South Harbour, Helsinki: Shaping the City's Future

South Harbour, Helsinki is a bustling waterfront area that's been transformed into a vibrant hub of activity. It's home to the iconic Market Square, where locals and tourists alike gather to sample fresh seafood and local delicacies.

The South Harbour area has undergone significant redevelopment in recent years, with a focus on sustainability and community engagement. This has resulted in a thriving public space that's perfect for people-watching and taking in the sights.

One of the standout features of South Harbour is its unique blend of old and new architecture. The historic Market Hall, which dates back to the 18th century, now houses a variety of restaurants, cafes, and shops.

South Harbour, Helsinki is situated in a strategic location. The bay is bordered by the districts of Katajanokka, Kaartinkaupunki, Ullanlinna and Kaivopuisto.

The waterway leading to the South Harbour is a crucial aspect of its geography. It's 9.6 metres deep, making it suitable for larger vessels.

Navigating the waterway requires caution, especially at the Kustaanmiekka strait, which is only 80 metres wide. This narrow point is a critical point on the waterway.

Speed limits are in place to ensure safe navigation. The general speed limit on the waterway is 30 km/h, except for the Katajanokka area, where it's reduced to 10 km/h due to the increased pedestrian and boat traffic.

If you're planning to visit the South Harbour, it's essential to be aware of these speed limits to avoid any potential fines.

The Makasiiniranta area is being developed as part of Helsinki's walkable city centre and waterfront trail.

The area will feature a new Architecture and Design Museum, and the Urban Environment Committee approved the planning principles in the spring of 2021. The City of Helsinki launched a competition to find a partner for the development and implementation of Makasiiniranta in the South Harbour in the spring of 2021.

The "Saaret" proposal won the competition in November 2022, and the winning team will continue planning the area through partnership planning with the City of Helsinki. The City Council will later decide on the implementation agreement and approval of the local detailed plan created for the area.

Makasiiniranta is a waterfront area in Helsinki that will be developed as part of the city's walkable center and waterfront trail.

The area will be home to the new Architecture and Design Museum, and the planning goal is to strengthen the attraction of the city center and integrate it better into the city's urban structure and maritime public spaces.

The City of Helsinki launched a competition in the spring of 2021 to find a partner for the development and implementation of Makasiiniranta, which was a two-stage quality and concept competition.

The competition was decided in November 2022, with the "Saaret" proposal announced as the winner, and the winning team will now continue planning the area through partnership planning with the City of Helsinki.

A separate architectural competition will be organized in the spring of 2024 for the new Architecture and Design Museum, and the jury will pay particular attention to the location of invigorating activities in the area and how the various services support the activities of the museum.

The City of Helsinki is selling the land in Makasiiniranta to a private investor, but it's not a risk for the national landscape. This is because the city has a planning monopoly and the cityscape and quality of construction are monitored regardless of the owner.

The city will retain ownership of the street areas and squares, public areas, and public coastal zone. This ensures that the city has control over the public spaces and can maintain the desired quality.

The private investor will only be able to purchase plots of land once the project and buildings have been completed. This means that the city has a say in how the area is developed and can ensure that it aligns with its vision for the waterfront trail.

The sale of the land is part of the city's strategy to transform the coastal zone into a cohesive entity that supports the vitality of the city centre. This is in line with the Helsinki City Strategy, which aims to create a vibrant and attractive city centre.

The city's strategy for the eastern part of the South Harbour is to develop it into a centre offering a variety of experiences, with culture and leisure activities strongly present.

A sea swimming pool is proposed as a permanent part of the South Harbour's maritime activities, and a larger floating spa area, wellness and sports services, and an event venue operating all year round are planned in the area.

The area will be developed based on planning principles that aim to create new urban space in Katajanokka that strengthens the maritime nature and experience of the city centre.

Allas Sea Pool is applying for a development reservation for designing a permanent urban spa and a cultural and event centre on the Katajanokka Quay.

The Urban Environment Committee discussed the planning principles and the development reserve at its meeting on 22 August 2023.

The eastern part of the South Harbour in Katajanokka is being developed into a maritime part of the pedestrian centre, with the goal of creating new urban space that strengthens the maritime nature and experience of the city centre.

The planning principles define the main objectives for the planning of the area for the coming years, with a focus on expanding the pedestrian centre to the coastal area.

The area will be developed into a centre offering a variety of experiences, with culture and leisure activities strongly present, connecting the Katajanokka Quay to the pedestrian-oriented city centre.

A sea swimming pool is proposed as a permanent part of the South Harbour's maritime activities, with Allas Sea Pool applying for a development reservation to design a permanent urban spa and cultural and event centre.

A larger floating spa area, wellness and sports services, and an event venue operating all year round are planned in the area, with a new, larger building to be designed through an architectural competition.

A new Architecture and Design Museum is planned to be built in the area, which will bring cultural activities to Makasiiniranta.

The museum's building site must be assigned within the competition area, ensuring a strong presence of cultural activities in the area.

Hotel and office buildings may also be proposed for the area, in addition to the museum.

Port operations in the form of waterway transport services will remain in Makasiiniranta.

New buildings with new workplaces will bring more visitors to the area on weekdays, which is expected to revitalize the Market Hall and Market Square.

The Market Hall and Market Square currently suffer from a lack of customers, mainly due to offices being located in other areas of the city centre.

A new terminal is needed at the Katajanokka terminal, as the ferries operating to Sweden have a large passenger capacity and are on the move at the same time.

It's currently being investigated whether the current terminal, K8, should be renovated and expanded or replaced with a completely new one.

The Helsinki South Harbour masterplan in Finland is a vision of a modern city that binds directly its history with its future.

International Competition 2011 was held to develop this masterplan, with the City of Helsinki, City Planning Department as the client. The team involved in this project included FoRM Associates, Partner in charge Igor Marko, Taller301, and Ramboll Helsinki.

20/20 is a grid system that integrates the historical city grid with the South Harbour, transforming it into a premier waterfront accessible to everyone living in and visiting Helsinki.

The South Harbour is Helsinki's exciting front door, a gateway where the community aspirations are located waiting to be discovered.

Arriving in Helsinki is a unique experience, where passengers on large ferries arrive directly into the heart of the city.

The masterplan vision links the narrative of the sea arrival with the experience of the harbour as part of 21st century creative, active and green Helsinki.

In 2020, visitors will walk through green corridors directly into 'people's square' – a newly defined civic heart of the harbour.

The masterplan focuses on binding three areas through urban landscape: Active Harbour, People's Square, and Creative Harbour.

The Active Harbour will transform and develop the Makasiini Terminal into a major leisure and retail hub, providing new public realm green amenity space.

People's Square will be a key social and cultural space, a catalyst for the transformation of the former marine and industrial landscape into one that is of service to the community.

The Creative Harbour will transform and develop the East shore into a major culture industry hub supporting innovation, creativity and social enterprise.

The Helsinki South Harbour masterplan is a vision for a modern city that blends its history with its future. The masterplan, led by FoRM Associates, aims to transform the South Harbour into a premier waterfront accessible to everyone living in and visiting Helsinki.

The masterplan features a grid system, dubbed "20x20", which integrates the historical city grid with the South Harbour. This new framework aims to make the harbour a hub for community activities and events.

The masterplan also focuses on placemaking, which is as much about connectivity and movement as it is about static public spaces. The goal is to create a seamless experience for visitors, allowing them to walk through green corridors directly into the "People's Square", a newly defined civic heart of the harbour.

The South Harbour Masterplan, presented by ALA Architects, aims to improve the existing challenges and potentials of the area. The design team adopted sociologist Guido Martinotti's ideas of four different populations of a second-generation metropolis as the conceptual framework for the project.

The masterplan proposes a dramatic improvement by continuing the historical Observatory Park over the harbour loading and parking area as a green deck. This green deck becomes a public car-free park-like area, connecting the main coastal pedestrian routes.

The masterplan also includes a range of new functions and urban life to the area, such as hill-like building volumes that rise from the deck. These buildings will provide new retail, office, and housing spaces, with 25,000 m² of retail, 4,500 m² of offices, and 3,500 m² of housing.

The South Harbour in Helsinki has a total of eight named piers and three terminals.

The Katajanokka Quay runs nearly the whole length of Katajanokka, stretching 740 metres with a water depth of 8.8 metres.

At the middle of the pier is the Katajanokka Terminal, used by the Viking Line cruiseferries among others.

The Kanava Terminal was previously used by express ships travelling to Tallinn, but it was pulled down in 2012.

In front of the Presidential Palace is the Linnanallas bay, used by visiting small boats.

The Keisarinluodonlaituri pier is mostly used by the commuter ship to Suomenlinna and is named after an islet that a ship carrying emperor Nicholas I of Russia collided with in 1833.

The Cholera Basin is named after a seaman who died from cholera and is used by fishermen and tourist ships.

The Vironallas bay is used by visiting boats, and the Lyypekinlaituri part of the pier was formerly used by ships to Lübeck, Germany.

The Pakkahuoneenlaituri pier is 135 metres long and has a water depth of 6.0 metres.

The Makasiini Terminal is used by express ships to Tallinn, and the Makasiini Quay pier next to it is 270 metres long with a water depth of 7.2 to 7.5 metres.

The Matkustajalaituri pier is used by loading cruiseliners to Stockholm.

The Olympia Terminal was built for the 1952 Summer Olympics and is used by the cruiseferries of Silja Line.

The Olympia Quay pier is 370 metres long with a water depth of 7.5 to 8.8 metres.

The Nyländska Jaktklubben yacht club is located on the Valkosaari island in front of the Olympia Terminal.

The South Harbour in Helsinki is going through some changes, and ship traffic is one of the areas being reorganized. The cruiseferry traffic to and from Tallinn will be moved to the West Harbour.

This move will free up a large area in the South Harbour for other use. The Makasiiniranta area will be developed as part of the pedestrian city centre and the seaside trail around the shores of Helsinki. It will also be a location for the new Architecture and Design Museum.

The South Harbour will still have some ship traffic, including international cruise traffic and high-speed vessel traffic. The Makasiini Quay will be reserved for developing high-speed vessel traffic, which would enable traffic that benefits from access from one city centre to another.

The Port of Helsinki is planning a significant shift in its ship traffic. The cruiseferry traffic to and from Tallinn will be centralized to the West Harbour.

This change is in line with the City Council's policy from 2021, which aims to free up space in the South Harbour for other uses. The South Harbour will no longer be used for ferries operating to Sweden, allowing for a large area to be repurposed.

The Makasiiniranta area will be developed as part of the pedestrian city centre and the seaside trail around the shores of Helsinki. The new Architecture and Design Museum will also be located here.

Additional terminal space will be needed at both the West Harbour and Katajanokka to accommodate the increased traffic. A harbour tunnel leading to Länsiväylä will be built to make land traffic through the West Harbour smoother.

Makasiiniranta will have ship traffic for a temporary period, from 2023 to 2026.

The South Harbour is preparing for a temporary operation of traffic to St Petersburg during this time. The red brick Makasiini Terminal will be demolished and replaced by temporary facilities for the ships operating to St Petersburg.

Cruise ships will still have a presence in the South Harbour, with berths remaining for international cruise traffic. Boarding takes place directly from the quay level, as they don't require terminal facilities of the current scale.

Only vessels up to 230 metres in length can fit in the South Harbour due to the Kustaanmiekka strait restrictions. This is roughly the size of Silja Line's ferries operating to Sweden.

Larger cruise ships will be accommodated in Hernesaari, while there might be only one place for cruise traffic on the Katajanokka side.

The Port of Helsinki is giving up all the buildings in the South Harbour, including the yellow brick Olympia Terminal and Satamatalo. These buildings are protected, but their purpose of use will change.

The Katajanokka Quay runs nearly the whole length of Katajanokka, with a length of 740 metres and water depth of 8.8 metres. The furthest part of the pier, towards the sea, consists of the cruising ship pier, with a water depth of 10.3 metres.

A new terminal is needed for the ferries operating to Sweden, as they have a large passenger capacity and are on the move at the same time. It is currently being investigated whether K8, the current terminal in Katajanokka, should be renovated and expanded or replaced with a completely new one.

The Katajanokka terminal is due for a major upgrade to accommodate the growing number of ferries operating to Sweden.

A new terminal is needed because the ferries to Sweden have a large passenger capacity and are on the move at the same time. This will require more space at Katajanokka, especially with the current traffic schedule that involves leaving in the afternoon and arriving in the morning.

K8, the current terminal in Katajanokka, is being considered for renovation and expansion, but it's also a protected building in the town plan. This means that any changes to the terminal will have to be carefully planned and executed.

A new Architecture and Design Museum will be built in the area, bringing cultural activities to Makasiiniranta.

Hotel and office buildings may also be proposed for the area, enlivening the urban and maritime area.

Port operations in the form of waterway transport services will remain in Makasiiniranta.

The ferries operating to Stockholm will fit in Katajanokka, but a new terminal is needed due to the large passenger capacity.

K8, the current terminal in Katajanokka, is being investigated for renovation or replacement.

The Port of Helsinki will give up all the buildings in the South Harbour, including the yellow brick Olympia Terminal and Satamatalo.

These buildings are protected, but their purpose of use will change.

New buildings with new workplaces will bring more visitors to the area on weekdays, potentially revitalizing areas like the Market Square and the Old Market Hall.

The landscape values and views of South Harbour are truly special. The planning principles for Makasiiniranta and Olympiaranta define the maximum building heights and views to be preserved from Tähtitorninvuori through the city blocks to the South Harbour Bay.

The views of the sea and the city from Tähtitorninvuori will be preserved, ensuring that this iconic landmark remains a stunning feature of the area. The silhouette of Tähtitorninvuori will continue to rise above the roofs of the building masses.

The aim is to preserve the character of the maritime facade of the area, taking into account the street views of Laivasillankatu. The values of protected and culturally and historically valuable buildings are also taken into account in the planning.

Here are the key principles for preserving the landscape values and views: