transport on the south-eastern edge of Hanasaari area. In the future the coal will be conveyed underground from the ship to the coal storage area. It is as-sumed that the unloading quays for the ships will remain in its present place.

The electricity from the energy sup-ply area is connected to the national grid and the city’s internal supply network by overhead cables.

3.10 Roads and traffi c arrangementsThe main road network of the area consists of the roads Sörnäisten ran-tatie, Hermannin rantatie, Junatie and Itäväylä. The number of vehicles using these roads daily is: Kulosaari bridge and Itäväylä, 61,000 vehicles; Herman-nin rantatie 17,000 vehicles; Sörnäisten rantatie 58,000 vehicles; and Junatie 23,000 vehicles.

The metro runs through the central part of the competition area. The metro station will be built so that its fi rst phase is taken into use in 2007. The second

phase will be built when the harbour has stopped operating after 2009. Public transport connections to the area will be by bus via Sörnäisten rantatie, Junatie, Lautatarhankatu and Hermannin ranta-tie roads and by tramway through the whole area.

Pedestrian and cycle path connections will be realized through the existing road network. There will be a pedestrian and cycle path connecting to Toukola seaside park in the northern section of the area.

There is a harbour railway line to the goods harbour running from Pasila dis-trict via Kumpula valley on the east side of the Hermannin rantatie road. This line will be closed down along with the har-bour operations.

3.11 Environmental hazards The area’s industrial past, fuel storage and operational use, the slag waste fi llings from the Kyläsaari incineration plant, the old gasworks environment of Suvilahti, and waste sorting in the area will require gradually more exact-ing analyse.

The environmental hazards identifi ed for the area also include heavy vehicu-lar traffi c, and the noise and emissions arising from harbour operations and the power plant. Special attention should be paid mainly to the above with respect to structural noise repression for the resi-dential parts.

The hazards of the harbour opera-tions will mostly be eliminated through the change in land use for the area. Most of the shores will become available for the residents to use. Energy supply will operate from the area reserved for it shown on the maps appended to this competition brief. As the urban structure becomes more compact, energy supply and other operations in the area will be integrated.

Itäväylä road towards east

Illustration of Kalasatama metro station


4.1 Bases for the plan and planning guidelines

4.1.1 Kalasatama area in the urban strategy for Helsinki

The task of Helsinki City planning has traditionally been to manage the prob-lems that stem from the location of the centre on a narrow headland surrounded by the sea, which substantially restricts its expansion. For this reason new con-struction has been located ever further from the centre, to the north, west and north-east. The centre has, however, re-tained its position as a hub for jobs and as an administrative, commercial and cultural centre. The problems caused by this arrangement have always been the most important task in city planning. The measures for overcoming these problems have been a public transport system based on trains, trams, metro and buses, improving the housing con-ditions in the centre in order to limit the expansion of jobs, and the construction of a new centre “City 2” at Pasila railway junction three kilometres beyond the nu-clear centre. Furthermore, parking, serv-ice traffi c and public transport terminals

Eastern and western harbours are moving to

Vuosaari district in 2008

as well as other infrastructure have, to an ever-increasing degree, been built un-derground in the bedrock. There is also provision for constructing a thoroughfare under the centre in the future.

The extensive release of the harbour area from harbour operations will funda-mentally change the land use status of the centre: The previously closed shore areas will become available for current city residents as well as for new resi-dents. The new apartments will be stra-tegically situated adjacent to Finland’s densest cluster of workplaces. Heavy goods traffi c to the harbour will no longer strain the land use in the centre. Further-more, the advantageous location along-side the exit roads and within a well-func-tioning public transport network will help to create favourable conditions for the development of the areas.

Since the mid-1970s Helsinki’s large, new residential areas have been built as socially versatile areas. When build-ing on municipally owned land the sites have been designated for social housing as well as for private owners. Sites are also allocated to special groups such as students, the elderly, disability groups

and young working people. This type of housing policy aims to prevent the creation of areas that are too one-sided socially. In recent years areas close to the sea have, however, been increasingly re-served for the kind of building production aimed at sectors of the population that have a good fi nancial position.

4.1.2 Principles for further planning

On 11. 3. 2004 the City Planning Commit-tee approved the following principles for further planning as the basis for drawing up the local plan for Kalasatama area:

Overall urban structure of Kalasatama area

1. The area will form an integral part of the regional urban entity and the down-town area.2. The urban structure and cityscape will have a downtown nature: diverse and compact.3. The area will primarily be supported by effi cient public transport.4. The area will be developed for busi-ness activity as well as for housing.5. There will be provision for replacing Hanasaari B power plant in the area to be planned. Energy production will adapt to the changing urban structure.

Housing

6. A varied population and housing structure will be ensured through resi-dential areas of a high standard.7. The area structure will be compact as in the downtown area. The residential neighbourhoods will become distinctive entities, area by area. The possibility for mooring houseboats in the area will be investigated.

Job structure

8. In terms of job structure the area will be developed as a multi-faceted expan-sion area for the centre, where Kalasa-tama area’s location on the arts and sci-ence axis will be emphasised. High-ex-pertise job activity will be emphasised.

4. Competition Task


Services

9. Kalasatama area’s commercial impor-tance as an extension of the city centre will be emphasised.10. In the first place premises will be reserved for public services according to the area’s internal needs, but also for such services that are missing in the ur-ban structure in the immediate surround-ings. The conditions will be created in the area for locating services operating on a regional scale.

Traffi c

11. An effi cient public transport hub will be created in conjunction with Kalasa-tama metro station. This will connect

the centre of the area to Hakaniemi, Arabianranta and Pasila direction, as well as crosswise traffi c and north-east Helsinki.12. There will be a large parking facil-ity in conjunction with Kalasatama metro station, offering parking for customers, residents and workers, and also for park-and-ride traffic, on the principle of alternating parking.13. The parking arrangements in the area will be based on parking facilities and tra-ditional on-street parking.

Recreation

14. The need for recreational areas in Ka-lasatama area will be satisfi ed by neigh-

bourhood parks and seaside promenades that are as continuous as possible. Mus-tikkamaa island and Hermanni seaside park will function as city district parks, taking into account the bridge connec-tion to Mustikkamaa island. The continu-ity of Helsinki Park will be safeguarded.

Cityscape

15. The basis for the formation of the cityscape is the area’s downtown loca-tion and its visible maritime location.16. In terms of urban structure and city-scape, the public city areas in the local plan area will be many-sided and rich. 17. Space in the area will be reserved for maritime-based activity in particular.

Environmental health

18. The area will be planned to be healthy and safe. The local land use planning will take health and environmental risks into account.

Geology in terms of construction

19. In situating the local areas planned for building, the horizontal stability of the area will be taken into account as will the geotechnical characteristics of the vari-ous fi llings and shore structures.

Social economy

20. The feasibility of the area will be ex-amined in terms of the costs incurred to the city by the construction.

Scale

21. In terms of fl oor space in the area, the objective is to have a minimum of that according to the Master Plan 2002, that is to say 500,000 m2 of housing and 340,000 m2 of business premises. The new land use will mainly be located on the existing land areas and new fi llings will be avoided. The shore line can be shaped if necessary.

Draft of the local plan


4.1.3 Draft of the local plan

The City Planning Department has drawn up a draft of the local plan for the com-petition area. It is the key directive for the urban structure and provides the start-ing point for preparing the competition proposals.

Draft of the local plan is not a binding starting point in the competition. The jury hopes that competition task will be ex-amined from different viewpoints.

4.1.4 Urban structure

The city blocks to be built on both sides of Kulosaari bridge, around the metro station, will form the functional and cityscape heart of Kalasatama area. The metro station will become the hub for collective transportation, which will be supplemented by bus, tram and car transport. At the same time a commer-cial centre will be built in the area. Public services will also have an important role in this centre.

The city blocks to be built around the metro station will divide the residential areas into two halves of almost the same size. The southern part, Sörnäistenranta area, will be built on the southern side of a new road being a continuation of Juna-tie road. The northern part, Hermannin-ranta area, will be built on the north side of a continuation of Työpajankatu road.

In terms of urban structure Kalasata-ma area complements the city areas adja-cent to the competition area. New roads will connect Sörnäistenranta area and Hermanninranta area. Kyläsaarenkatu, a new feeder street, along which the trams will run, runs in a south-north di-rection through the whole area similar to Hämeentie road in the centre of Helsinki. For their part the crosswise roads will be, as far as possible, continuations of the existing road network.

Views are regarded as an important basis for the area planning. The new views that will open out from the streets in the neighbouring areas should be planned just as carefully as the views opening out from the competition area itself towards the centre and, for the more northern parts, towards the broad verdant landscape.

Draft of the local plan, illustration


4.1.5 Metro station and its surroundings

Functional content and scale

A metro station is planned for the centre of the area. It will be built so that its fi rst phase will open in 2007 (Appendix 9). A reference plan (Appendix 10) has been prepared for the central blocks surround-ing the metro station. This plan speci-fi es the functional content and operating principles for the area.

The following planning objectives are described with the aid of the solutions in the reference plan.

The characteristic centre functions in the area around the metro station will be closely interlinked: The most important business premises have a direct internal connection with the metro station. Space for approximately 1,800 cars will be al-located underneath Kulosaari bridge. Traditional business premises will be located on the sides of the streets. Of-fi ce premises will be constructed from the level of Kulosaari bridge upwards. Residential and offi ce premises will be integrated. It should be possible to re-duce or increase the amount of housing depending on the future demand for business premises.

There can be many kinds of business premises. Bazaar-type business premises opening onto both sides of the most im-

portant pedestrian roads have been put forward in the fi rst building phase

Shop premises alongside the streets on both sides of the metro track can be constructed in the next building phase. The plan shows a ground level parking area bordered by smaller scale shop premises on the north side of the track. On the south side of the track there is also the possibility for large shop units.

The city blocks around the metro sta-

tion consist of three units, around which traditional streets are planned. Driving around the blocks will help orientation and at the same time create the opera-tional conditions for commercial activity over a wide area.

The parking areas underneath Ku-losaari bridge will have a direct connec-tion to the metro station via a naturally lit pedestrian axis.

In the reference plan the blocks have a total of approximately 145,000 m2 of fl oor area, of which 90,000 m2 are for of-fi ce premises, 40,000 m2 for apartments and around 25,000 m2 for shop premises. The competitors are not bound by these fi gures, but they provide an indication of the organiser’s objectives.

Public transportation terminal

In connection with the metro station the ground level will form the public trans-portation terminal. Tram traffi c will be directed to the area from a north-south direction along the feeder street and the tram stops will be located at the ticketing hall running through the metro station.

A two-bus arrival platform, three bus parking places and a 65 m departure platform are reserved for bus traffic. They will be located either at one or both of the entrances to the metro station.

Space for park-and-ride parking will be reserved in the parking facility to be built under Kulosaari bridge. This is the point at which the vehicular traffi c from two highways meet the metro station,

Illustration of Kalasatama metro station

Central blocks around the metro station: reference plan, level +2,5…+3,5


ed by loading area or via parking spaces built underneath Kulosaari bridge.

Vehicular traffi c between Sörnäisten rantatie road and Hermannin rantatie road will run through a tunnel near the metro station. The tunnel is shown in Appendix 5.

Pedestrians and cycling

Traditional pavements will be at street level. Provision will be made at the bus terminal for an extensive pedestrian area at the entrance to the metro station. Pe-destrian and cycle traffi c from the west towards the metro station will run along Lautatarhankatu street to stairway and lift connections at the western end of the station. This will avoid having pedestrian and cycle traffi c on an overpass over Her-mannin rantatie road. It is possible to ar-range a pedestrian connection from Ku-losaari bridge to the blocks to the quay in front of the blocks and directly to the southern platform of the metro station.

Phased construction

Provision must be made for construc-tion of the city blocks planned around the metro station taking place over a rather long period, in which case the commercial fl oor space will only be fully completed when Kalasatama planning area is almost completely built.

Central blocks around the metro station: reference plan, level +12,5…+13,5

providing the preconditions to travel to the centre by metro. The parking places which are organised on the principles of alternating use can also be used for customer parking, workplace parking and residents’ parking, in which case a 400 metre walking distance as the crow fl ies is acceptable.

Road network and service traffi c

A road clearly conveying traffi c to the parking facilities and service routes will run around the city blocks planned on both sides of the metro station. This road will also provide short-term parking for shoppers.

The ground fl oor commercial space will be serviced by an internal service road running through the area. Alterna-tively service can possibly be implement-

Metro station

Metro station section

Central blocks around the metro station: reference plan, section towards the West


4.1.6 Housing

The areas to be built on the northern and southern side of the metro station can be implemented as a continuous urban structure progressing in a ribbon-like way. One can also think of aiming to form partial entities – large city blocks, in which case complete partial entities will gradually be completed. Squares, parks and city blocks for public buildings can function as links between these.

The planning should try for neigh-bourhood entities with their own distinct characteristics, in which present and fu-ture forms of housing and types of apart-ment and apartment buildings alternate. Similarly, the aims to have the downtown structure extending to the new areas should also to be taken into account. The importance of forming of a compact, ur-ban structure is emphasised. In Helsinki terms, an urban structure includes en-closed street areas, views from the streets towards familiar city points, encountering a waterfront, seaside promenade, and row of buildings, tree-lined streets, individually styled buildings sharing a certain, com-mon theme (eaves height, roofs, facade material, ground fl oor shops etc.)

The Helsinki tradition also includes the quarters having a three-degree pub-lic structure: Public city area (streets, squares, parks), semi-public courtyards, and private areas inside the apartment buildings.

Traditionally the street area in Helsinki has followed the 45° angle of light rule.

The height of the eaves has generally been established at a maximum height of 21 … 22.5 m alongside wide streets, squares and parks, and on waterfronts. Retracted space under the 45° rule is al-lowed above the eaves. According to the geotechnical and hydrological conditions of the area the construction of space be-low the +1.0 level should be avoided. The present level foundation platform can be reworked, even to a great extent.

The plan should emphasise living close by the sea as a factor that creates the identity. A maritime view is appreci-ated in Helsinki as much as anywhere

else. The achievement of a wide-ranging spectrum of types of housing is regarded as desirable. Locations for houseboats and small apartment buildings with their own quay can be considered. The idea of complete quarters built on pontoons is also connected with the draft of the local plan for the competition area.


4.1.7 Offi ce premises

In the Master Plan 2002, land for the con-struction of Sörnäistenranta and Herman-ninranta areas offi ce premises has been reserved on the edges of the energy pro-duction area and lining the main roads, as well as in the vicinity of the metro station. In this way the apartment areas will primarily be located towards the wa-terfront and the offi ce buildings towards the main thoroughfares. The public trans-portation street, Kyläsaarenkatu, which at the same time functions as the feeder street for the area, will be located in the seam between the offi ce buildings and the residential blocks.

The office blocks on the Herman-ninranta side have initially been des-ignated as being 69 metres wide. The road connections to these will not be from Hermannin rantatie road side, but from Kyläsaarenkatu street and from the crosswise streets leading to the main street.

4.1.8 Public services

Because the area is being planned as continued construction of the existing ur-ban structure, the service offering must be examined in a perspective wider than the Kalasatama area itself. About 2,000 m2 of the fl oor area of the city blocks to be built around the metro station has been reserved for public services for the general public. They will primarily serve local needs.

Space for two school buildings of 6,000 m2 and two day-care centres of 1,500 m2 are to be reserved in Sörnäisten-ranta and Hermanninranta sub-districts. The remainder of the needs for day-care facilities will be satisfi ed by day-care facilities to be built in the ground fl oors of residential blocks. These can later be adapted into special apartments. In this case space for play areas should be re-served in the courtyards. The size of the outside play areas for the day-care cen-tres is 800–2,000 m2 and for the school buildings 5,000 m2.

Land in the new city districts should also be allocated for such public or com-mercial services operating on a regional or national scale that attract the public here from a wide area. It is very clear that a central location in itself is not suf-fi cient to create the preconditions for the creation of a functioning urban en-vironment. New areas can easily remain far away in the ‘mental city map’ of the residents, unless functions that attract people are located in the area. These can be, for example, a new spa facility (approx. 15,000 m2), a central museum for natural history (approx. 10,000 m2), a school for the arts etc.

4.1.9 Commercial services

It is hoped that everyday services, to as large an extent as possible, would be decentralised among the residential areas. For example, locating a large su-

permarket near the metro station would make the formation of local services dif-fi cult. It is also desirable that appropriate small businesses and services would be located in the residential areas.

In order to achieve a vibrant and many-sided urban environment, it is desirable to reserve space for everyday services and small businesses in the residential city blocks, too. Locating business premises on the ground fl oor of residential buildings alongside the busiest city areas and near Hermannin rantatie road is particularly encouraged.

Location of commercial

services, draft

Character of sea front promenade


4.1.10 Recreation

The recreational areas required for the extensive area of the new city are located outside the competition area, on Mus-tikkamaa island and at Toukola seaside park. There is a connection from Mus-tikkamaa island to Kulosaari island and to the Helsinki Zoo on Korkeasaari island.

Local neighbourhood parks can be planned as elements for enhancing the urban structure. Twelve square metres of park per resident can be regarded as the objective, which corresponds to 12 m2 of constructed park for 40 m2 of residential

fl oor area. The courtyards of the quarters are not classed as recreational space.

The parks and squares to be built in the area should be urban in general ap-pearance and of a high standard. They are constructed parks and for their part give an identity and distinct character for the area. It is important to take the mari-time aspect into account in the planning solutions. Maritime–related recreational activities will be favoured and the natural conditions will, for their part, guide the planning. Special attention must be paid to the versatility and quality of the un-

broken recreational connection running along the waterfront.

Recreational boating is naturally as-sociated with the maritime nature of the competition area. As much space as pos-sible should be allocated for the storage of boats during the winter season, since the extreme winter conditions do not al-low boats to remain in the water, which freezes over. In practice, storage areas that will be used from September to May can only be located in the northernmost part of the competition area. Jetties can be located in all the shore areas.


4.1.11 Traffi c

Public transportation

Public transportation in the area will mainly rely on trams and metro. The metro station is a crucial element. Tram traffi c will run along the feeder street via the station. One line will run from the centre towards Arabianranta residential area. Another line will run from the southern tip of Sörnäistenranta area to the regionally important Pasila railway station. The unbroken road network will also create the preconditions for running local neighbourhood connections by bus through the area.

Vehicular traffi c

Vehicular traffi c will be planned in ac-cordance with the hierarchical principle: main road – feeder street – local street.Sörnäisten rantatie road and Hermannin rantatie road will be the main roads.

Kyläsaarenkatu street, running parallel with Hermannin rantatie road is planned as the feeder street which, at the same time, would connect the southern and northern parts of the competition area. Kyläsaarenkatu street will connect with the main road network with the neces-sary crosswise connections at Kulosaari bridge and with crosswise connections to Sörnäisten rantatie road and Herman-nin rantatie road.

parking will mainly serve shoppers and visitors.

The following values will be used for as parking norms:– Facilities where the users have a des-ignated placeapartments 1 car space / 140 m2

workplaces 1 car space / 200 m2

– Facilities based on alternating useapartments 1 car space / 250 m2

workplaces 1 car space / 300 m2

Offi ces and shop buildings will also have parking places on their own plots, 1 car space / 250 m2.

Bus and tram lines in the competition area

Street pattern principles Parking principles

Local streets will convey traffi c to the individual residential and commercial buildings. As a general rule the front of each residential building should be reachable by a car. Dead-ends (cul-de-sacs) should be avoided.

In planning Sörnäistenranta area traf-fi c connections one must take into ac-count the restrictions imposed by the energy production area. The starting point for preparing a competition pro-posal is the directing of vehicular and tram traffi c to the competition area via an extension of Vilhonvuorenkatu street. The energy production area is shown in Appendix 5.

Parking

The arranging of parking should mainly be localised to garages above ground. In this case the maximum walking distance from apartment to parking facility is 400 m. Because building the area is a lengthy process, the garages can be completed in stages. Helsinki’s experience shows that car spaces can be utilised effec-tively if they are planned according to the principle of alternating use. In this case the use by residents is emphasized between 17.00–08.00, and correspond-ingly between 08.00–17.00 for workplace use. Locating the facilities near the offi ce buildings has proved advantageous.

There will be on-street parking on both sides of the feeder street. On the local streets on-street parking will be ar-ranged at least on one side. On-street


Pedestrian and cycle path connections

The waterfront areas will mainly be re-served for pedestrians and cyclists as a suffi ciently wide seafront promenade to which small parks and commercial ac-tivities will be connected in a way that naturally suits the overall solution.

A bridge from Sörnäistenranta area to Mustikkamaa island for pedestrians and cyclists shall be planned. The free clear-ance for the bridge is not less than 3.4 metres. Vessels with a maximum height of 5.4 metres can reach Vanhakaupunki bay via Hopeasalmi sound.

From Kulosaari bridge a connection for pedestrians and cyclists is planned between the vehicle bridge and metro bridge down to ground level. The con-nection continues northwards and pos-sibly also southwards.

It is not possible to have a connec-tion for pedestrians and cyclists via the energy production area.

For pedestrians and cyclists a ferry connection has been initially considered, going from the south peak of Sörnäisten-ranta area to Merihaka residential area and Kruununhaka district.

4.1.12 Energy supply areas

In Hanasaari energy supply area the power plant will operate until 2025–2030, maybe later, in the vicinity of the competition area, on a slightly reduced area from at present. A new, replace-ment power plant will be built on the nearby area while the current plant is operating.

Appendix 5 of the competition brief shows the current energy supply area as

well as the area which will be used for the renewing and development of energy supply. The competition proposals are to be prepared according to the present en-ergy supply area.

A 30 m corridor from the energy sup-ply area to Mustikkamaa island for over-head power lines must be shown. There may be no residential or offi ce buildings in this corridor. The power lines will run along the present route on Mustikkamaa island.

4.1.13 Suvilahti area

The starting point for the plan for Suvilah-ti area is the report prepared by the City Planning Department in 1998 (Appendix 11), which outlines development options for the gasworks. This report describes

three functional idea options as starting points for developing the gasworks. The total fl oor area of the buildings is 16,000 m2 and the largest individual building is the old power plant (4,100 m2). All the buildings on Suvilahti gasworks area are protected. The competition proposals will include an opinion concerning their use and their relationship to the new constructional parts of Sörnäistenranta area. Only buildings and constructions of a temporary nature can be located on the future energy supply area (see Appendix 5) inside Suvilahti area.

4.1.14 Kyläsaari area

Kyläsaari area forms the end of the plan-ning area in the north and similarly forms the gateway to the new Kalasatama area as one approaches from the north. It is hoped that the competitors will come up with ideas based on a large public build-ing connected to the park for bringing large numbers to the area.

4.1.15 Building in the water area

In the planning of the shore, it should, as extensively as possible, remain as before. Shaping the shoreline for the needs of pedestrian and cycle traffi c, recreation and boating should be done with care. Land areas can be increased or reduced for justifi able reasons, for the construc-tion of channels, for example.

The Gasworks and old power station


4.2 Aims of the competitionThe primary objective for planning Kala-satama area is to achieve a high-quality residential and working environment that is socially and environmentally sustaina-ble, also taking the comparatively lengthy implementation time into account.

A draft of the local plan has been pre-pared for planning purposes. This will be examined in the light of the competition results and so the objective is to achieve a basis, researched with suffi cient accu-racy, for the proposal for the plan.

Another goal of the competition is to provide a satisfactory foundation for the detailed planning of the residential and workplace areas to be built in the fi rst phase. The approximate area for the detailed plan appears on the map show-ing the competition area. The detailed planning of appropriate sub-entities in Sörnäistenranta area and Hermannin-ranta area will be based on the experi-ences gained from the building of the initial city blocks.

Competitors are allowed to deviate from the given area restrictions for rea-sons that can be justifi ed.

4.2.1 Local plan

With the accuracy of a local plan, the organisers would like to receive ideas concerning the area to be planned for:– the basic arrangement of the urban structure– the physical form of the new city dis-trict and its relationship to the surround-ing urban structure; on the one hand to the city centre and on the other to the scenic Vanhakaupunki bay entity – of the image of the new city district and its special features– the relationships between living, work-ing, recreation and traffi c– the treatment of the shore zone and the maritime activity to be located in the area.

Competition area for the local plan

4.2.2 Initial city blocks

The initial city blocks refer to the area to be built on both sides of the metro sta-tion, and the residential and workplace city blocks in Sörnäistenranta area and Hermanninranta area that are imme-diately next to these. With regard to the fi rst blocks, the organisers hope to receive more detailed and researched proposals for:– the complete city block structure entity in connection with the metro station, and its relationship with the surrounding ur-ban structure– the character of each city block entity and the relationship with the city block structure of the surrounding area


– the external outline of the metro sta-tion environment and the arrangement of the fl oors at different levels: ground level – possible intermediate level – Kulosaari bridge/metro station level– the arrangement and prerequisites for housing with respect to using the upper-most fl oors in the offi ce buildings adja-cent to the metro station for residential purposes– the building principles, dimensions and interaction between the different functions of the city blocks for offi ce buildings and residential buildings, and possible solutions for local services

Competition area for the initial city blocks

4.3 Evaluation criteriaThe competition proposals in the fi rst phase of the competition will not be placed in order of merit. The proposals will be judged by the jury which will give its recommendations for further planning in the second phase of the competition and, if necessary will go into more spe-cifi c detail in the competition brief.In the judging of the second phase of the competition attention will be paid to the functional and cityscape factors of the competition proposals, with particular attention being paid to quality of the fol-lowing aspects:

4.3.1 Local plan

– overall idea of the urban structure as well as the fl exibility and capacity for development of the overall structure– general appearance, character and identity of the area– relationship with and connection to the surrounding urban structure– relationships of the functions with each other, and the degree of urbanity of the environment– treatment of the shore zone and utili-sation of the maritime character of the area– traffi c solutions– costs and feasibility.

4.3.2 Initial city blocks

– the entity formed by the city blocks– the solutions for the city blocks around the metro station– the characteristics and quality of the structure of the residential and workplace areas– housing solutions– nature of the public areas– traffi c solutions– costs and feasibility.

In the judging the merit and feasibil-ity of the proposal is regarded as more important than perfection.

– the relationship between the different types of building and possibilities for new forms of housing– the outlines and materials for the build-ings, and the relationships between pub-lic and semi-public spaces– the formation of the city border to-wards Kulosaari island and Kulosaari bridge area (entrance view from the east)– the formation of the public city area and its characteristics– shoreline treatment– traffi c solutions.


5.1 Required documents

First phase

Whole competition area(area outlined in blue on map)

1 Land use diagram 1:4000

A picture illustrating the land use dia-gram and showing the main land use purposes and fl oor area information for the city block areas, together with the traffi c solution for the main and feeder streets. The picture should be supple-mented with other essential explana-tory text concerning the functional and quantitative content of the competition proposal.

2 Explanation (with tables),

showing the main principles and reason-ing underlying the solution. The explana-tion should be illustrated with draft-type drawings of the competitors’ ideas.

Second phase

Whole competition area (area outlined in blue on map)

1 Local plan 1:4000

An illustration showing the urban struc-ture with the buildings inked in, with no shading.

Initial city blocks (area outlined in red on the map)

2 Land use plan 1:1 000

The illustration to show:

– buildings as a rooftop view, shaded (sun shining from the south west at an angle of 45 degrees)– outline of land surface in such a way as to show the vegetation and structures (shading), as well as the areas with dif-

ferent surface coverings (grass/stone)– a traffi c solution presented in accord-ance with Appendix 5

3 At least 2 cross sections and elevations of the area 1:400

4 Aerial view (adaptation of the given aerial picture)

5 A perspective drawn from ground level, showing the desired nature of the residential blocks.

6 Explanation (with tables), showing the main principles and reasoning underlying the solution.

The drawings should be accompanied by clarifying texts (e.g. functions, heights and other factors essential for evalua-tion purposes).

The drawings must be attached to stiff cardboard bases measuring 70 cm x 100 cm. Two reductions of the draw-ings in A3 size should also be supplied. All documentation must be marked with a pseudonym.

The organiser is prepared, at its own expense, to have small scale models (1:1000) made of the competition propos-als for the initial city blocks, for which the competitors will be asked to supply further information if necessary.

5.2 AnonymityThe competition is held under anonym-ity, and each document must be marked with a pseudonym. Together with the competition documents, the competitors should send a non-transparent envelope furnished with the pseudonym, inside of which are the names of the makers of the proposal, contact information, and the names of the assistants. The owner of the copyright of the proposal must also be specifi ed.

5.3 Submission of documentsIn the fi rst stage the competition docu-ments must be delivered to Helsinki City Planning Department no later than 17.12.2004, and in the second stage by 8.4.2005, or be postmarked or handed to a courier service on the same day for delivery to the address:

by post:

Helsinki City Planning DepartmentBOX 2100FIN-00099 CITY OF HELSINKI

by courier service:

Helsinki City Planning DepartmentKansakoulukatu 3FIN-00100 HELSINKI

5.Instructions For PreparingThe Competition Documents


HELSINKI EASTERN HARBOUR SÖRNÄISTENRANTA JA HERMANNINRANTA INVITED ARCHITECTURAL IDEAS COMPETITION 22. 10. 2004–8. 4. 2005COMPETITION BRIEF

Helsinki City Planning Department, publications

2004:11

38

952-473-347-1

ENG

21.10.2004

0787-9024

HELSINKI KALASATAMA EASTERN HARBOUR

SÖRNÄISTENRANTA HERMANNINRANTA COMPETITION

Authors

Title

Series title

Series number

Pages

ISBN

Language

Date

Appendices

ISSN

Abstract

Keywords

The aim of this two-stage ideas competition organised by the City of Helsinki is to clarify the guidelines for a local plan for Helsinki eastern harbour an area. The area is situated close to the city centre, that will become available for new land-use when the harbour activities in the area come to an end in 2008. The plan must meet the planning objectives and be in keeping with the spirit of the area, and provide high quality and feasible starting points for the planning of the detailed plan for the initial city blocks.

The primary objective of the planning is to create the conditions for a high-quality urban environment that is socially and environmentally sustainable. The fi rst stage of the competition seeks basic ideas (1:4000) for land use for the entire 135 hectare competition area. The local plan should be based on the planning principles ratifi ed by the City of Helsinki City Planning Committee, which include a minimum scale (approx. 500 000 m2 of housing and 340 000 m2 of business premises) for future building. A land use diagram showing the main land use purposes as well as the traffi c solution for the area is to be presented at this stage.

The planning emphasis in the second stage, alongside the local plan, will be on the solutions for the detailed planning of the initial city blocks to be built around Kalasa-tama metro station. These city blocks will form the functional heart and the focus of the new city district. In this stage the local plan (1:4000) for the entire competition area is to be presented as well as the land use plan (1:1000) for the initial city blocks, together with the necessary sections and other illustrations.

Helsinki City Planning Department, The Eastern Waterfront Protect

Documentation page

14

Published in 2004:

2004:1 Kadunvarsiliiketilat Kalasatamassa

2004:2 Kalasataman osayleiskaavan suunnitteluohjelma

2004:3 Helsingin kaupunkisuunnitteluviraston toimintasuunnitelma vuosille 2004–2006, osa I: Toiminnan perusta ja keskeiset tehtävät

2004:4 Lähiöprojektin toimintakertomus vuodelta 2003

2004:5 Liikenteen kehitys Helsingissä vuonna 2003

2004:6 Roihuvuori, alueen arvot ja omi nais- piirteet, rakennustapaohje

2004:7 Kuninkaantammen osayleiskaavan suunnitteluohjelma

2004:8 Matosaaren puutarhahistoriallinen selvitys ja alueen kehittämistavoitteet

2004:9 Eko-Viikki, tonttiekologiaselvitys

2004:10 Eko-Viikki, seurantatutkimuksen loppuraportti

ISSN 0787-9024ISBN 952-473-347-1

City of HelsinkiCity Planning Department