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News • Helsinki • Finland • 2012-10-11

Kruunuvuorenranta: The New Neighbourhood of Lights of Helsinki

Kruunuvuorenranta, which is to be built on the Laajasalo oil harbour site, is one of the most visible marine facades of the city. The area is visible from Helsinki city centre, the sea and the islands that pepper the waters around Kruununvuorenselkä. The lighting of the area is designed to form a broad, harmonised work of light art.

An international invitational competition is being held to produce lighting solutions, both for the distant view and the immediate surroundings, and the final plan will be drawn according to the winning entries. The first work of light art in Kruunuvuorenranta will be lit as the competition exhibition opens. This work will be constructed inside an old preserved oil silo.

The competition entries and the plan for the work of light art will be showcased in the exhibition. The competition and the work of light art are both a part of the World Design Capital Helsinki 2012 programme.

Press release 10th October 2012

The results of the Lights over Kruunuvuorenranta lighting competition published and the Kruunuvuorenranta Oil Silo 468 work of light art to be lit on 10 October 2012

Kruunuvuorenranta, the new neighbourhood being constructed on the west shore of Laajasalo opposite Helsinki city centre, will be a neighbourhood of light. The lighting of Kruunuvuorenranta will be designed based on the winning works of an international lighting competition.

The lighting competition and the Oil silo 468 light artwork are part of World Design Capital Helsinki 2012.

Two entries share first place of the Lights over Kruunuvuorenranta lighting competition

The lighting of Kruunuvuorenranta will be based on an international invitational competition organised by the City of Helsinki. Four groups were selected for the competition from among the applications. The invited groups hail from the United Kingdom, Holland, France and Austria.

It was decided to award two first prizes. The winning proposals are ’Into the Light’ by the Austrian group Bartenbach LichtLabor GmbH and ’Luonnon lyhdyt’ (Nature’s lanterns) by the Dutch West 8 Urban Design & Landscape Architecture and Speirs and Major Associates.

The winning entries are mainly based on LED technology. The lighting has been designed to be controlled so that the light’s colour temperature and the amount of light will follow the changing seasons and match the lighting need and intended activity.

‘Into the Light’ bases its concept strongly on natural light and the different properties of different seasons, making darkness an important part of the lighting solution. The area has been designed in such a way that, viewed from outside, its different subsections are lit with different intensities, and functionally significant places and the light artworks on the shore will be highlighted.

’Luonnon lyhdyt’ (Nature’s lanterns) is an entry whose lighting solution is founded on views that open up in natural light, the materials used in the area, the area\'s vegetation, the seasons and human activities. ’Luonnon lyhdyt’ (Nature’s lanterns) is rich in detail and experiential ideas. The plan emphasises the importance of light in the communality between residents and in everyday surroundings.

Surrounded by the sea and archipelago nature, Kruunuvuorenranta will become a neighbourhood suitable for 11,000 residents by the end of the 2020s. The area’s lighting will be designed based on the winning entries. Construction will commence next year with street construction, and the first houses will be erected in Gunillankallio.

The Kruunuvuorenranta Oil silo 468 light artwork will be lit on 10 October 2012 at 7 pm

‘Oil silo 468’ (Öljysäiliö 468) is the first light artwork to be illuminated in the Kruunuvuorenranta area. It will be lit on Wednesday 10 October 2012 at 7 pm. The work was designed by light artist Tapio Rosenius (Lighting Design Collective) prior to the international competition.

The light artwork ‘Oil silo 468’ glitters white in the evening and, when the night sets, its red blaze can be seen from the city centre over the sea. The work, which was created in a large 1960s oil silo, is a reference to Kruunuvuorenranta’s almost 90 years as an oil port and the construction of a new area surrounded by the sea and green archipelago nature.

A total of 2012 round openings were cut in the shell of the silo. The mirrors that were placed in the openings sparkle in sunlight. As the night darkens, the LED lights inside the shell change, making the old oil silo into a large, ever-changing light artwork. The silo can be used for many purposes, such as small theatre, dance and circus performances, exhibitions, flea markets, fairs and village festivals.

Construction of Kruunuvuorenranta will commence next year and, by the late 2020s, the area will grow into a neighbourhood with 11,000 residents where people from everywhere in Helsinki will come to spend their free time and enjoy the outdoor recreational opportunities.

The interior of the Oil silo, nearly 1,000 m², can be used for various events. The construction of the light artwork was overseen by the City of Helsinki Public Works Department.

The light artwork will be lit in an open-for-all Oil silo 468 light event on Wednesday 10 October at 7 pm in Kruunuvuorenranta.

You are welcome to attend the event or watch the lights come on from the shorelines within sight of Laajasalo.

Light event programme and information: http://laituri.hel.fi/kruunuvuorenrannan_valot

The light artwork will be open to the public on three weekends in October: 13–14 October and 20–21 October at 4–7 pm and 27–28 October at 3:30–5:30 pm.

Information on the exhibition on the Laituri website: http://laituri.hel.fi/kruunuvuorenrannan_valotapahtuma

Press images in the Media Bank:

The Lights over Kruunuvuorenranta lighting competition >>

http://ksv.hel.fi/en/kruunuvuorenranta/lights

Oil silo 468 images and video >>

http://aineistopankki.hel.fi/?cart=2239-dgfdafemfb&l=FI

The Kruunuvuorenranta lighting competition and the Oil silo 468 light artwork are part of World Design Capital Helsinki 2012.

Additional information:

The planning of Kruunuvuorenranta and the lighting competition

Project Manager Riitta Jalkanen, tel. +358 9 310 37293, mobile +358 50 5402247, riitta.jalkanen@hel.fi, Kruunuvuorenranta project, City Planning Department

The construction of Kruunuvuorenranta:

Project Leader Jari Tirkkonen, tel. +358 9 310 25908, mobile +358 40 3349027, jari.tirkkonen@hel.fi, Kruunuvuorenranta area construction project, Economic and Planning Centre

The planning of Kruunuvuorenranta and the art lighting competition: http://ksv.hel.fi/fi/kruunuvuorenranta/taidevalaistus

The construction of Kruunuvuorenranta: www.kruunuvuorenranta.info

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