Woven Harbor
South Harbor master plan envisioning a vibrant civic commons that reconnects the city, the harbor, and the community.
Location: South Harbor, Helsinki, Finland
Date: Fall 2025
Professor: Frances Hsu
Peers: Hannah Kirby & Trevor Woodyard
Site Context
The South Harbor faces design challenges such as disconnected thresholds, limited public amenities, and underutilized open spaces, limiting the harbors ability to succed as the gateway to Helsinki.
Our site, located on the west edge of South Harbor, is primarily known for its ferry logisitics.
These conditions include limited gathering spaces, fragmented circulation, and hard edges, creating little engagement along the waterfront.
Circulation + Programming
Primary and secondary circulation paths are influenced from the existing city grid, a nearby park, and key waterfront views.
Zoning
The Origins
Celebrates cultural heritage and local traditions, from the historic Old Market Hall to Nordic bathing rituals, enhancing public life and memory.
Civic Link
Connects the city, neighborhoods, and transport networks through active pedestrian pathways and civic programs, making movement through the site a civic experience.
The Grounds
Provides flexible open-air spaces for recreation, wellness, and community engagement, supporting sports, leisure, and social gathering.
Programming
Sauna Dock
A Nordic bathing experience, offering saunas, pools, and communal spaces with connections to the waterrfront. In comparison to other local sauna spaces, this sauna emphasizes waterfront views and cultural connection.
Chloera Basin
Shifting the basin away from ferry logisitics and towards being a protected, human centered zone. This space can support year-round public activity, from seasonal pools to winter ice skating.
Maker Center
Hands-on hub where University of Helsinki students and the public can learn craftsmanship, culinary, and cultural skills through workshop studios, gallery spaces, and shared teachning kitchens.
Market Courtyards
Flexible, outdoor spaces supporting heritage-driven social gatherings, craft demonstrations, seasonal markets, and outdoor learning.
Bridge Crossway
The bridge design provides an uninterrupted pedestrian experience from the park to the waterfront, connecting two fragmented hard edge conditions.
Beneath the bridge exisits floorball courts, restaurant space, and an extended walkway out onto the harbor, creating opportunities waterfront interaction.
