Nordicum - Real Estate Annual Finland 2010 | Page 31

passengers will use the metro
daily and that around 60,000
will cross the border between
Helsinki and Espoo every day.
“Ultimately, the daily volume may be as much as 150,000
people,” remarks Kokkinen.
The western expansion
will introduce seven new stations, located in Espoo at Matinkylä, Jousenpuisto, Tapiola,
Otaniemi and Keilaniemi, and
in Helsinki at Koivusaari and
Lauttasaari. A further station is
planned for Niittykumpu in Espoo. The metro ride from Matinkylä to Ruoholahti will take
16 minutes.
The west metro will be
13.9 kilometres in length, comprising two parallel tunnels travelling underground for the entire length of the track. In addition to the stations, excavation
work will be carried out for fifteen vertical shafts designed for
emergency exit, pressure equalisation, ventilation and smoke
extraction. Nine work tunnels
have been designed for construction and maintenance work.
Each metro station will
transform its surroundings,
creating new opportunities.
The surroundings of each station will be developed towards
uniform and easily accessible
zones. The stations will be de-

signed to have a tight connection
to the local environment and its
construction, services and traffic connections. The individual
needs of each area will be taken
into consideration in the design
of the stations’ surroundings.

The Look
One of the starting points of the
design is instant recognition:
that you can but glance at the
station from the train and know
immediately where you are.
“We have great freedom
of expression here and a lot of
surfaces to carry the message,”
Kokkinen says, while adding
that the focus will still be on
the long-term usage.
“We want visuals that still
look good after hundred years.”
The platforms will be 90
metres in length, spacious and
unbroken, with tracks located on
both sides. The stations of the
west metro will be fitted with
platform screen doors, increasing passenger safety in the platform area.
“In addition, also the old
stations will be equipped with
platform screen doors,” Kokkinen says, adding that the new
glass doors will improve the
“user experience” a great deal.
Special consideration will

also be given to the lighting of
the stations. Natural light will
be exploited where possible
and over all, lighting solutions
will aim to promote accessibility and prevent glare. There will
be no separate ceiling designs;
ceilings will be shotcreted. The
master plan calls for all stations
to be accessible and each level
easy to reach.

Developer’s Dream?
The locations of the stations
have been decided with a view
to the current and future needs
of the area. The metro has been
designed in close cooperation
with city planners and land use
and traffic designers. The metro is a long-term project, where
the ultimate benefits will take
years to materialise.
Nevertheless, both Louko
and Kokkinen are excited about
the prospects for development in
the vicinity of the stations.
“Especially Matinkylä and
Jousenpuisto have a lot of potential, but also more mature areas such as Tapiola and Otaniemi offer opportunities for developers,” Louko says.
Antti Mäkinen, Tapiola
Project Manager for the City of
Espoo, adds that also the highpowered corporate neighbour-

hood of Keilaniemi still has untapped real estate potential.
“There is space for companies and for residential living, also.”
Mäkinen is charged with
the development of the TapiolaOtaniemi-Keilaniemi triangle –
and happy to note that the metro line will boost the profile of
each of these key areas.
“Behind the development,
there is the City’s T3 strategy,
bringing together culture, science and business which are
the strong points of the triangle,” Mäkinen explains.

Open Eyes,
Open Minds
During the last year or so, both
Louko and Kokkinen have observed that the recession has not
culled the ranks of the wouldbe partners. Having issued a call
for visionary thinking, they feel
that the project has, indeed, received innovative input from
various parties.
“Many visions have become more solid recently, but
we can still find room for more
visionaries in this project,” Louko comments.
“The window is still open,”
adds Kokkinen. b
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