Viinikanlahti detailed plan draft revealed – 3,300 residents, business space and a shoreline park

The matter will be presented to the public on 1 December and 7 December 2022 from 2 p.m. to 7 p.m. in the urban development and planning showroom Siluetti at Hatanpään valtatie 7. In these open events, you can familiarise yourself with the plans, the scale model and other materials and discuss them with the designers.

e shore of Lake Pyhäjärvi will become a pleasant district that will complement the service offering in the centre of Tampere and Hatanpää. In the detailed plan, the lakeshore is reserved for public areas for recreation and spending time. The aim is to provide, e.g., water sports, leisure and tourism services. The planning area covers approximately 39 hectares, including water areas and parks.

The Viinikanlahti area is located along the possible Pirkkala tramway, a walking distance from the city centre. Viinikanlahti has been developed to better connect the centre and the southern Tampere with each other in terms of urban structure, cityscape and everyday life. The area, previously used for industrial purposes, currently by a wastewater treatment plant, will likely be finished by 2035.

“The planning area consists of miscellaneous fill-up soil that has been built by humans in stages during the 20th century. Now is the time to give the area its final look as part of the developing city centre and the urban structure in a broader sense. First, the land and water areas will be cleaned, and the wastewater treatment plant will be dismantled. After that, a new coastline will be built and a new urban environment will be constructed in the magnificent location,” explains Project Development Manager Minna Seppänen.

The Viinikanlahti detailed plan draft contain diverse residential construction for a total of 12 blocks, for around 3,300 residents. The total residential area is around 140,000 square metres of floor area. In the residential blocks by the shore, the buildings are four to six floors tall. The area’s silhouette rises from the shallow shore towards inland, where the blocks along the streets have tower sections of no more than 12 to 17 floors resting on lower, pedestal-like sections.

Different age groups, social groups and affordable housing will be taken into consideration in the residential construction control. Housing for special groups has also been made possible in the area in the detailed plan draft. 

The floor area of the planning area comprises a total of approximately 201,000 square metres of floor area, of which approximately 19,000 square metres is reserved for business, service and working spaces, including a hotel with around 7,800 square metres of floor area. It is estimated that around 250 jobs will be located in the area. Two parking facilities account for 32,200 square metres of floor space. A total of 5,500 square metres of floor space has been reserved for a school, a day-care centre, a sports hall and youth spaces. Around 2,800 square metres of floor has been reserved for a rowing and canoeing centre and around 200 square metres for a harbour service building.

Everyday, leisure and tourism services

There is room for the school, the day-care centre, the youth space and the sports hall in the western part of the area. The school has been dimensioned for pre-primary education and for grades 1–2 for now. The maximum number of pupils and children in the day-care centre is 425.

In addition to blocks intended for residential use only, the plan includes room for business blocks. A hotel and a grocery store have been placed along Hatanpää valtatie. The plan proposes placing business, office and working spaces in the central square in the middle of the area and on blocks by the shore. It will be possible to locate around 250 jobs in the entire Viinikanlahti area.

The rowing and canoeing centre has been placed on the western edge of the renovated area, and there are plans to place a public sauna and a beach nearby. All familiar harbour operations will remain and be expanded.

The aim is to achieve a green general look in Viinikanlahti. In order to achieve this, the plan proposes constructing a public park that extends across the entire area along the shore, with a new and improved coastal route passing through. In the plan, the ecological link on the shoreline of Lake Pyhäjärvi now continues uninterrupted from the arboretum to Viinikanoja. From the shore, the green environment extends towards the residential blocks, residential streets and all the way to the courtyards on the blocks. The plan includes a diverse collection of trees and other plants.

Excellent accessibility

Viinikanlahti, relying on public transport and attractive walking and cycling routes, promotes the realisation of the city’s carbon neutrality objectives. The public transport stops will be located at the intersection of Hatanpään valtatie and Hatanpäänkatu, and close to Viinikanoja. The plan includes possible stops for the Linnainmaa-Pirkkala tramway connection.

It is possible to create two completely new bridges in the planned area. The bridges would improve cycling and walking routes towards the city centre. Cars will be parked in a centralised manner in two parking halls on the main streets. The goal is to have little traffic within the blocks and, for example, shared cars. Commercial space, energy production and sports services may also be placed at the street and roof levels of parking halls. 

 “The goal is a high-quality and pleasant neighbourhood on the lakeshore, in the middle of the city and with excellent transport connections. Building guidelines ensure the coherence of the area and a high-quality urban environment,” summarises Project Architect Milla Hilli‑Lukkarinen.

Part of the development of the city centre

The planning of Viinikanlahti for residential use follows the strategic guidelines defined in the city centre development programme. By building new coastal districts in the city centre and around it, the City of Tampere will also make the lakeshores accessible to residents and tourists. Urban densification and the spread of centre-like settlements to new coastal areas respond to the challenges posed by the strong population growth in Tampere. They also enable sustainable growth in the city.

The goal is a pleasant, high-quality and attractive urban environment. Public spaces open to everyone promote a sense of community and sociality as well as independent mobility according to the city’s strategy. The location of Viinikanlahti in the completed community structure will support the sustainable development of the city. 

The detailed planning and urban development of Viinikanlahti began in 2019.  Urban planning has been carried out on the basis of a two-stage international design competition organised between 2019 and 2020, according to the recommendations of the jury of the competition and the City Board.

Progress of detailed planning

The planning will continue based on the feedback received during the preparation phase, for example, concerning recreation and tourism, the rowing and canoeing centre, and harbour, hotel construction and bridges. The necessary additions and revisions will be made to the material, after which the plans will be finalised as a proposed plan. The material for the proposal stage will be available in autumn 2023, before the detailed plan is approved. 

The materials are available on the City of Tampere website and at the service point. You can give feedback on them to the City of Tampere registry by 6 January 2023.

Development of the Viinikanlahti area

Public events and presentation video (In Finnish)