‘natural lanterns‘ by west 8, helsinki, finland all images © west 8

rotterdam-based urban design and landscape architecture practice west 8 with speirs + major have won the design competition for the lighting master plan for the future development of kruunuvuorenranta, helsinki with their ‘natural lanterns’ proposal. situated on a former oil harbor ten thousand residential houses will be built with neighboring facilities. the plan consists of an attractive night scape seen from the distance which will give guidance to the overall site.

the design will blend into the network of the helsinki park, originally designed by bertel jung, enhancing the natural features of the archipelago creating harmony with the landscape. both natural and artificial light will play a major role in establishing strong visuals and overall ambient feeling in this area. the surface of the water will provide a highly reflective foreground with broken animated images on the waterfront, almost doubling the perceived quality of brightness when viewed, while subtle beams will reveal gateways, selected heritage sites and neighborhood lantern pegs.

west 8: natural lanterns   lighting master plan for helsinki perspective

west 8: natural lanterns   lighting master plan for helsinki park plan

west 8: natural lanterns   lighting master plan for helsinki lighting plan

west 8: natural lanterns   lighting master plan for helsinki section

west 8: natural lanterns   lighting master plan for helsinki diagram

west 8: natural lanterns   lighting master plan for helsinki pathway

project info:

location: helsinki, finland design: 2012 size: 55 ha client: city of helsinki design team: west 8 (martin biewenga, perry maas, christian gausepohl, maria eugenia castrillo, sima agisheva, ela chojecka, ronald van nugteren, karsten bucholz, jan nijs, gaspard estourgie en maarten van de voorde) in association with: speirs & major