“It’s nice to be able to say that I contributed to the planning process”
Sitowise has drafted the zoning and traffic plans for the port yard of the new passenger terminal. When a ship needs to be unloaded and filled quickly, every detail must be carefully considered.
At the Sitowise office on the bank of the Aura River, Ilkka Ojaniittu and Petri Rainio present a plan showing the terminal building, two piers, boarding bridges leading to them and a huge number of car lanes.
A passenger ship moors in the port for less than an hour, during which time it must be unloaded and reloaded again.
Altogether 6 kilometres of car lanes have been planned for the 20-hectare area. At the widest point, there are 32 parallel lanes.
“There are two lanes in and out of the port yard. The entrance takes a little more time, because cars need to be arranged for loading on to the car decks”, says Project Manager Ojaniittu.
“Light traffic has its own lanes, of course. During the summer, there will be a lot of cyclists on board the ships – and a bike may be pulling, for example, a kayak, behind it”, adds Rainio, who is responsible for the area’s lighting and electrical solutions.
Smart, functional and luminous
Sitowise is a Nordic expert in the built environment and digitality that designs smart cities, smooth travelling and spaces for living.
With regard to the passenger terminal, it has been responsible for the zoning and traffic planning of the port yard. The project included the planning of, for example, lighting, electricity, water supply, drainage and ground structures.
The port yard will be equipped with more automation than earlier, including at the ticket booth and gate. Specific digital systems will also be added to meet the needs of border guard and customs officials. – Petri Rainio
“The area has universal lighting, but extra lighting will also be used to control the flow of traffic. The lanes in use will have heightened illumination and additional information can also be projected onto the asphalt. There will also be information boards”, he explains.
According to the wishes of the shipping companies and authorities
The planning of the port yard has involved Sitowise employees in Turku as well as elsewhere in Finland. The listed company’s payroll consists of a total of two thousand people, of whom approximately 120 experts in different fields work in the Turku office.
The project has also incorporated requirements and wishes presented by the shipping companies and authorities.
“The project has been very unique due to its diversity and the number of partners involved”, Ojaniittu states.
“All in all, it has been great to be involved in a project that is so essential to the port, the City and the entire region. In the future, it will be nice to tell my grandchildren that I contributed to the planning process”, Rainio adds.
But let’s focus first on the nearer future. The new terminal and port yard will begin to serve passengers in 2027, first with the transfer of Tallink Silja’s services and then Viking Line’s.
Are the Sitowise employees planning to personally check out how the whole system works in practice? “Definitely. I’ll be taking my car to the ship as soon as I can make a booking. Petri can follow on his bicycle with a kayak behind him”, Ojaniittu jokes.
Text: Matti Välimäki
Photos: Ilari Välimäki
