The intention is to mainly plan office and business premises as infill construction for the area to the north of the Autotalo block, which currently functions as a parking area and street, and to develop the use of the block. Planning principles for the area were approved in the Urban Environment Division last January.
Looking for infill construction that will enliven the block based on the area’s special characteristics
The aim of the competition is to find a planning solution that will take into account the area’s special characteristics and points of departure related to the cityscape as well as result in a high-quality, interesting block. The aim is to make more effective use of the entire block, improve its functionality and make the area more lively. New business premises will be available at the street level, connected with the existing, evolving commercial offering. The upper floors will house modern and adaptable office space, which will contribute to strengthening the city centre as a workplace area in line with the goals of the master plan.
The project has high sustainability goals, and the new building must be designed to be particularly adaptable and resource-efficient and it must promote the circular economy. The competition is arranged by LocalTapiola Real Estate Management and the City of Helsinki. Promoting sustainable construction is an important goal for both the competition organisers.
The architecture competition is arranged as an open call for leading architectural agencies. Architectural agencies attending the competition are ARCO, Opus Architecture, JKMM Architects and PES-Architects.
Competition proposals open for public comments in March
A "Voice your opinion"(Link leads to external service)-survey was conducted during the preparatory phase of the project in spring 2022 to find out the views of the city residents about possible infill construction in the area. Many of the comments stated that the area is currently gloomy and needs to be developed. Infill construction was seen as an inspiring development and ambition and high standards were desired from architectural design.
The competition entries will be presented in the “Voice your opinion” service shortly after the competition closes in March 2024. City residents are requested to provide feedback on the competition entries and ideas for further processing. The feedback received will be utilised by the competition jury. According to the preliminary schedule, the winner will be selected in April 2024. The preparation of a change of the local detailed plan will start on the basis of the winning proposal after the competition.