The City of Tampere, Senate Properties and the Finnish Association of Architects organised the competition, whose design teams were selected through an open registration procedure on the basis of pre-announced selection criteria. Four teams were selected by lot from the applications that met the selection criteria.
The design proposals were open for public comment in September and are still available on the competition website. 62 comments were submitted and the proposal "SORILLA TAVATAAN" received by far the most likes from citizens. Expert opinions were also sought and the jury received comments from both the public and experts to help with the evaluation.
Ilkka Porttikivi, Deputy Mayor and chairman of the jury, said the quality and variety of the entries made the work of the jury easy and interesting.
-All of the proposals included good solutions to the objectives of the competition, for example the landscape design was of a high standard. Despite the complexity and difficulty of the design area and task, there were some recurring themes in the entries - for example, all the entries took into account the characteristics of the area, such as the differences in height, in an excellent way, summarises Porttikivi.
The winning entry has been incorporated into a larger scale model of the city centre area in the urban planning showroom (Siluetti) at the bus station and will be on display from the window from Friday 31 October 2025.
The Sori district aims to be a high-quality centre for housing, jobs and services, while taking into account the needs of tourism and events. The aim is to develop the area as a pleasant and safe pedestrian-oriented environment, built in a sustainable way. The jury's assessment of the competition was that the winning project best and most comprehensively achieves the objectives of the competition.
The winning entry has the most urban, balanced and clearly defined public urban space. The design aims to create a cohesive urban fabric with a polished urban structure that utilizes the differences in height. The spatial interest of the central Hourglass Square is enhanced by the enclosed corners, which confine the outdoor space to a spcae resembling a room.
The design has been carefully adapted to the Sori area. The proposal is interesting from an urban point of view, with a variety of viewpoints. The south-facing towers fit in well with the tall buildings of the planned station district and the existing urban fabric, and are staggered in different directions. The plan is also the most suitable for further development.
-Tampere is a pioneer in urban planning. The Sori area and the adjacent Nokia Arena are a great example of open-mindedness and courage. Our proposal complements the evolving city centre and creates a strong urban space that can withstand all the changes around it, says Tuukka Linnas of HELT Architects.
The aim is to create high-quality blocks, a high-quality pedestrian and green environment and new parks to the Sori area. The aim is to develop the public urban space and mobility environment into a pleasant, green and more pedestrian-oriented environment. The design should take into account the city's sustainability objectives and the existing built environment, its development and its compatibility with cultural and environmental values.
The winning entry will be used as the basis for further design work on the site, in accordance with the jury's guidelines for further development. Two zoning plans are being prepared for the area. Further planning cooperation with the winning team will be pursued.
