An international idea competition will be organised for the Linnanniemi area between the 9 January and the 21 April 2020. The goal of the open competition is to find options for developing the area surrounding Turku Castle and the western bank of the estuary of the Aura River for the comprehensive development of the Linnanniemi area.
The cape surrounding Turku Castle has always been a gateway to Turku and Finland. Many new things and ideas have arrived in Finland through it, gaining a foothold here and settling down to stay. And vice versa, as many a person has taken the same route from Turku to the archipelago and gone out to the world with their ideas.
For over 700 years, the castle has guarded this gate, monitoring those arriving in and departing from Turku. The new plans will provide the imposing castle with a surrounding area befitting its value.
The unique history and the maritime nature of Linnanniemi area are important features in the construction and planning of urban public spaces. The future area of Linnanniemi will be a centre of year-round urban culture where you can simultaneously experience the history, the sea and the most beautiful archipelago in the world.
- I wish that the competition will give us as versatile range of options as possible for the future area. It will be easy to get wide-ranging discussion with the city residents on the base of the options, says Timo Hintsanen, Director of Urban Planning, City of Turku, describing the goals of the idea competition.
Realising the Linnanniemi area as a city oasis like has been planned adds the attractiveness of the City of Turku and of its seaside areas for the inhabitants, companies and tourists. Turku Castle, the Forum Marinum Maritime Centre and the future Museum of History and the Future have a central role in the development of the area.
The competition will be organised by the City of Turku in collaboration with the Finnish Association of Architects (SAFA) and the Finnish association of Landscape Architects (MARK). The competition will distribute a total of € 220,000 in prizes and payments for purchased competition entries.
A competition jury composed of 11 members has been appointed for evaluating the competition entries. In the evaluation, the attention will be paid among others to the high quality in terms of the cityscape and the architecture and to the functional versatility of the competition entries. The entry is supposed to take the principles of sustainable development into account and it is supposed to be feasible in the techno-economical terms.
The goals for developing the Linnanniemi area are based on the contents of the Turku city strategy and the spearhead project ’Development of the city centre’ and on the wide-spread dialogue with the operators, interest groups and city residents.
Millions of people pass by the walls of Turku Castle annually. The developing Linnanniemi area will provide them with many reasons to stop by.
Additional information
The competition website www.turku.fi/en/linnanniemi
Timo Hintsanen
Director of Urban Planning, City of Turku
+358 (0)50 558 9264, [email protected]
Paula Markkula
Competition Secretary, architect SAFA
+358 (0)40 539 0625, [email protected]
City of Turku
The rapidly developing city of Turku is one of the hubs of business activity, science and culture in Finland. It is also the oldest city in Finland, and history is strongly present in the city.
Turku started to expand into the Aura River delta in the 13th century. The Aura River remains the heart of Turku today, and there are many well-known sights, prestigious restaurants and comfortable hangouts along its banks. The river is also a channel into the unique archipelago located off the coast of Turku. The 40,000 islands and islets in the Archipelago Sea dot the Baltic Sea, making the sea lane to Sweden captivatingly beautiful.
Present-day Turku is a city with a versatile economic structure. Turku is particularly well-known for its strong maritime and manufacturing industries, pharmaceutical development, bioeconomy, circular economy and the creative industries.
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