Undoubtedly the most important element of the competition area is Turku Castle and the park that surrounds the castle. In addition to castle, there are several other beautiful historical buildings that are protected and must be preserved. These buildings together with presence of sea and fantastic Turku archipelago, were the main key elements to consider and the starting point for our design!

We proposed to develop Linnaniemi so that in future it would be a 24h center of city culture, where everyone can experience the beauty of local history, sea and archipelago at the same time. Rather big area of Linnaniemi is treated as a whole, but each part of the city has it’s own strong identity that naturally evolves from it’s history. For example, 1-2 floor wooden buildings were a natural starting point for an artisan village, or existing hotel a great starting point for start-up village, supported by business district at the edge of Linnaniemi. Housing was placed in the only available area where the noice levels of port are acceptable, but the New Museum of History and Future is the modern heart of the area. Together with the Turku Castle, they form a strong center for the whole area to cherish.

Each and every part of new Linnaniemi is carefully placed in an appropriate location of the historic townscape and to functionally support it’s surrounding areas. The divers city services are interconnected with the new “Castle Passage”, which is also the new major attraction of the area. It contains both recreational and sports activities, as well as pedestrian and cycle path. Castle Passage creates a strong link between Linnanniemi and Historical Center of Turku.