THE NIEMI AREA, located on the shore of Lake Vesijärvi in Lahti, is in the process of being vacated of its industrial use, and it will gradually be transformed into a diverse urban residential environment. The companies Polt- timo and UPM-Kymmene, which both operate in the area, organised together with the City of Lahti an ideas competition for the design of the shoreline area, the results of which
will be used as a basis for the further town planning. The aim is for the city district to rely on the natural environment and the history of the location, and to make use of the potential of recent trends in the circular economy, mobility and energy production.

The main function of the competition was to define the amount and method of suitable construction that could be adapted to the environment in question. Most of the old industrial buildings will have to be demolished due to their poor condition, but one particular warehouse had to be preserved and taken into consideration in the planning of the construction and public outdoor spaces. The objective was to connect the university campus located in the eastern part of the area and the new urban residential and workplace area to the lakeside milieu.

The City of Tampere organised an open architectural competition for the design of the extension to the present Tampere Art Museum, which is a converted granary designed by Carl Ludvig Engel, as well as the surrounding area. The competition was looking for high-quality and imposing architecture and urban space that respect the values of the existing urban structure and architecture. The organisers wanted the new building and its surroundings to form a cohesive totality, which would increase the attractiveness and recognition of both the city of Tampere and the Art Museum itself.

In addition to the museum extension, the organisers were also looking for ideas for developing and complementing Pyynikintori Square as a public space. In terms of both its cultural history and cityscape, the square is a key part of Tampere. The aim was to improve the square’s overall appearance and rationalise its functions. Also housing, commerce and offices suitable for the location were to be placed in the competition area.

In this proposal, infill housing masses are planned for the Pyynikintori city environment, carefully considering the sunniest spots of available lots. These buildings are creating a more gentle microclimate and humanscale for oversized Pyynikintori. All south-facing terraced balconies of the new apartment buildings are filled with natural light. The building type also helps to reduce traffic noise thanks to its backside corridor-like stairwell. The south-sloping roof surface of all these new apartment buildings is well-suited for harnessing solar energy.

The object of the competition, the wooden urban village in Helsinki’s Myllypuro district is part of the National Project for Modern Wooden Towns, with the aim of learning from traditional Finnish timber construction and modernizing it to meet present-day requirements.

The objective of the architectural competition was to create a national model site combining the advantages of high-density, low-rise urban fabric housing with a timber-built residential milieu. Factors in the background also include the City’s need to diversify Myllypuro’s housing and residential distribution, to support local services and to offer new plots for detached and terraced housing.

The goal of the competition was to create an urban, low-rise residential area for approximately 1,500 residents (50,000 – 70,000 sq m gross) with a distinct character, an urban village. Its scale, urban and block structure and buildings were to be well suited for housing and timber construction. Other goals included developing an urban house type as well as characteristic and innovative use of wood.

Lohja is a town of some 36 000 inhabitants not far from the Helsinki Metropolitan Area. In the south the Hiidensalmi area borders on the centre of Lohja and in the north, via the Hiidensalmi Bridge, on the town district of Routio. Hiidensalmi has for a long time been an industrial area, and soil pollution caused by industrial activity has prevented its development. However, both in terms of function and location the area is in the best direction for the centre’s organic expansion. The aim of the architectural competition was to devise an entity that would be implemented within a time span of 10-15 years.

It is the wish of the organizers to make Hiidensalmi, on the one hand, an efficiently developed area and on the other an extension of the town centre while respecting natural values, making use of the possibilities offered by the new western approach road and embodying the interplay between a natural and an urban environment. The aim of the competition was to find a functional basic concept for building an innovative new town district. The area was to become an entity that had an identity of its own and reflected its industrial heritage, combining the architecture of high quality, preservation of the historically valuable building stock and the natural environment with the principles of sustainable development.

The objective of the competition was to generate ideas for the public spaces and residential blocks within a competition area located in the Helsinki district of Kallio, Hakaniemi and Siltavuorensalmi, for the further development of the detailed plan. In the planning of the waterfront area, Hakaniemi’s central location as a public transport hub as well as the significant historical layeredness of the area were factors to be taken into consideration. The competitors were also asked to create for the area a new, uniquely attractive and urban shoreline accessible to everyone.

Explanation “WALLIS RADIALIS”

The street axis continues from the old medieval cloister church of the Naantali until to the new city hall plaza as a spatial continuum, it is passing the city hall tower up to the hill as a stairway and ending on a half circle place. This is the centre of the radial composition. This solution can combine the street directions of the railway station area to the old city centre structure and create an interesting spatial entity from these disordered elements.

The new city centre is indicated with the city hall tower and visible while you enter the city from the new connection road.

Under the city hall hill, there is a parking area for 120 cars and a new parking tunnel made in the rocky ground. This tunnel will be used also for the service traffic, and also as a bombing shelter. The city hall tower will create lift connection for all the buildings around, connecting them also to the parking tunnel.

The main city hall plaza with a trapezoid shape surrounded by commercial buildings and the summer theatre will create an interesting perspective illusion.

“WALLIS RADIALIS”

GROSS AREA:

public services

15000 m2

commercial spaces

12300 m2

housing

36500 m2