Scale: S/S
Team representative: Architects, landscape architects and/or urbanists
Location: Vähäheikkilä
Population: 120 000 inhabitants
Reference site: 103 ha
Project site: 13 ha
Site proposed by: City of Turku
Actors involved: City of Turku
Owner of the site: City of Turku
Commission after competition: The goal is to prepare the detailed plan on the basis of the winning proposal(s) of the competition. The intention of the City of Turku is to negotiate about commissioning the author(s) of the winning proposal(s) at the level of detailed planning and / or landscape design.
The competition is a design contest as specified in the Finnish Act of Public Procurement and Concession Contracts (1397/201
Turku’s flat landscape is punctuated by the Aura River and rocky hills. From the river’s mouth, long views open up to the unique archipelago that starts just outside the city. The 40,000 islands and islets on the Archipelago Sea have an impact in the region’s high natural diversity.
The competition area is located south of Turku city centre, reasonably close to the Aura river and the sea. The environment of the competition area is varied in terms of land uses and urban structure. Around the neig there are mainly detached houses built in the first half of the 20th century.
Between the housing estates, a strip of undeveloped land and small industrial buildings remains partly unplanned and unfinished in appearance. Among small industrial plots there is a green area, once reserved for a potential road which is no longer needed. The competition area lacks a common identity that would link its parts into a whole.
In the project site, the height of the terrain varies mainly quite gently. However, next to the site there are also two steep rocky hills that rise like islands from the low clay terrain. The landscape is mainly semi-open with some wooded areas. The competition site serves as an important stormwater route and at present, the risk of flooding is high..
The site provides a unique opportunity to create a new central urban space for the entire Vähäheikkilä neighbourhood. The area currently lacks a cohesive urban structure. How can the site be better integrated with the surrounding neighbourhoods and the city centre?
Stormwater management solutions should be a key element of the design of the new public urban spaces and are essential to allow infill development in other parts of the catchment area. The aim is to restore parts of the underground pipe with an open stream and ponds to increase biodiversity and reduce the risk of flooding. Urban nature should be qualitatively improved, focusing on increasing biodiversity in greenfield areas and preserving valuable meadows.
How can the site balance business, industry, education, and mixed housing in a sustainable manner? What form will new housing and services take in this smallscale neighbourhood? What is the future of the industrial halls in terms of resources and mixed-use potential? Can some of these halls be preserved or the structures reused and repurposed?
The goal is not high-density development but rather an emphasis on enhancing the site’s overall quality.