Nordicum - Real Estate Annual Finland 2013 | Page 35

Photos: SARC Architects

tial use – which has always been a strong
element here – should encompass about
400,000 square metres; office construction
will add another 400,000 and the rest will
be divided between trade, education and service premises.
“Right now, there is ongoing residential construction for 50,000 square metres which means homes for 1,000 people,”
Mäkinen says, adding that there are numerous projects that will materialise by 2015,
coinciding with the launch of the metro.
The showstopper at this ball will be
the new-and-improved shopping centre that
will have residential buildings constructed
on top of it. According to the plans, the new
entity will also feature a park on the residential deck: “Garden City gone vertical,”
in a sense.
“What we will see here is the biggest
construction project in Espoo for 20–30
years,” Mäkinen puts it all in perspective.

Respecting the Legacy

formation by 2020 – spurred on by the arrival of the metro in 2015.
Project Director Antti Mäkinen is in
charge of the T3 Triangle Development Project and very excited about returning Tapiola to her former glory. In accordance to the
development strategy, the objective is to
strengthen the very best values of Tapiola,
uphold the quality of the environment and
find guidelines for Tapiola’s new success.
In the process, such issues as structural, social, economic and visual sustainability will
be carefully considered.

Million in the Works
“Tapiola 2.0” will see a new wave of development that will introduce one million
square metres of construction. Residen-

Since Tapiola holds such an important place
in the hearts of the Finns, one has to proceed
very carefully with all upgrade projects. The
critics maintain that nothing at all ought to
be touched in the community – but Mäkinen
points out that the renewal process simply
must be carried out, or the proud community will crumble to the ground.
“We are preserving the old spirit of
Tapiola in everything we do,” he promises.
The new Tapiola will also be even
greener than the old one with dedicated focus on sustainable development. For example, as the Tapiola Centre is planned as one
entity from the beginning, there are considerable energy savings to be achieved. The
area will also feature a mass district cooling
system – first of its kind in Espoo.
Mäkinen says that the Tapiola Centre
will be a real haven for pedestrians – and, in
fact, the biggest of its kind in all of Finland.
With underground parking, cars won’t even

be visible. And with the metro, the need for
cars is minimised.

Aalto University Gaining
Momentum
Next stop is Otaniemi which boasts the
Finnish version of Silicon Valley, combining higher education with research and business. As Aalto University decided to place
its main campus in Otaniemi, the significance of the area rose even higher. Dubbed
as the “innovation university”, Aalto is the
perfect example of the type of collaboration
between business, hi-tech and design that the
entire T3 triangle is all about.
“Aalto University is a real engine for
innovation, spurred on by the enth