Porvoo, Finland

Europan Porvoo

EMBOIDERY

Pia Sjöroos, Valtteri Heinonen, Jouni Heinänen

Porvoo is an interesting mixture of old buildings and beautiful nature. The growth of the city can be seen as different kind of layers on city structure. The planning area, Porvoo Hattula area, is close to the old Porvoo city centre and has a great role connecting the surrounding areas together. The proposal creates a new part of the city that binds the northern part of central Porvoo as one, connects it to the city center and gives lively and varying image to the river valley. The variety of Porvoo river view is a basis of the plan, and pedestrian and bicycle routes have a leading role.

The sensitive river landscape maintains its peaceful character. The significant new building volume is connected to the river by an open park landscape, not a wall-like building front, although some of the buildings come closer to the river. The edge of the built areas undulates. It creates a riverside park with a rhythm of wider and narrower and of open and more closed spaces. A dense group of new buildings forms not only the heart and the focal point of the new development, but also a recognisable shape in the wider landscape – an artificial hill as the basis of the new area to build upon. Glimpses of the new housing can be seen from the river and from the old Porvoo, but it will treat the historically significant areas modestly and politely.

The proposal establishes a town embroidery with a strong character. Dense built areas stand next to free, open park areas. It is a play of open park area and closed block structure. Build areas form three units that can be realised separately without compromising the landscape values. Buildings are mainly two to four stories high.In the heart of the area building is most dense and high and the new railway station, main park connection and street meet there. Railway station is located in the middle of the new structure so that it is serving as many people as possible. From the railway station there are clear and easy connections to the most dense residential blocks and also to the industrial areas. Railway and the main street do not cross. There is still a possibility to extend the railway to the south if needed. Near the railway station a few buildings are seven stories high building up a new hill in the landscape. Parking needed for the railway station is under these high buildings next to it. The structure lightens towards the northern part of the area and is also thin near the historical railway area in the south respecting the cultural values.

Along with the riverside park the central street is the main public space of the area. The role of the main street is active: cafes and small businesses bring life to the street. The main street is surrounded by buildings and has a clear character with boarders. The street has bike and pedestrian lanes and street side parking but no trees. The street meets the park connections where it folds. The solution based on one central street offers also good grounds for public transportation via busses. Street and pedestrian and bike route net is based on a grid connecting neighborhood residential areas to the planning area. The proposal relies on a walkable environment. Main pedestrian and bike paths follow the shoreline park and eventually continue into the northern side of the motorway. Two new pedestrian and bike bridges link the shores of the river and the central area of the new proposed housing into the castle hill.

Play of open and closed space continues on block level: the plan has open river view blocks and on the other side, closed secret garden blocks. Winding blocks on the riverside create views to the river park. The winding edge of the blocks builds up the new neighborhoods’ identity towards the river. On the other side of the main street are more closed blocks that have their own life in the inner yards. The proposal rests on a big variety of block types with different kinds of building type possibilities. Mixed blocks enable diversity of use, size, social structure and age groups. Buildings like school and kindergarten that have architecturally special character operate as landmarks.

Mixed activities generate an active street. Public space spreads to the streets like in an urban village. Building materials have the same mixed character: wood, brick, natural colors. Also roofs have variety: roof terraces, asymmetrical pitched roofs, flat roofs. Variety of forms and materials continue the vivid landscape of old Porvoo. Area efficiency is 0,28 and block efficiency varies between 0,80 – 2,5. Total net floor area is 232 000 m² and residental 195 000 m².

In the first area, around the new railway station, rises a housing area. This “man made hill” has hybrid buildings with offices and business on ground floor and housing on the top. One of the highest buildings has a restaurant with views on the top of the building. Here the built structure is at its densest, is a concentration of public and commercial services. There are places for public buildings next to the main park axis. Kindergarten, primary school, social and health services, library and a community space can be located in these public building plots. Ecolocical city structure is compact enough to have public and commercial services close by.

In all the areas, on the river side of the street, blocks are open and have open views to the river, creating a little touch of luxury. River view blocks have point- and townhouse types together with land mark buildings in their contents. On the western side of the street the blocks are more closed but varied. Parking is situated under buildings or in the streets so that large trees can be planted in the inner yards. Closed yards are like secret gardens. These secret garden blocks are dense and have possibilities for lower cost housing also. The blocks have potential to contain for example dense row houses, townhouses, connected villas, live-and-work-apartments, small apartment buildings, mixed size apartment buildings and service houses for elderly people.

The southernmost area is characterized with the old railway related buildings and new buildings are subordinated to the old environment. The old railway area has a lot of tourist attraction. Old railway station and buildings around it create a new park-like entity with new container shaped huts. The hut-hotel area is in the western side of the historical railway station area. Hotel-huts have normal hotel rooms but also rentable cottages. Handicraft workers and artist live and work in same kind of huts in the middle of the area. In the northern part of the planning area, next to the transformer substation area is a place for a sports hall. In the front of the sports hall, in the park is a bigger sports field. Riverside also offers lots of places for activities: water sports, business for boat restaurants, water busses and boat storages. Small scale industry and historic railway area have also their impact on workplaces. Small scale industrial areas next to the motorway are divided into narrow plots. There are places also for enterprises that have to move from their former places.

The riverside park is a new park with a strong character and of wider significance. There are two thematic areas with a defined landscape architectural quality: the sawmill park in the north and the railroad park in the south. A number of remnants of the old use of the areas are integrated in the park design. The form language of the railroad park follows the old rail tracks. In the riverside park, the old wooden lumber quays are to be renovated and taken into use as recreational space and an open-air dance platform on the river. The stripes forming the allotment garden in the sawmill park are based on the forklift truck routes. Also old concrete structures will be preserved as a reminder of the industrial history. The shoreline has a plethora of river activities: jetties, canoe landings, restaurant ships, boat landing places, water bus stops, docks, viewpoints and sitting places.

 The most intensively maintained park areas and open lawns are situated in the southern area and in the perpendicular park axes. The axes have an active and clearly man-made character. The northern one is formed around the idea of the road to Kiala nor and its rows of trees. The rows are extended towards the river and the centre of Porvoo, re-establishing the former link between Kiala manor and central Porvoo. To the north the lawns of the riverside park turn into meadows and the design of the riverside park becomes more subtle and natural. Gradually it joins the cultural landscape. The narrow area next to the motorway, a former field, is maintained as an open landscape. It is a striped system of flower meadows and landscape planting that connects to the adjacent series of industrial buildings.

Europaconcorsi Beta

Europan Porvoo