Helsinki reveals initial shortlisted candidates for Makasiiniranta redevelopment contest

Finland’s capital is one step closer to announcing the designer of its next great urban development project. The City of Helsinki has revealed nine shortlisted candidates for the redevelopment of Makasiiniranta in the city’s South Harbor.

Proposals from groups led by Foster+Partners, White Arkitekter, and seven others made up the list of local and international firms vying to transform the last undeveloped area of the old harbor district. The competition comes at a critical time for cities like Helsinki as urban planners are challenged to strategically reimagine how public space will be best designed and utilized in the future, with a newly-informed appreciation for public health concerns.

“The level of the competition groups is high even on an international scale. Expectations are equally high – this is a showcase for any operator in the field, and the consortia have certainly done their absolute best in the competition entries,”  Ville Lehmuskoski, the Executive Director of the City of Helsinki Urban Environment Division said in a statement. “This is not just about creating the maritime façade for Helsinki but about creating an iconic place and landscape that are meaningful to Finns.”

The list will be whittled down to four proposals that will be announced in March with a formal winner announcement expected sometime in the fall. Helsinki’s city council will have a final say on the winning plan before it is enacted. The competition's progress can be tracked here.

“Our goal is a memorable and maritime Makasiiniranta, where culture and leisure time are omnipresent, attracting people from near and far,” Helsinki’s Mayor Juhana Vartiainen said of the competition. “Events, services and the inviting trail in the maritime landscape contribute to the extension of the city center to the South Harbour, while also improving the vitality of the area’s businesses.”

Designs for the second phase of the competition will be exhibited to the public beginning this summer. Check out the full shortlisted candidates below:

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

To learn more about the competition click here.