(All images courtesy Snøhetta)
by Ron Bernthal
In December, 2021, the winning team for the architectural competition for the Eliel and Asema Square project in Helsinki was announced. With a mission to revitalize this central hub in downtown Helsinki, the Norwegian-based architectural firm Snøhetta, and local Finnish partners Architects Davidsson Tarkela Oy and WSP, won the competition with their proposal called “Klyyga”, which translates to “the crossing” in English. By reconnecting the two city grids with a vibrant new plaza and city block, the proposal will support the Helsinki’s urban strategy: To make the city center more vibrant and accelerate green mobility.
The Klyyga concept is a system of crossings to reconnect the city, landscape, and its residents to create a more dynamic and usable area west of the historic Helsinki Central Railway station, which opened in 1906. The purpose of the design is to supplement, integrate and revitalize the urban fabric of the area, while adapting to its city center surroundings, the city’s framework and building heights to create an easy to pass through new city block for indoor and outdoor activities. The concept will add a new layer to the city’s architectural history, building on what is already there, and developing the area to maintain its importance into the future.
The new city block includes the iconic and historic Vltava building that is part of the new project proposal. The new look for the architecture is both contemporary and adapting to its historic surroundings. It has a holistic concept for sustainability in both energy harvesting, material use, social sustainability, and green mobility.
The building has a hybrid timber structure that is exposed to the warm interior, and the façade design is based on passive principles, allowing for generous daylight through the interior while blocking out direct sunlight to prevent overheating. This gives the building a somewhat vertical design in granite and clear glass that goes well with the facades of the train station.
The building will offer flexibility for different functions, which could include offices, a hotel, cultural venues, shops, and indoor/outdoor meeting spaces. Ensuring a successful transformation to green mobility for pedestrians and cyclists were key goals for the project, as well as creating a universal cityscape that invites social interaction, openness, equality and future urban dynamics.
“With Klyyga, the Eliel and Asema square will clearly contribute to the city of Helsinki’s urban strategy,” said Jenny B. Osuldsen, partner and the lead architect from Snøhetta. “Revitalizing the area with new development, expanding the pedestrian areas with green mobility and urban programs, will make Eliel and Asema square a more vibrant, exciting destination as a place to go to and to stay, work or play in. Now, we are looking forward to the next steps of detailing the project, ensuring that this urban space becomes the hub we all want it to be for the vibrant city of Helsinki.”
