The central park is the core around which housing and buildings are scattered. The park is a recreational area which through its attractiveness and convenience reduces the pressure of use of the nearby sensitive marine wetland. The closeness of the ocean is recalled through waved steel planter edges which are repeated throughout the park.

The name Toppilansaari means "park of the young sailor". This name defined the program of the two art gardens placed at the northern and southern ends of the park. At the south entrance, an abstract sunken boot is a memorial to the young sailors who never returned from their journeys. At the north end, a light ‘vortex’ is an orientation landmark, visible like a lighthouse from far and wide. The light vortex rotates in the wind, variably lighting up sculptural surfaces. In winter, these surfaces are ice sculptures, which depending on
temperature, wind and air humidity are iced up in bizarre and fantastic patterns.