Einladungswettbewerb | 02/2017
New Beacon of Helsinki | Hotel Hakaniemi Competition
The Try Square
Teilnahme
Architektur
Beurteilung durch das Preisgericht
RELATION TO THE SITE
The idea of the proposal “The Try Square” is a closed urban block which is fitted to the given lot. The building takes a full use of the site given which from the standpoint of efficiency is a good attribute. The clear footprint of the building also fits well in the Hakaniemi area. The concept however feels some how “forced”. The totality doesn’t look fluent enough.
The proposed building has 10 floors and total gross floor area of 15 500 m 2 . The eaves height of the building is +34 meters and the floor heights vary between 2,5 and 3,5 meters. The eaves height is expected to increase after the floor heights have been revised. In that case it is possible to remove one floor from the proposal in order to keep the building suitable for the site. The proposal brings a clear new element to the urban space of Hakaniemi but respects at the same time the basic guidelines of the city structure. The building forms an interesting entity when viewed from different directions. The inner courtyard opens beautifully towards Pitkäsilta Bridge and Siltavuorensalmi.
ARCHITECTURE
The architectural materiality in this proposal is very interesting. Wooden stuctural system and the use of wood, copper and glass in the facade makes this building unique in its environment and gives it a sophisticated look. The changing fenestration reflects the functions inside. The overall architecture of the proposal is fresh and impressing.
The use of wood, recycled materials, solar panels and the green roof are seen as positive attributes in the environmental aspect. Yet the completely glass-covered outer shell raises doubts about energy economy. The wooden building frame is an attractive but challenging idea. The CLT slab structure is quite optimistic and the wooden surfaces in interiors can prove to be critical because of fire regulations.
The choice of materials is done successfully: the building fits well in the place and on the other hand new architecture is created. The building has a strong identity and it establishes good starting points to the future area development. The entity looks however quite massive and heavy. Comments of the residents of Helsinki from the open comment section on the competition website.
FUNCTIONALITY
The volume of the building and the high first floor have a wall-like effect in relation to the surroundings. The restaurant and bar on the ground floor open to the southwest and their entrance is well positioned to face Hakaniemenranta street allowing pedestrian access. The lobby of the hotel as well as the guest entrance and the drop-off and pick-up area are placed on the eastern side of the building apart from the restaurant. The most of the ground floor area is occupied by the 500-seat banquet hall and its foyer. The separate entrance to the hall is from the south-east corner of the building. The idea of banquet hall is nice, although it partly blocks the view through the building from Hakaniemenranta to waterside.
The proposal has 246 hotel rooms and they are placed in the northern and eastern parts of the building. The rooms open to the courtyard which is planted with the vegetation from the archipelago. The landscape viewed from the rooms is framed with a two-storied “beam” containing a restaurant and a spa. There is a separate entrance to the beam from the south-west, which functions also as a column of the overhang ing part. The column look quite clumsy and the structure is unnecessarily tricky.
The idea of the proposal “The Try Square” is a closed urban block which is fitted to the given lot. The building takes a full use of the site given which from the standpoint of efficiency is a good attribute. The clear footprint of the building also fits well in the Hakaniemi area. The concept however feels some how “forced”. The totality doesn’t look fluent enough.
The proposed building has 10 floors and total gross floor area of 15 500 m 2 . The eaves height of the building is +34 meters and the floor heights vary between 2,5 and 3,5 meters. The eaves height is expected to increase after the floor heights have been revised. In that case it is possible to remove one floor from the proposal in order to keep the building suitable for the site. The proposal brings a clear new element to the urban space of Hakaniemi but respects at the same time the basic guidelines of the city structure. The building forms an interesting entity when viewed from different directions. The inner courtyard opens beautifully towards Pitkäsilta Bridge and Siltavuorensalmi.
ARCHITECTURE
The architectural materiality in this proposal is very interesting. Wooden stuctural system and the use of wood, copper and glass in the facade makes this building unique in its environment and gives it a sophisticated look. The changing fenestration reflects the functions inside. The overall architecture of the proposal is fresh and impressing.
The use of wood, recycled materials, solar panels and the green roof are seen as positive attributes in the environmental aspect. Yet the completely glass-covered outer shell raises doubts about energy economy. The wooden building frame is an attractive but challenging idea. The CLT slab structure is quite optimistic and the wooden surfaces in interiors can prove to be critical because of fire regulations.
The choice of materials is done successfully: the building fits well in the place and on the other hand new architecture is created. The building has a strong identity and it establishes good starting points to the future area development. The entity looks however quite massive and heavy. Comments of the residents of Helsinki from the open comment section on the competition website.
FUNCTIONALITY
The volume of the building and the high first floor have a wall-like effect in relation to the surroundings. The restaurant and bar on the ground floor open to the southwest and their entrance is well positioned to face Hakaniemenranta street allowing pedestrian access. The lobby of the hotel as well as the guest entrance and the drop-off and pick-up area are placed on the eastern side of the building apart from the restaurant. The most of the ground floor area is occupied by the 500-seat banquet hall and its foyer. The separate entrance to the hall is from the south-east corner of the building. The idea of banquet hall is nice, although it partly blocks the view through the building from Hakaniemenranta to waterside.
The proposal has 246 hotel rooms and they are placed in the northern and eastern parts of the building. The rooms open to the courtyard which is planted with the vegetation from the archipelago. The landscape viewed from the rooms is framed with a two-storied “beam” containing a restaurant and a spa. There is a separate entrance to the beam from the south-west, which functions also as a column of the overhang ing part. The column look quite clumsy and the structure is unnecessarily tricky.