Halvoo, Finland - a SketchUp city - Page 2

Swede · #21 Posted **May 18, 2016, 8:41 AM**

Amazing work. Looks very Finnish and both the maps and the model look like a real Nordic city. The last map... I'd totally assume that's a real place.

Vellu · #22 Posted **May 21, 2016, 1:02 PM**

Thanks for the comments!

Quote:

Originally Posted by Swede

Amazing work. Looks very Finnish and both the maps and the model look like a real Nordic city. The last map... I'd totally assume that's a real place.

Thanks! I've been interested in city maps since primary school, so hopefully it shows in the realism. It also helped to make different maps for different decades, so I had to give real thought to the city's historical evolution.

On to the update...

City Center is an office and retail complex from the 1960's. The taller north tower is 83 meters tall. The developers actually named the complex in English to make it "feel more urban".

Whole block of older buildings was torn down to make way for it, so it was on of the main reasons why most of the remaining pre-war buildings in the city center were preserved in the late 1970's.

Section001_pic10 by Vellu04, on Flickr

City Center in the skyline.

Section001_pic11 by Vellu04, on Flickr

A view from the Cathedral Square.

Section001_pic12 by Vellu04, on Flickr

spidey7312 · #23 Posted **May 21, 2016, 1:25 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by Vellu

City Center in the skyline.

Section001_pic11 by Vellu04, on Flickr

Based on this picture, I'd never guess this was a fictional city if I didn't already know it was. Great job modelling and rendering.

verticalextropy · #24 Posted **May 23, 2016, 4:58 AM**

Amazing! the seafront balcony building looks modeled not textured. It all looks very photorealistic. City Center looks iconic, but I would make the parking lot base smaller or interrupted by some pedestrian inlet like a plaza or... strip mall.

Patrick · #25 Posted **Jun 3, 2016, 9:13 PM**

Vellu, Halvoo is absolutely beautiful, it's interesting to see you do a European city. I'm so happy to see after all this time your still working on Sketchup cities, you truly have an eye for it. I'm super jealous of your ground textures and trees, they add a huge amount of realism and really make me want to redo Staunton's, maybe one day.

If I had any critique to give I'd have to agree with Verticalextropy, a small plaza would make City Center feel much more realistic. I'm excited to see what's next, you really inspired me to get back into Staunton.

Vellu · #26 Posted **Jun 4, 2016, 4:59 PM**

Thanks for the comments!

I agree that City Center's podium isn't a beauty. It's actually meant to represent the neglect of context that was one of the not-so-good things about Finnish architecture in the 1960's. I love modernism, but unfortunately modernist buildings don't always fit their surroundings that well. City Center's podium is actually mostly retail space, the parking garage occupies only about one fourth of it.

Here's another couple of blocks completed. No landmarks here.

Section001_pic13 by Vellu04, on Flickr

Quote:

Originally Posted by Patrick

I'm super jealous of your ground textures and trees, they add a huge amount of realism and really make me want to redo Staunton's, maybe one day.

The trees and the ground textures are actually mostly the same that I used in Bourne. It's been uploaded in to 3D Warehouse as "City of Bourne", so if you want to reuse them, then go ahead.

mity1021 · #27 Posted **Jun 7, 2016, 10:09 AM**

Great work. How big are you planning on making this city?

Skydragon42 · #28 Posted **Jun 18, 2016, 12:26 AM**

Your buildings look great!

Vellu · #29 Posted **Jun 18, 2016, 4:57 PM**

Thanks for the comments!

Quote:

Originally Posted by mity1021

How big are you planning on making this city?

Hopefully I'll finish at least the city center, which is the first four sections of one square kilometer each. My ultimate goal is of course to finish the whole map, but at this point this goal seems quite unrealistic.

Ameriikantorni is Halvoo's original high rise. It was constructed for the company of shipping tycoon Kalle Bergman. He had many times sailed to North America and was very enthusiastic about the skyscrapers there. The tower got its name from Bergman's inspiration ("America Tower"). Ameriikantorni is 45 meters tall and was completed in 1909.

Section001_pic14 by Vellu04, on Flickr

spidey7312 · #30 Posted **Jun 18, 2016, 4:59 PM**

What's the modernist building with the antenna?

Vellu · #31 Posted **Jul 2, 2016, 5:48 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by spidey7312

What's the modernist building with the antenna?

That's Urhonkatu 36. It houses the Halvoo headquarters of the telecommunications company Alisa and their telecom equipment is installed on the roof.

The southern half of the Old Port went trough a renewal in the 1990's. The old ferry terminal was replaced by the Museum of Modern Art (coming up later). A couple of derelict warehouses were torn down and they were replaced by a restaurant building (the round building in the below picture) and a park.

Next to the park is the Strand Hotel. It was originally completed in 1889 and with its most recent renovation in 2010, it today is the most prestigious and the most expensive hotel in Halvoo.

One block west is Halvoo's tallest pre-WWII building. Urhontorni is 76 meters tall and was completed in 1934.

Section001_pic15 by Vellu04, on Flickr

Looking across the Old Port. For this scene I replaced my low-poly textured ships with these ships from the 3D Warehouse.

Section001_pic16 by Vellu04, on Flickr

The city so far:

Section001_pic17 by Vellu04, on Flickr

spidey7312 · #32 Posted **Jul 2, 2016, 6:29 PM**

Great job as always and thanks for the info on Urhonkatu 36. I'd like to suggest something: make a central telecommunications tower similar in design to Tokyo Tower, about 250 meters tall (height is based on the size of Halvoo because the area it has to cover). I'm not suggesting a concrete tower because almost every other major city in Europe has one, and a concrete tower would just look too generic because of this.

Skydragon42 · #33 Posted **Jul 6, 2016, 9:54 PM**

This city looks great!

I like how its mostly old fashioned buildings!

Vellu · #34 Posted **Aug 20, 2016, 4:34 PM**

Took a little summer break, but now I'm back at Halvoo.

Quote:

Originally Posted by spidey7312

I'd like to suggest something: make a central telecommunications tower similar in design to Tokyo Tower, about 250 meters tall (height is based on the size of Halvoo because the area it has to cover). I'm not suggesting a concrete tower because almost every other major city in Europe has one, and a concrete tower would just look too generic because of this.

This is an interesting idea and I might realise it. I just have to find a logical spot fitting Halvoo's history for it.

The new Cirrus Hotel Satamatorni is under construction. It's replacing a low rise office building from the 1960's.

Section001_pic18 by Vellu04, on Flickr

The crane is from the 3D Warehouse: Liebherr 200hc Tower Crane by fatpencilstudio.

spidey7312 · #35 Posted **Aug 20, 2016, 7:00 PM**

Great to see another update!

Quote:

Originally Posted by Vellu

This is an interesting idea and I might realise it. I just have to find a logical spot fitting Halvoo's history for it.

Just say in the 50's and 60's there was a massive influx of Japanese immigrants.

Also it should be in the center of the city for maximum effectiveness. Build it over the train station just north of what's currently modelled, like Tokyo Skytree.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Vellu

The new Cirrus Hotel Satamatorni is under construction. It's replacing a low rise office building from the 1960's.

How tall will the new hotel be when it's finished? Or are you going to leave it U/C?

Skydragon42 · #36 Posted **Aug 23, 2016, 6:41 PM**

This city is very good looking!

Vellu · #37 Posted **Sep 3, 2016, 4:40 PM**

Thanks for the comments!

Quote:

Originally Posted by spidey7312

Also it should be in the center of the city for maximum effectiveness. Build it over the train station just north of what's currently modelled, like Tokyo Skytree.

Actually I already have other plans for that area

Quote:

Originally Posted by spidey7312

How tall will the new hotel be when it's finished? Or are you going to leave it U/C?

It's going to be a bit over 70 meters tall. Just about as tall as its close neighbour Urhontorni. The construction will happen in the backround and I will show it in detail once the construction is completed.

The last Old Port Ferry Terminal was built in the 1950's, but once the new Halvoo Port opened in 1992, also ferry traffic was moved. The ferry terminal was in quite a bad shape, so it was demolished during the renewal of the Old Port area in the 1990's. It's replacement was the new Museum of Modern Art, which opened its doors in 1999 - just in time for the new millennia celebrations.

Section001_pic19 by Vellu04, on Flickr

Section001_pic20 by Vellu04, on Flickr

Skydragon42 · #38 Posted **Sep 10, 2016, 5:09 PM**

This is a very impressive city! I love the old fashioned buildings!

Swede · #39 Posted **Sep 15, 2016, 12:23 PM**

Again, I can't praise the realism enough. I want to go to this city. It being on the railway from Åbo to Helsingfors would make for a nice round-trip from here in Stockholm. An old harbour like that with a market, a park and the museum with the city enclosing it would be quite good for tourism in our region these days.

Urhontorni looks taller than everything pre-war in Stockholm. Which shows a difference between Sweden and Finland in those decades.

Will you be filling out the area with square blocks before tackling things like bridges and such?

Vellu · #40 Posted **Sep 17, 2016, 4:29 PM**

dp