Located in the Sörnäinen district of Helsinki, the Hanasaari power plant area is going through a time of change. The currently closed industrial area will be opened to the public in summer 2026.
The City of Helsinki will hold an idea and implementation competition regarding the power plant area, the objective being to find a design solution for the entire Hanasaari area and the power plant buildings.
The Hanasaari power plant is a significant part of the silhouette and industrial history of the eastern inner city of Helsinki. The Hanasaari area is connected to the densely developing Kalasatama area, as well as the cultural areas of Suvilahti and Teurastamo.
The Hanasaari area will be opened to the public in summer 2026
Temporary use of the area is currently being planned, and during the spring the area will undergo the necessary alteration work to facilitate partially opening the area and the buildings to Helsinki residents.
The temporary use is expected to last five years. Over spring 2026, new pedestrian and cycling routes will be built along the shore. At the same time, the area will undergo alteration work, the aim of which is to open the outdoor areas and potentially some of the buildings.
The City will build a temporary skatepark in the Hanasaari area in 2026. The objective is to have a permanent skatepark in the area later.
International idea and implementation competition
The City of Helsinki will hold an idea and implementation competition regarding the entire Hanasaari power plant area, the objective being to find an implementer for a plan that is high-quality and distinctive in terms of the cityscape.
Future use of the power plant has not been decided yet, and the aim of the competition is to find a solution. Developing the area may involve a combination of preserving old buildings and demolishing buildings to make room for new construction. The competition is planned to start in autumn 2026.
According to the preliminary plan, the amount of new construction in the location could be at least 140,000 m2 of floor area. This total would include apartments for at least 3,000 residents, potentially hundreds of new jobs, and new attractive urban spaces, parks, shoreline routes and a new school, for example.
Structure of the competition
The competition is aimed at international groups with multidisciplinary expertise and the ability to implement an exceptionally broad and demanding project in collaboration with the City.
The plan is to hold a three-stage competition, starting with registration and offer negotiations in autumn 2026. The competition programme will be finalised based on the aforementioned process. After that, the actual competition will be held in two stages. At both stages, the competition entries will be published for Helsinki residents to assess. The objective is for the winner to be selected in autumn 2028.
Introduction video
An international idea and implementation competition regarding the Hanasaari power plant area will begin in autumn 2026.
Schedule
-
2026
- The Urban Environment Committee and the City Board will reserve the Hanasaari area for the idea and implementation competition and approve the preliminary development principles in spring 2026.
- The City will start the idea and implementation competition in autumn 2026.
- Registration and offer negotiations regarding the competition will be held in autumn 2026.
-
2027
The City Board will approve the final competition programme.
-
2028
The winner of the idea and implementation competition will be selected in autumn 2028. Detailed planning of the area will begin.
-
2030
The area will be built in the 2030s.
Photographs inside and around the Hanasaari power plant
Frequently asked questions
The Hanasaari power plant B, completed in 1974, is one of architect Timo Penttilä’s major works. It has been assessed as being a significant building complex in terms of architecture and cultural history.
The Helsinki City Museum has proposed that the personal service building and some parts of the power plant be preserved and the overall presence of the power plant be retained in the cityscape.
The aim is to preserve the power plant, but no decisions have been made on the matter. The future use of the power plant has not been decided yet, and the aim of the international idea and implementation competition is to find a solution. Developing the area may involve a combination of preserving old buildings and demolishing buildings to make room for new construction.
The future use of the power plant has not been decided on yet. The City will select a solution based on the international idea and implementation competition. The power plant has undergone suitability assessments, based on which its large and high-ceiling facilities could be adapted for a wide variety of purposes.
The power plant ceased operations in spring 2023. Some secondary buildings and process equipment inside the plant have been demolished.
The power plant itself will not be demolished. The power plant building, the personal service building in the foreground and key parts of the plant’s process equipment will be preserved. The buildings and elements to be preserved have been defined in cooperation between Helen, the City and the City Museum, based on an architectural history report on the power plant.
Yes. Residents will be able to comment on the idea and implementation competition entries during the competition. Once the winner has been selected, the next step will be detailed planning, which Helsinki residents will have an opportunity to participate in. Residents will also be invited to take part in the planning of the temporary use of the area.
In 2024, the City drew up a vision regarding the future of the power plant together with residents, stakeholders and local operators. The results were used to form three scenarios, which are described in the report Hanasaaren voimalaitoksen visiotyö (Envisioning the future of the Hanasaari power plant, PDF in Finnish, 12,6 Mt).
The City has been cooperating with educational institutions on the Hanasaari power plant, namely Aalto University’s Department of Architecture, Laurea University of Applied Sciences and the geography education programme of the University of Helsinki.
Contact details
Name
Tuomas Hakala
Name
Päivi Hietanen
Name
Mia Kajan
Name
Otso Huhtala
You might be intrested in
You can also find this page at hel.fi/hanasaaripowerplant.