Nordicum - Real Estate Annual Finland 2013 | Page 15

Photo: Helsinki City Planning Department construction project in Helsinki in this decade. Thanks to excellent transport connections, Kalasatama centre is close to core downtown area, and provides a good example of a sustainable community. The developer here is SRV which is in the habit of delivering high-profile projects – such as the downtown Music House or Kamppi Centre. Construction started in 2011 and is expected to go on for 20 years. The show-stopper in the mix is the ”eight-pack”, an octet of high-rise towers forming the base of Kalasatama Centre. SRV will build flats in six of these buildings, the highest of which will extend to over 120 metres. The houses will be built on a park deck so that even the ground floor of the buildings will rise above the other buildings surrounding the centre of Kalasatama. Both the height and location of the houses make them a unique residential project in Finland and also the housing technology represents latest innovations. In this project, the future inhabitants will be included in the planning at an early stage to enable discussion concerning new kinds of residential needs. Urban living of this kind is unprecedented in Finland and the idea is to attract well-to-do people for residents. The first flats will be completed mid-decade and the last will be completed at the turn of the decade. According to the plans, flats are offered for various life stages and come with varying levels of amenities. Towering Hotel for Jätkäsaari? Jätk