Historically harbours have been central places for activity and excitement: places to meet, to exchange goods and share information. They used to house workshops and bars, markets and guest houses and were always full of people. Eventually, harbour areas started to shift towards efficiency and turned into a merely logistical transfer points that in many cities became fenced barriers to the sea. The aim of the Harbour City is to recreate the best qualities of the past that provide diverse and vibrant urban spaces and attract life to the area, while at the same time ensure efficient mobility services. The Harbour City is a mix of programs that combine spaces for living with spaces for working, areas for creativity and places to visit and explore, spaces to focus and places to meet. While being the area that is the first to greet the arriving tourists, it represents the ideals and visions of Turku - culturally rich, active, sustainability driven city of the future.
The already colourful and diverse built heritage is extended and highlighted by inserting new characteristic blocks that create variety in urban perspectives and experiences. The new blocks follow the scale and complexity of the existing urban fabric, while respecting the prominence of Turku Castle. At the same time, the new blocks will be complimenting the area with spaces serving contemporary needs and functions. Being part of the first art district in Turku, Harbour City becomes an open ground for culture: Art Plaza, Sculpture Garden, Event Space, Performance Platform, Maker’s district and the Museum of History and the Future at its heart. As the place where Turku rejoins with the sea and it’s the beautiful archipelago, Harbour city makes water the central feature of its design. Starting with the waterfront and introduction of new water transport links, the whole public space is characterized by the presence of water.
The Harbour City combines a sequence of distinct urban spaces and diverse building blocks, that together shape a unique collection of experiences while moving through the area. An urban fabric, that integrates and highlights the characteristic existing buildings to the new development, provides variety of spaces for different uses: working and living spaces, recreational areas, active cultural functions, efficient mobility hubs and spaces for knowledge and idea sharing. This way the area becomes a real Art and Cultural District from the very beginning of its development and creates the necessary conditions for 24/7 activity.
The new Museum of History and the Future is located at the waterfront, on the edge of the Harbour City and the Castle Park. Along with Turku Castle, the new museum is the main attraction point in the area. The building is strategically placed to create a triangle between Turku Castle, Forum Marinum and the Museum of History and the Future. The museum is merging the two urban spaces it is facing, the historical Castle Park with the active waterfront. The areas are connected with a sequence of vibrant public spaces and urban characters that create a continuous experience through the area and tie together the fundamental anchor functions of Linnanniemi. The public loop integrates into the public space system of the city of Turku and extends its main backbone, the vibrant Aura riverfront, enriching it with new functions and activities. By strengthening the water transport accessibility of Linnanniemi, the area also integrates into the wider routes of Turku - the city of one of the biggest archipelago’s in the world.
