The Park is under Construction

The plans for Kiasma Park, Music Centre Park and Makasiini Park were approved on 18.3.2009. The target is to turn the area into a meeting point of Helsinki people and a lively, versatile and functional environment. The southern part of Töölönlahti bay is a classy part of the developing and compact inner city. The parks, streets and squares in the area form a uniform and functional cityscape whole. The borders between the parks and streets are not necessarily discernible while they overlap each other. The green, park-like built street area occasionally meets with a park area rich by its structure.

Due to the change of the detailplan in the area between Töölönlahdenkatu street, the Sanoma Building, the Museum of Contemporary Art Kiasma and the Helsinki Music Centre, a temporary park will be built in the area in 2011. The Kiasma Park will be built according to the plans approved in 2009, but the other parts of the park will be temporary until final decisions of the use of the area are made. The temporary park will be finished in August 2011.
 

Kiasma Park

The Kiasma Park was divided by a railway serving the West Harbour. After the completion of Vuosaari Harbour, the railway was no longer needed and it will be replaced by the Baana pedestrian and bicycle route by the end of 2010. Kiasma Museum is located in the southern part of the area and the Music Centre is in the north.

Kiasma Park serves as an intermediary urban space between Kiasma Museum, the future Music Centre and the Citizens’ Square. Five pathways paved with natural stone have been planned in the park. Four of the pathways meet the requirements of special level accessibility. The pathways leading to the Citizens’ Square are bordered by sitting walls which repeat the wall pattern designed for the Music centre courtyard. Kiasma Park is lawn-covered; land cover plantings have been designed for the northern corner. Plans have been made also for eight new trunk trees that will not obscure townscape wise important views.

Kiasma Park will be lit with top class column light fixtures. Kiasma Park meets the requirements of special level accessibility.
 

Music Centre Park

The Music Centre Park area borders on Töölönlahdenkatu in the north, on the future Music Centre in the west, Makasiinipuisto Park in the east and on the Citizens’ Square in the south. At present, the area is part of the building site of the Music Centre.

The focal element of Music Centre Park is the monumental water motif in the western part of the Park bordering on the Citizens’ Square. There is a stone-terraced lawn area on the eastern side of the water motif. A natural stone paved lounging space is located west from the water motif as well as natural stone stairs that border the walking axis next to the Music Centre.

The water motif is supplied with sea water pumped from Töölönlahti bay. The water motif is demarcated with natural stone walls and so designed that the water depth near the walls is max. 0,3 m and abt. 1,2 m in the middle of the pool. Three lit sea water fountains and three stone compositions made of nature stone slabs will be placed in the pools.
 

Makasiinipuisto Park

The Makasiinipuisto Park borders on Töölönlahdenkatu in the north, on Eero Erkon katu and Sanomatalo in the south and on the future Music Centre Park in the west. At present, the Makasiinipuisto area is the building site of the Music Centre.

A private Dance Pavilion was being planned in the middle of the park. The Dance Pavilion area would have covered abt. 1/3 of the park’s surface area. The private entrepeneur developing the Dance Pavillion has given up his plans of the pavillion due to personal reasons.

The park encompasses reminiscences of the earlier use of the area. There would be a 35 m long brick wall as a memento of the old warehouse south of the northern Makasiinipuisto Park. The preservation of the old warehouse wall is under consideration.

Besides natural stone, crushed brick from the old warehouses’ walls will be used in the park surfaces. Base stones of the old warehouses will also be used as paving of the park. Two natural stone paved lounging spaces would be located amidst tree borders. Sitting walls of natural stone will be built on the side of the lounging spaces of the park.

Square-like spaces of various sizes will be formed between the interlacing rows of trees and planting areas with glimpses into the environment.

A two-part pool has been planned for the northern park, with natural lounging places around it. The pool is located on both sides of the path running in the western part of the park.

The Public Works Committee require that possibilities to narrow some paved pathways in the parks, use asphalt surfaces in some spots and change some of the sitting slabs into tree-surfaced seats be explored in further planning. The Committee consider it important that ethic norms be set for the procurement when inviting bids for masonry contracts.

Street Plans

The Public Works Committee approved on 28.6.2008 several street plans to be submitted to the City Board. The streets concerned are: Töölönlahdenkatu, Eero Erkon katu, Citizens’ Square and the pedestrian and bicycle way along Mannerheimintie by Kiasma Museum.

The streets and parks of the area interlace naturally by their materials and the park-like built green street area meets occasionally the stony park area rich in structure. Töölönlahdenkatu, Eero Erkon katu and the pedestrian and bicycle way along Mannerheimintie are existing streets that will be improved to better integrate with the environment of the future parks and the Citizens’ Square. The street plan of Töölönlahdenkatu includes two squares in place of the present Railway Station parking lot.

The Citizens’ Square is a new square with Kiasma Museum and Sanomatalo in the south, the future Music Centre in the west and the future Makasiinipuisto Park in the east. At present, the Citizens’ Square is partly a lawn now used for recreational purposes and partly unused land after the demolition of the warehouses and the construction site of the Music Centre. The Citizens’ Square together with a sea water channel that will be located in the middle of the square forms the most focal area at Töölönlahti bay intended for leisure and recreational purposes.