The city of Pargas is developing the area of the existing guest harbour in the southern centre of the city – Malmstrand beach – into an attractive living room for the inhabitants as well as a high class harbour with services.
At the end of 2016 the city invited three teams to develop a long term vision for the harbour front. The assignment was to find a logical and natural, but at the same time an innovative solution for how the area could become a functional and aesthetically pleasing environment.
Together the functions and activities were supposed to create an inviting entity that strengthens the character of Pargas small scale cityscape, while at the same time emphasizing its maritime identity. The proposals were to introduce a solution for how to the functions, such as a hotel, harbour office, sauna, beach promenades, playgrounds, car parking and beach could be integrated into a coherent and strong entity.
The winning proposal “Pargas Maritime Limestone Landscape” takes its starting point in a thorough analysis of the the city, its history, structure, character, potentials and challenges. The plan introduces a “urban loop” that connects the public spaces of the harbour front to the surrounding public spaces and the pedestrian street, which today ends by the harbour area.
The loop, a beach boulevard, invites and directs the flaneurs of the city to enjoy a series of attractive public spaces along it. The idea is to strategically position the new functions along the promenade and thereby making the harbour a “string of pearls” destination for inhabitants and visitors alike. The harbour becomes a natural, recreational, extension to the city centre.
In addition to introducing a the strategic plan for the area, the proposal also introduces a compositional design principle that is rooted in the city’s historic and cultural context. The nearby limestone quarry and its large layered open landscape functions as inspiration for this principle.
The activity landscapes, consisting of sports and playgrounds, a beach, piers and the promenade, refer back to the landscape of the quarry. With its layers of limestone formations, it creates a specific design identity that is rooted in the surrounding man made landscapes. Source and images, Courtesy of Schauman & Nordgren Architects.
