Preconstruction of Hakaniemenranta continues

The new street areas in Hakaniemenranta – Signe Branderin terassi and Signe Branderin kuja – will be completed later, at the turn of the decade. The new street areas and the residential and hotel plots will mostly be built on reclaimed land.

Renovation of John Stenbergin ranta

The John Stenbergin ranta street in Siltasaari, in front of Hotel Hilton, will be renovated, the utilities under the street upgraded and the seawalls replaced. The main cycling route will be moved from the waterfront to the other side of the block to the new one-way cycle paths on Siltasaarenkatu. After the renovation of John Stenbergin ranta, the street will allow for cycling on the driving lane.

The trees lining the street will be replaced and a new row of trees will be added to the edge of the driving lane. The waterfront area will be constructed into a more comfortable space for walking and relaxing, with many more benches added.

Transformation of Hakaniemenranta to continue with preconstruction of new street areas

This new project will include the preconstruction of new street areas in Hakaniemenranta and the hotel plot.

“The new street areas (Signe Branderin terassi and Signe Branderin kuja) in Hakaniemenranta will be finished when the buildings adjacent to the area are completed. Hakaniemenranta will then have apartments for around 1,200 new residents, as well as a hotel,” says team manager Anna Tienvieri from the City of Helsinki.

Construction of the hotel in Hakaniemi is expected to start in 2027.

Work to start with assembling a temporary bridge

A temporary bridge will be used to demolish the current waterfront structures and build a drilled pile wall as the foundation of the new seawall. Demolition of the beach structures will start in late 2025.

Dredging will be carried out and the caisson and support wall structures for Signe Branderin terassi and Signe Branderin kuja constructed in summer 2026. The retaining wall elements weigh up to 70 tonnes and will be lifted into place in spring 2027.

Construction may change the routes in the area. In the beginning of the project, pedestrians will use the northside street lane for part of the route in Hakaniemenranta.

The construction project will be completed in June 2027. The contractor is Kreate Oy.

Low-emission worksite

The construction project will be implemented as a low-emission worksite. The site will make efficient use of materials made from demolished concrete, as well as stone matter from nearby worksites. This will reduce both the transport of materials and emissions.

“We will also reduce the carbon footprint of construction by using low-carbon concrete and machines and equipment that run on either electricity or renewable diesel,” says Jyrki Perokorpi, site manager at Kreate Oy.

Streets named after a photographer and a mechanical engineer

Photographer Signe Brander (1869–1942) was a distinguished photographer for the Helsinki Board of Antiquities from 1907 to 1913. Brander took many photographs of the current Hakaniemenranta area, across the Siltavuorensalmi strait to Kruununhaka, and also frequently captured life on the north side of Pitkänsilta.

In 1882, John Stenberg (1841–1886), a mechanical engineer who was granted the honorary title of ‘teollisuusneuvos’, built a machine factory and foundry on the southeastern part of Siltasaari. His machine factory was the first manufacturer of special machinery and machine parts in Finland.