Helsinki High-Rise

The redeveloped competition entry “Etelä-Pasila” creates a new typology well north of the uniform perimeter blocks of downtown Hel­sinki. We believe that the best possible future for the city in­cludes a wide variety of neighbor­hoods for the diversifying population to choose from.

Finnish cities rarely rise above the height of eight floors. Some high-rise areas are being developed along urban perimeters, but none of those truly create a new high-rise district. None of the developments offer places with naturally contrasting towers creating multidimensional, deep space – multiplying one tower is not enough.

The new high-rise area in Pasila creates an excellent possi­bility to connect the Pasila railway station via a continuous chain of green areas to central Helsinki through the Olympic Park. One of the main goals of our design is also to bring the beautifully rough character of the Pasila railyard up through the new high-rise district all the way to the station. This connection is shown primarily through landscaping; the whole main square with its stairs and pathways are laid in brick and the outdoor areas are turned into seemingly wild meadows and groves with deciduous trees and rainwater pools.

Each individual tower has been given a spe­cific character arising from it’s content and location on the site. The idea is not to create one huge, uniform sculpture, but to describe the content of the buildings, be it various forms of residential use or offices and commercial spaces.

Spatially diverse life between the buildings is catalyzed by the low buildings bordering open spaces, level variations, long and short vistas, and a wide selection of possible routes through the area. The outdoor spaces are green and intimate, yet metropolitan in nature.

“Etelä-Pasila” has everything it takes to finally merge the two sides of Pasila, split for decades by the main railway, into a new vibrant neighborhood.