The competition entries of the international quality and concept competition for the Makasiiniranta area at the South Harbour are now available for viewing and comments on the Voice your opinion online service. Citizens and those interested in the development of the area are asked to give their views on how the entries would improve Makasiiniranta as a place of maritime recreation for all. Makasiininranta will also be the site for the new Architecture and Design Museum. The competition however does not include designing the new Architecture and Design Museum, but a separate architecture competition will be organised later.

The two-phase Makasiiniranta quality and concept competition launched in May 2021 aims to find a partner for the development and implementation of Makasiiniranta at South Harbour. Nine international competition groups have drawn up overall designs, in which the city centre and its services are extended to Makasiiniranta. In accordance with the goals of the competition, the Makasiiniranta area will be part of the pedestrian city centre and the seaside trail around the shores of Helsinki, and a location for the new Architecture and Design Museum.

Some of Finland’s largest and most international architects’ offices are involved in the competition as well as a few well-known international offices:

• Foster + Partners, Maanlumo and Ramboll with Hines Nordics
• HGR Property Partners, PES-Architects, VSU, WSP, Sweco
• Konsortium Gran, K2S Architecs, White Arkitekter, Ramboll, HTJ
• Merellinen Helsinki 2030, JKMM, Loci, Ramboll
• NCC Property Development Oy ja NCC Suomi Oy (NCC, Arkkitehdit Soini& Horto, AOR Arkkitehdit, MASU Planning, Destia, Ramboll Finland, SalsaConcept)
• Skanska CDF Oy ja Skanska TalonrakennusOy (Skanska Talonrakennus, Arkkitehtitoimisto ALA, SLA S/A, Sitowise
• South Harbour (NREP, SRV, Anttinen OivaArkkitehdit, Nomaji maisema-arkkitehdit, Sitowise)
• AALTO Development, LMA,Maisema-arkkitehtitoimisto NÄKYMÄ Oy, Sitowise
• Elävä Eteläsatama (Ålandsbanken,Arkkitehdit Tommila, Arkkitehdit Rudanko + Kankkunen, A-insinöörit, VSU)

Materials of nine competition entries on display in the Voice your opinion online service between 17.12.2021–16.1.2022

In the Makasiiniranta competition, nine competition entries for the first phase have been submitted under pseudonyms and they are publicly available for viewing and comments by all interested people in the Voice your opinion service. Comments and views on the competition entries can be submitted until 16 January 2022. A feedback summary will be made available to the jury for information and use in judging.

Top four will advance to the second phase

The jury will make its decision on the entries that will advance for the second phase in March 2022. The jury will select a maximum of four competitors, having submitted the best competition entries, for the second phase. In the first phase of the competition, the jury will focus in particular on the overall solution of the design and how the design idea fits to the landscape of the South Harbour and its values. In the evaluation, attention will also be paid to the cityscape-related quality of the designs, the functionality and feasibility of the concept, the quality of the pedestrian environment and urban space, and solutions that will promote the implementation of the Carbon-neutral Helsinki 2035 action plan. Another important thing to consider is the observance of the new Architecture and Design Museum, the Old Market Hall and the harbour building as components of the whole.

The selected competitors will compile more detailed entries by the end of June 2022 and the results of the competition will be announced in autumn 2022. Also in the second phase, the competition entries will be put on public display and made available for public commenting via the Voice your opinion service. The winning group will continue planning the area as partnership planning in collaboration with the city. The competition winner will also serve 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 and approving the detailed plan created for the area.

The progress of the competition can be followed at makasiiniranta.hel.fi.