HDW Lab Workshops

How could public street space and street-level commercial spaces in Helsinki city centre be made more vibrant, attractive and functional? Helsinki Design Week invites city centre stakeholders to two hands-on workshops exploring new solutions with the help of AI.

Are you an urban planning professional, a commercial property owner, or a city dweller interested in developing the city centre? When registering, you can choose the topic and time that suit you best:

Workshop for Revitalising the City Centre:
The Future of Aleksanterinkatu – Public Street Space


What would encourage people to spend more time on Aleksanterinkatu, return there and use the services in the area? Facilitated by WSP, this workshop will explore concrete ideas for the future of Aleksanterinkatu and visualise them with the help of AI.

3 Sept. at 3 to 5 PM, for businesses and property owners
4 Sept. at 12 to 2 PM, for city residents

Workshop for service and business developers:
Commercial Spaces

How could vacant and changing commercial spaces in the city centre be used in new ways? Bring an idea, a question or a space you’ve been thinking about – no finished proposal needed. Examples and starting points are provided. In this workshop, facilitated by Helsinki-based startup Silt, AI will be used to find, challenge and develop new solutions. No previous experience with AI is required.

Please bring your own laptop to the workshop, as we’ll be working together on a shared digital platform. A mobile phone will not be sufficient for the workshop activities.

2 Sept. at 3–5pm
3 Sept. at 12–2pm
4 Sept. at 3–5pm

The aim of the workshops is not simply to discuss the future. The best ideas developed during the workshops may be taken into practice and tested in the urban space as part of Helsinki Design Week 2027.
The workshops take place 2–4 September at HDW Lab, Kluuvikatu 3. Choose the topic and time that suit you best when registering.
Places are available on a first-come, first-served basis, subject to capacity. Welcome!