Design contest for Helsinki waterfront
Finland’s capital, Helsinki, is inviting proposals for the redevelopment of the final old harbour area to be transformed for public use.
Operators in the construction, architecture and real estate sectors are invited to register to enter the design competition by 21st June 2021.
The waterfront Makasiiniranta area is intended to become a new cultural heart of Helsinki. The competition plans are to allow for the creation of an internationally prominent architecture and design museum complex, which will merge the two existing museums – the Museum of Finnish Architecture and the Design Museum – across an area tentatively set to 9,000m2. Further leisure uses may also be planned for the waterfront destination, including a hotel, retail space, restaurants and walkable public realm.
In phase 1, approved participants will submit a plan for the area as a competition entry under a pseudonym by December 2021. Entries will be placed on public display.
A selection of the four best entries will be chosen in early 2022 as evaluated by a multidisciplinary panel. In the second phase competitors will prepare develop their entry.
The winner will be announced in autumn 2022. The successful development and architecture consortium then responsible for the functional, economic and technical realisation of the concept in the subsequent years. A separate architecture competition for the design and architecture museum will be launched following the selection of a development partner.