THE SWAN HARBOUR. Planning the next Helsinki. Prepared for: The city of Helsinki

Transcription

1 THE SWAN HARBOUR Planning the next Helsinki Prepared for: The city of Helsinki For the submission to: Planning for the next Helsinki competition 2015 Copyright by: UTOR March 2015

2 THE SWAN HARBOUR - A GLOBAL MESSAGE INTRODUCTION The city is the greatest collective work of art ever conceived. Michael Sourkin For Helsinki to be communicated worldwide it requires an essential idea, one that is linked to its soul and informs humanity on a global scale. The world s largest architecture competition in history is taking place in Helsinki. To date we count over 2100 entries in relation to the Harbour alone. Now a further competition is called out. Something great and unique is happening for Helsinki. It appears the world is very keen to create Helsinki as a collective piece of art. However a point is being reached where there are almost too many good ideas but no strategy of how to make use of them. comes to life in the symbiosis of the Kalevala and the city of Helsinki itself. Rather further research and a collective design process. It uses elements unique to the Finnish culture only and combines them on their essential level into a message of global importance. Communicating this essence becomes communicating Helsinki on a global scale and as a message the world needs more than ever: An understanding towards each other and the world we live in. The vision of the Swan Harbour was born.

3 UNDERSTANDING A GUGGENHEIM ART & ARCHITECTURE Before going into the proposal we take a step back to look at what is driving this entire discussion altogether: Is it fame or essence? To understand the Guggenheim Effect one needs to understand the main Guggenheim museums. The Guggenheim New York and Guggenheim Bilbao are both ground-breaking milestones in architecture. In both cases the fascination about these museums results from the purity of idea and form: The GGH NY Translates the idea of the journey through a museum itself into architec- at the same time. Architecture and form emerge from the idea of movement. The GGH BB, translates the concept of a museum into art itself. Architecture becomes sculpture. The purity of art is what brings us closer to the understanding of the origin of idea and ultimately of our self. Ancient philosophy considers idea and form the same entity of a metaphysical realm. Art too is a unique language we have to communicate with each other and the metaphysical realm. It was this understanding of art and architecture that inspired this project.

4 UNDERSTANDING THE POWER OF THE KALEVALA EVOKING THE SPIRIT OF A NATION The Kalevala Finland s Kalevala its legendary chronicle encapsulates the essence of what it is to be Finnish. This is one of the three key starting points we have taken in designing our solution for the Next Helsinki South Harbour site. We investigated: Geometry / Idea The Land / Energy 2) the land the city is build upon and 3) the cities urban design. Understanding the essential layer between Finland s cultural epic and nature itself inspired us to go back to the cities very beginnings and look at the land Helsinki is build upon. Helsinki / Geometry By understanding the cities underlying energy we discovered Helsinki s underlying geometry that apparently is not common knowledge. In the dimension of its geometry Helsinki and the Kalevala meet on a metaphysical level which can be understood as nature itself. The essence of the Kalevala emerged as a power to inspire a nation. This power inspired a vision of designing a harbour that can inspire a world.

5 UNDERSTANDING THE LAND OF HELSINKI Helsinki s underlying energy was analysed by a Geomantist: // Shown magenta the Union Axis and Fredrikinkatu are Ley-Lines, similar to Paris Champs Elysees or Berlin Unter den Linden. // Shown blue an octagonal Hagall System is located around the Helsinki Cathedral with the Senate Square being a central centre of an energy system. // Shown cyan global Grid-Lines run parallel with the Union Axis through the Helsinki Cathedral as well as parallel to the Esplanaden. // Geological Faul-Line or discontinuety in local volume of rock, shown dashed blue.

6 UNDERSTANDING HELSINKI S UNIVERSAL GEOMETRY THE CITY RESPONDS TO THE LAND IT IS BUILD UPON USING UNIVERSAL GEOMETRY // An 1815 map of Helsinki shows an early symbiosis of urban design, the energy of the land and Universal Geometry. // The cities urban design is based on the golden section. The cities two main grids are rotated in an angle identical to the diagonal of a Golden Rectangle.

7 UNDERSTANDING HELSINKI S SACRED GEOMETRY HELSINKIS UNIVERSAL GEOMETRY IS EXTENDED TO POSITION ITS MAIN CHURCHES // Helsinki s geometry was later extended across the wider city, architecture and location of churches Kallion Cathedral // Two main axis are created that use the same geometric principles and arrangement of churches. // The Union Axis and Fredrikinkatan are each other. Helsinki Cathedral The Observatory Temppeliaukio Church // The re-located original Cathedral as well as the main Helsinki Cathedral are each located in golden proportion to their associated main axis, thus unifying both city grids with the same church. // The Loennrot Memorial is placed symbolically behind the original cathedral, con- of the Finnish culture. // The city s urban design links land, religion and culture through the language of universal geometry. St. Johanneksen Church

8 UNDERSTANDING UNIVERSAL GEOMETRY NATURE REFLECTS IN GEOMETRY GEOMETRY ing its proportionate and harmonious laws. // Entering the competition the understanding of geometry and essential idea became a central part to our analysis and approach. // Plato considered geometry the clearest language to describe the metaphysical realm. He considered the understanding of geometry and logic as innate in us. GEOMETRY Venus 8 year cycle around the earth shows a pentagram in projection. // For Plato reality consisted of pure essences or essential Ideas, of which the phenomena we perceive are only mere word Idea also translating as Form they are essentially one. // In universal geometry number has an essential meaning parallel to its numerical GEOMETRY When a string is halved, the frequency doubles and our mind registers this event as jump in octave. one - unity - point two - duality - line three - trinity - triangle four - 1st product - square

9 USING WHAT YOU ALREADY HAVE A SYMBIOSIS OF CULTURE, URBAN DESIGN AND GEOMETRY Our proposal uses the philosophical link between number, form and meaning as a design language. An urban design respecting nature // An all informing concept emerged to use the philosophical dimension of geometry inherent to the city of Helsinki to expose the unifying essence between: ) the land the city is build upon and 108 3) the cities urban design. // Communicating this essence becomes Helsinki communicating on a global scale a message the world The culture epic describing nature The city as a vision of universal unity The metaphysical realm of understanding nature needs more than ever: An understanding towards each other and the planet we live on. // The result is a symbiosis of Helsinki and the Kalevala in the metaphysical realm of geometrical understanding. The harmonic laws of nature

10 COMPLETING HELSINKI S GEOMETRY THE GGH SITE IS THE SINGLE MOST IMPORTANT SITE IN THE HARBOUR //The GGH site emerged as the single most important site for the future development of the harbour. // It has the potential to complete the cities geometry and to inform its existing heritage. // To the North/West the site should be kept clear to create a new urban axis that respects the Cathedral as well as a key energy line that runs parallel to the Union Axis though the Cathedral. // To the South/East the site should be extended to include the intersection point between Hamangatan and the Nora Kajen shoreline in the angle of a pentagram.

11 THE SWAN MUSEUM - 5 ELEMENTS OF HARMONY A SYMBIOSIS OF THE KALEVALA & URBAN DESIGN PROMOTING A GLOBAL MESSAGE // The swan museum uses the philosophical and symbolic meaning of geometry and Heliski s urban design. 01 THE SWAN OF WISDOM 02 THE PATH OF UNDERSTANDING // It invites to a new way of designing Helsinki. A vision where further research is undertaken into the city and the Kalevala to further promote the locations // Each element links a layer of urban creating a symbiosis of unity. // In doing so it invites the world to see that at an essential level we are all one. 03 THE OUTLOOK OF THE PEOPLE 04 THE UNIFYING ROOF 05 THE SAMPO SPACE

12 ELEMENT 1 - THE SWAN OF WISDOM A NATIONAL SYMBOL LIFTING HELSINKI S GEOMETRY INTO ELEVATION // Singing about the beauty and sorrow of life the swan in the form of a rotated and folded pentagon lifts Helsinki s underlying harmonic geometry into elevation, thus unifying culture, urban design and architecture. // This 80 meter high new symbol is located at the point where the Norra Kajen shore line and Hamngatan intersect in the angle of a pentagram. // The swan is created from a larger pening the centre of the Esplanade and the Kasarmitori square. // The swan turns its head towards the Helsinki cathedral in the same way the Kalevala is chanted looking at each other vala and Finnish culture is found within -

13 ELEMENT 2 - THE PATH OF UNDERSTANDING THE MUSEUM AS A PATH LINKING KALEVALA AND URBAN DESIGN - - ultimately inspired the identity of an entire nation. // This essence is translated into the geo- // The path is embedded into a larger path between the Cathedral and the the only element that when straightened Lönnrots 11 journeys made throughout is life time collecting the verses of the Kalevala. are linked inviting understanding.

14 ELEMENT 3 - THE OUTLOOK OF THE PEOPLE THE PARK IS TRANSLATED INTO A LARGE VIEWING TERRACE // The green of the park is translated into a large public viewing terrace overlooking the harbour. THE DIVINE // Triangular in shape and facing the Senate Square the terrace reminds of KNOWLEDGE ALEXANDER II SATUE LEADERSHIP the triangular arrangement between the ligence) and the palace (leadership). // The triangle universally symbolises sum of the numbers 1+2 and also under- smallest building element of any geometric form. // The land (park) is translated into architecture and linked to urban design inviting outlook and prosperity for the people.

15 ELEMENT 4 - THE UNIFYING ROOF THE ROOF INFORMS A NEW URBAN AXIS UNIFYING MUSEUM, PARK AND CITY roof that at the same time informs a new urban design axis to respect the Helsinki Cathedral as well as a key force line that runs through it parallel to the Union Axis. // The building becomes a unifying shelter similar to the roof of the trees in a forest and at the same time urban design element providing the Helsinki cathedral with the strong urban design axis it deserves.

16 ELEMENT 5 - THE SAMPO SPACE THE MEDITATIVE ELEMENT OF THE MUSEUM SYMBOLISING NATURE ITSELF. // The Sampo is as a large rectangular introverted space in the centre of the shoreline under the site. in the geometric meaning of the rectangle. // The mystic layer of the Kalevala and Nature itself is symbolised with a space within a space.

17 THE UNDERLYING UNIFYING SIMILAR TO THE KALEVALA THE MUSEUM PATH IS FRAGMENTED BUT INTERLINKED VAINAMOINEN cycle 1 LEMNAINKAINEN cycle 1 VAINAMOINEN cycle 2 // Similar to the Kalevala consisting of a - ILMARINEN S WEDDING LEMNAINKAINEN cycle 2 KULLEVRO cycle The Rise: 3D um s path is fragmented into a series of architectural elements. ILMARINEN cycle 2 The plunder of the Sampo VAINAMOINEN cycle 3 Louhi s revenge on Kalevala MAJRATTA cycle The Cross over: Leading form entrance hall into the museum 3D // An underlying geometrical grid that is linked to the wider geometry of Helsinki The Arch: 3D // We envisaged the different parts of the museum path to interlink adoptively referring to parts of the Kalevala and the city. The Essence of Elements: 3D Dualism: The viewing terrace and museum are arranged along one axis 3D The Link: This is a through to the museums restaurant and cafe. The Path: The path links the sea side and to of the terrace with the park

18 A SYMBIOSIS OF PLACE & CULTURE A COMPOSITION INHERENTLY REFLECTING A GLOBAL MESSAGE // The methodology shown here is to inspire the design of the harbour on a and the creating of wider bridges between cultures through understanding. only be created through understanding Albert Einstein

19 A SYMBIOSIS OF HELSINKY & THE KALEVALA THE MUSEUM AS A SYMBOL FOR THE UNDERLYING UNIFYING BETWEEN CULTURES // From Helsinki s harmonic geometry and Finland s Kalevala a vision emerged for the museum that reveals the underlying ture and urban design m m2 260m

20 A SYMBIOSIS OF HELSINKY & THE KALEVALA THE MUSEUM AS A SYMBOL FOR THE UNDERLYING UNIFYING BETWEEN CULTURES

21 HELSINKI HAS THE STRONGEST STORY INHERENT

22 A STORY THAT CAN INSPIRE ON A GLOBAL SCALE

23 THE SWAN MUSEUM

24 A NEW SYMBOL FOR THE HARBOUR

25 THE SWAN HARBOUR