The city of Helsinki has announced White Arkitekter and K2S Architects as the winners of the competition to design a new waterfront cultural destination in the Makasiiniranta area of Helsinki’s South Harbor. The redevelopment includes the site of a New Museum of Architecture and Design. Titled ‘Saaret,’ which translates to ‘The Islands,’ the proposal aims to create a well-integrated development that brings together cultural and sustainable environments. It also promises to improve the area’s microclimate and create bio-diverse habitats by using the space available on the rooftops to add beehives, vegetable and herb gardens.
The main goal of the competition was to create a valuable maritime area for recreation for both locals and visitors. The winning proposal took into consideration both the historical value and the cultural environment of the area. The intervention preserved the historical buildings in the area, like the Old Market Hall, the Olympia Terminal, and the Satamatalo building. The interconnection between the natural and built environment was another crucial aspect of the project, and climate-smart and sustainable construction methods were employed to keep Helsinki’s carbon-neutral target.
The 83,000 square meters site also includes the area reserved for the construction of a new museum of architecture and design. The institution will combine the existing specialized museums, the Museum of Finnish Architecture and the Design Museum. For its design, a separate competition will be held, prospectively to be launched in 2023. An advisory group consisting of experts in arts, design, architecture, museums and technology has been appointed for the development phase of the new museum.
The Makasiiniranta competition was launched in May 2021, carrying out Helsinki’s tradition of employing design competitions as a democratic solution to revitalize and create public spaces. The organizers also encouraged residents to take an active part in the development, as the process included two public consultation stages, during which over 2,000 comments were submitted by the residents.
I believe Makasiiniranta is a far bigger project than purely its footprint. It has the potential to revitalize the whole of downtown Helsinki. – Mikko Sunnanen, Partnet at K2S Architects
Finnish architecture and design office K2S Architects have joined Architects NRT to designthe extension to Helsinki’s Olympic Stadium, which opened in 2020. White Arkitekter is a large architectural practice based in Gothenburg, Sweden. Together with Snøhetta, they transformed an old quarry in Sweden into a sustainable residential development. They also plan to create the first circular, self-sufficient community in Sweden in collaboration with ReGen Villages.
