Nordicum - Real Estate Annual Finland 2011 | Page 63
Kujala Logistics Centre in Lahti.
fastest in the world,” Määttä
says. “The Lahti Cleantech Park
is to become a centre of 100,000
square metres, where over 2,000
experts seek solutions for material and energy-efficiency and
other challenges of sustainable
growth.”
Logistically
Optimal Location
ited by groundwater,” says Juha
Helminen, Lahti City Geodesist.
“The area is suitable for
larger than average companies with more labour-intensity, whose market area covers
the whole Finland, particularly companies focused on commerce and logistics that need
high, simple, and effective facilities,” Helminen notes.
The Best Place
for Your Business
Whether you come to Lahti by
train or car, you will see the
Asko Business Centre, formed
in the old production facilities
Asko and Upo. The red brick
environment next to the railway station, the E75 motorway
and main road 12, approximately one kilometre from the centre,
is an excellent location for modern business operations.
“The factors that make the
area perfect include its excellent
location, reasonable price level, and the welcoming environment. The needs of the customer are already considered during
the planning stage, and the customised premises can be renovated within six months,” says
Timo Väisänen, Head of Property Management at real estate
investment trust Renor, the company that owns and renovates
the properties.
“This area is easily accessible: the train ride from Helsinki takes only 50 minutes, the
drive from Helsinki one hour on
the motorway, and the train from
St. Petersburg 2.5 hours. The
buses to Lahti from the Helsinki Airport stop next to the railway station. The area is being
continuously developed, and
one of the objectives is to have
a covered pedestrian pass from
the railway platforms directly to
the Asko 2 building of the Asko
Business Center by 2012.”
The five old factory buildings have a total of 130,000
square metres of rental facilities,
of which 35,000 square metres
are currently vacant. The size of
the facilities varies from offices of less than 10 square metres
to storage units of up to 15,000
square metres. The area has unused building rights for an additional 250,000 square metres
in accordance with the adopted plan.
Approximately 190 busi-
nesses operate in the area, including the Finnish main warehouse of the world’s largest tyre
company, Bridgestone. The environment has drawn several design experts and artists, as well
as accountancy companies, engineering companies, and IT experts. The high quality facilities
are also perfect for companies
in the welfare sector, and extensive health and welfare services with centralised reception and
social premises are planned in
the area. b
More information:
www.lakes.fi
www. lahtiregion.net
THE LAHTI REGION:
Finland’s fifth largest urban region, 200,000 inhabitants
Half of the population of Finland lives within 2 hours from
Lahti.
Photo: Renor Oy
The logistically optimal location of Lahti is exemplified by
the Kujala Logistics Centre, located in the optimal location for
traffic in Finland right next to
the E75 motorway, main road
12, and the Helsinki–St. Petersburg railway. As the operations of Finland’s main port,
Vuosaari, increase to their full
extent, a part of the goods are
transported to an inland terminal for unloading. The distance
between Vuosaari and Kujala
is less than 100 kilometres by
motorway. A railway connection can be constructed in the
area according to the needs of
the users.
Kujala has facilities even
for large companies: the total
land area is 50 hectares with
building rights for 140,000
square metres, and expansion
projects are being prepared. The
grounds have been preliminarily
constructed, and the street network, municipal engineering,
and