Makasiiniranta competition programme for the Urban Environment Committee

The western shore area of the South Harbour is being developed to become a more accessible place for Helsinki residents to share and enjoy. The objective of the Makasiiniranta quality and concept competition is to find a solution that is suitable for the unique location in question and exceptionally high-quality in terms of the urban space, the landscape and functionality, and can be used as the basis for further planning.

The harbour functions of the city centre will be developed in the future so that the area, which is currently used mainly for the Harbour’s terminal operations and parking, will be turned into a public and comfortable and seaside trail and urban space that connects the Market Square with Kaivopuisto and provides access to the seaside. The new urban space will also provide opportunities for non-commercial and recreational use with different age groups and the residents’ varied needs taken into consideration.

In the future, people will travel to Tallinn from the West Harbour. Thus, traffic to and from Stockholm will remain in Katajanokka, and the traffic load caused by the Harbour will decrease. The surroundings of the Olympia Terminal will be largely freed for other use, but the area will continue to have international cruise ship traffic and an opportunity for shuttle ship traffic.

The Makasiiniranta competition is a search for the best overall plan

The planning principles for the area have been prepared in interaction with Helsinki residents and other stakeholders, and they steer the planning as well as the quality and concept competition held for the area. The competition programme and the planning principles will be decided on by the Urban Environment Committee, after which the competition will start in May 2021.

The two-stage quality and concept competition is intended for construction and property industry operators. Culture, service, business and other facility construction can be proposed for the area, but no housing. The competition also covers the area designated for the Architecture and Design Museum, in addition to which the aim is to have functions that support diverse museum operations in the area. The actual implementation of the Museum will be decided on later, after a separately held architecture competition.

Matters to be taken into consideration in planning an overall solution for the area include the landscape and cityscape values of the area, as well as the significance and identity of the location. The competition can also involve brainstorming new functions and activities for the valuable buildings in the area with protection values kept in mind.

Competition entries to be published in early 2022

All competition entries will be made public for viewing and commenting in both stages of the competition. The entries will be evaluated based on the quality of the plans presented. In the evaluation, special attention will be paid to the cityscape-related quality of the plans, the functionality and feasibility of the concept, the quality of the pedestrian environment and the urban space, and solutions that promote the implementation of the Carbon-neutral Helsinki 2035 programme, as well as how the new Architecture and Design Museum, the Market Hall and the harbour buildings are taken into consideration. The winner of the competition will be selected in late 2022.

The winning group will continue planning the area as partnership planning in collaboration with the City and act as the implementer of the plots to be formed on the basis of the competition entry. The City Council will later decide on the implementation agreement made with the competition winner and approving the detailed plan created for the area.