Snøhetta, a Norwegian architectural practice, and its Finnish partner, Arkkitehdit Davidsson Tarkela, won the architectural competition to redesign the Elielinaukio and Asema-aukio squares in 2021. Their submission, Klyyga, was selected as the basis for the further design of the project and town planning.
Since further planning began in 2022, the massing of the new building’s architecture has been examined. “We have revised the building mass in our competition entry and studied numerous options while considering the starting points in the area more thoroughly in line with the panel’s feedback,” says Jenny B. Osuldsen, the principal designer from Snøhetta.
Alongside the work on massing, several technical and economic studies have been carried out to ensure that the project is feasible within the constraints of the design principles and high quality requirements. Underground construction in the area is especially challenging, and the project developer and its designers have worked with the town planning officials to study feasible solutions for modernising the area to maximise the life cycle and ensure cost-effectiveness. Sustainable construction solutions have played an important role in the project planning work since the competition phase.
New Eliel will create a new block of commercial and business premises in Elielinaukio, surrounded by pedestrian-oriented public space with high-quality landscape architecture. The project will substantially expand the central pedestrian area, raising the profile and functionality of the entire city centre. The ground floor and first floor of the new building in Elielinaukio will contain shops and services that will enhance activity in the area. A vibrant arcade of restaurants and boutiques will be built at ground level. The restaurants will also open out to the street, increasing the amount of outdoor dining space and boosting the vitality of a busy pedestrian area. The upper floors will mainly contain high-quality office spaces, which are desperately needed in the city centre. “Increasing the amount of office space in the city centre is one of the key goals of the master plan. Moreover, market demand for flexible, modern office spaces has increased in recent years. These factors make the project particularly necessary from the standpoint of Helsinki’s real estate and labour markets,” says Olkkola.
The intention is to put a draft local detailed plan and updated draft designs on display for citizens to scrutinise towards the end of summer 2024. The aim is to prepare a local detailed plan proposal in 2025.
Further information about the project
Elielinaukion kehitys Oy
Vesa Olkkola
Managing Director
[email protected]
+358 40 544 23 21