Details of Mandaworks' first-prize Vaasan Raviradan master plan entry in Vaasa, Finland

Longtime collaborators Mandaworks and Hosper Sweden recently won first prize in an open international ideas competition to redevelop the former horse race track Vaasan Raviradan into a new mixed-use urban development in Vaasa, Finland.

Out of 63 submitted proposals, the jury unanimously selected Mandaworks + Hosper Sweden's "Inside-Outside" as the winning entry. Expanding on Carl Axel Setterberg's 1860 city plan with variously sized plots for a mixture of developments, the proposal connects with its surrounding cityscape and aims to provide the foundation for further urban growth.

Below are project details that the architects sent us.

Project statement:

"Grown out of an ambition to create a modern town, Carl Axel Setterberg’s 1860’s plan utilized a simple grid to achieve connectivity, hierarchy & diversity. The power of Setterberg’s grid has eroded as the city has expanded. Today, modern infrastructure and large complexes have cutoff the city center’s grid from the surrounding neighborhoods. Our proposal Inside-Outside looks to build from Setterberg’s grid to create a contemporary framework that connects the site to its context, sponsors diversity within the block, and takes on the 21st century’s challenge for holistic sustainability."

"Our proposal is connected to the southern edge of the city center by extending the city’s historic grid into the site. The grid’s dimensions are formed from Setterberg’s plan, then adapted to fit the local context and maximize connectivity. The smart grid adapts to connect to the city center via Klemetinkatu, the waterfront via existing bicycle connections, and the green spine to the east of the site via the strengthening of the existing forest. The extended street network is developed around a street hierarchy that organizes public transport and car traffic to prioritize safe pedestrian movement."

"The main street, Klemetinkatu, links the neighborhood to the city center and is a place where pedestrians, commerce, and vehicles mix to create a vibrant street life. Rantamanntie is modified to integrate parking for the sporting events and create a qualitative environment for a mix of functions. And, local streets are defined by their green character while the alleyways organize parking access and services."

"Diagonal bicycle and pedestrian paths cut through the blocks to provide shortcuts that connect the site to the existing recreational paths. The proposed bicycle network takes advantage of the 3 existing underpasses to link the site to the water, to connect to the adjacent sport facilities, and to bind together the site’s key public spaces.

Collectively, the urban structure creates a series of urban block’s that create a unique town character and allow for flexibility and diversity to emerge. Using the grid framework & diagonal cuts, a variety of plot sizes bring possibilities for architectural diversity and for a range of actors to take part in the development process. Bigger plots along the main streets allow for commerce and apartments, while smaller, narrow plots allow for a variety of housing typologies & a socio-economic diversity to emerge."

"The strong structure of the grid also brings possibilities to extend the grid into the context as future scenarios emerge and the city center grows south. In the long term perspective, the grid would emerge as a strong building block for potential transformations of the surrounding sport complexes and valtatie 3 (the highway). In these future scenarios the grid would form an extendable structure, a connective urban tissue, and a flexible platform for development."

Project details:

MASTER PLAN FOR VAASAN RAVIRADAN, VAASA (FI)
Type: Open, International Architecture Competition - 1st Prize
Assignment: Urban Design and City Planning
Client: Vaasa Municipality and Finnish Association of Architects
Size: 17 Hectares (42 Acres)
Time: August - December 2013, publication August 27, 2014

Office: Mandaworks
Collaborators: Hosper Sweden
Team: Martin Arfalk, Patrick Verhoeven, Nicholas Bigelow, Andrei Deacu, Carlos Dias, Maria Gregorio, Monika Liočaitė, Chuhan Zhang

All images courtesy of Mandaworks.

Click the thumbnails below for more project images.