HELSINKI HARBOR MASTERPLAN
Sited within a rugged coastal landscape, amidst the larger archipelago, Helsinki is a place profoundly situated in- between land and sea. By configuring the harbour to mediate between land and water uses, resident and tourist amenities, port traffic and pedestrian space; and by weaving these competing activities together to not only allow, but enhance, their co-existence, the proposal addresses this in-between-ness, and through the twin strategies of the Path and the Archipelago a unique vision is presented for a new and dynamic cultural district in the heart of 21st century Helsinki. The Path, formed around and between the consolidated port terminals, creates a continuous thread of public open space and transit routes connecting both sides of the harbour as a unified district, and stitches the waterfront and its cultural activities back to the surrounding city at various points of tangency. Along the inland edge of the Central Market, the path decks over the depressed Etelaranta and Phojoisesplanadi streets to frame the historic plaza with a pedestrian greenway that allows direct access from the historic city center. As the path engages with the water, the edge is modified to facilitate the docking of programmed barges, which through their migrations will continually transform South Harbour, connecting the cultural activities of South Harbour to the various other harbours around the city and the greater archipelago beyond.
Sited within a rugged coastal landscape, amidst the larger archipelago, Helsinki is a place profoundly situated in- between land and sea. By configuring the harbour to mediate between land and water uses, resident and tourist amenities, port traffic and pedestrian space; and by weaving these competing activities together to not only allow, but enhance, their co-existence, the proposal addresses this in-between-ness, and through the twin strategies of the Path and the Archipelago a unique vision is presented for a new and dynamic cultural district in the heart of 21st century Helsinki. The Path, formed around and between the consolidated port terminals, creates a continuous thread of public open space and transit routes connecting both sides of the harbour as a unified district, and stitches the waterfront and its cultural activities back to the surrounding city at various points of tangency. Along the inland edge of the Central Market, the path decks over the depressed Etelaranta and Phojoisesplanadi streets to frame the historic plaza with a pedestrian greenway that allows direct access from the historic city center. As the path engages with the water, the edge is modified to facilitate the docking of programmed barges, which through their migrations will continually transform South Harbour, connecting the cultural activities of South Harbour to the various other harbours around the city and the greater archipelago beyond.
PROJECT INFORMATION
LOCATION : South Harbor, Helsinki, Finland
CLIENT : Helsinki Municipal Government
YEARS : 2012
STATUS : Competition
PROGRAM : Masterplan
COLLABORATORS: Greg Haley, Heejoo shi, Suah Na, and Halley Tsai
