The Helsinki High-rise competition, organized by the Finnish Government organization Senate Properties and the City of Helsinki, sought a high-quality design to form the basis of the city plan for the Pasila Tower Area, as well as an implementer for the so-called Start-Up Area, where the construction of the Tower Area is planned to begin in 2020–2021. The winner of the competition will be asked to sign a contract for the purchase of the project’s launch area.
The winning proposal Trigoni comprises nine tower buildings to be built on the south side of Pasila Bridge. Two of the towers, comprising 51 and 40 storeys respectively, are to be located in the Start-Up Area. The Start-Up Area has a permitted building volume of approximately 67,000 floor square metres, encompassing commercial premises, office spaces and homes. The value of the Start-Up Area will be approximately 500 million euros. The entire Tower Area consists of 150,000 to 200,000 floor square metres, including residential, commercial and office premises.
“Helsinki is in the middle of an ambitious transformation. Helsinki offers as an investment environment the perfect mix of economic, social and ecological sustainability. The openness and flexibility of business and administration – and society as a whole – is a key element in Helsinki. The strategically placed Pasila Tower Area will be a fine addition to Helsinki. YIT’s competition entry provides us with an excellent basis for versatile and dense urban development,” says the Mayor of Helsinki, Mr Jan Vapaavuori.
”The excellent result of the Helsinki High-rise Competition shows once again the strength of sincere co-operation between the City of Helsinki, the Finnish State and private companies. The aim of Central Pasila construction is to improve the competitiveness of Helsinki and the entire Helsinki metropolitan area. Its location, near to the Helsinki central business district, is not only a major public transport crossroads but also a direct connection with the Helsinki Airport creating optimal conditions” states Mr Jari Sarjo, CEO of Senate Properties.
Strategically placed Pasila
Pasila – a rapidly changing major development area three kilometres north of the inner city, where the central business district of Helsinki is expanding – is already known for its national convention venues, state agencies, corporate headquarters and powerful clusters in the fields of finance, telecoms, health technology and media as well as Finland’s largest indoor sports arena.
Strategically placed Pasila is already superbly connected to public transportation and in 10 years, there will be 900 trains, 400 trams and 850 buses operated every single day – almost 50 million passengers per year. The Central Pasila Area is already in the middle of massive growth, supported by the Finnish Government and the City of Helsinki as the original landowners. They have already begun to invest in the Central Pasila Area and the total investment will be worth 250 million euros by 2021. By 2040, Pasila will be home to approximately 30,000 residents and provide jobs for more than 50,000 people. The number of jobs is set to double and the number of residents will almost triple compared to today’s levels. There will be over half a million square metres of new office and commercial space.
The most functional city in the world in the middle of transformation
The well-reachable Helsinki is one of the fastest growing metropolises in Europe. By 2050, the population of Helsinki metropolitan area will increase from the current 1,450,000 to over 1,800,000. In the next two decades, dozens of billions will be invested in smart construction and an even more effective urban transportation system, especially in rail infrastructure. Helsinki is also a forerunner in energy efficiency and a strong hub for start-up activities.
The winner proposal Trigoni of the Helsinki High-rise Competition will be presented at the Helsinki Finland Stand (B1.320) at Expo Real on Tuesday, 9 October 2018, at 10.00.
More information on the Helsinki High-rise Competition and Pasila:
Video: Pasila – The Heart of New Helsinki https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lBW4gL2zkKg
Helsinki High-rise Competition www.helsinkihighrise.fi
Pictures of the winning proposal http://aineistopankki.hel.fi/l/2WxfGG22RFjV
The Most Functional City In The World: Helsinki City Strategy 2017–2021
https://www.hel.fi/static/helsinki/kaupunkistrategia/helsinki_city_strategy_leaflet.pdf
