Envisioning the harbor front as an extension of the city center, “Pargas Maritime Limestone Landscape” designed by the young Danish practice Schauman & Nordgren Architects has been named the winning entry of a waterfront masterplan competition by the City of Pargas, Finland.
The proposal was selected for its “thorough analysis of the city, its history, structure, character, potentials and challenge”, in response to the area’s development as a new residential hub and functional harbor. The competition introduced the notion of maintaining Pargas’ dominant maritime identity, while simultaneously strengthening the city’s character with various urban elements, such as hotels, a beach, saunas, and offices.
“It will be the place in Pargas where you want to enjoy ice cream on the pier, the beautiful view, play tennis or take a dip in the sea after enjoying the heat of the sauna,” says co-founder Jonas Nordgren.
SNA’s masterplan creates an “urban loop” in the form of a beach boulevard, connecting the street and public spaces to those of the harbor front itself. Pedestrians are invited to explore the variety new recreational spaces in what the firm has coined as “a string of pearls”, thus functioning as a natural extension of the city.
A new compositional logic has also been submitted, inspired by the landscape of a neighboring limestone quarry. Activity areas including playgrounds, sports courts, and piers have been derived from the quarry’s unique natural identity within an overarching man-made environment.
Architects
Design Team
Ted Schauman, Jonas Nordgren, Sara Zapotoczna, Ludvig HoltenäsCollaborators
Schauman ArkkitehditProject Year
2017Photographs
Architects
News via: Schauman & Nordgren Architects.
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