Nordicum - Real Estate Annual Finland 2014 | Page 37

commercial hub – called Tripla Centre – will
be built in the railway yard area freed up in
the Central Pasila area. Building rights of
approximately 183,000 square metres will
be zoned in the area, and the total value
of the project is approximately EUR 1 billion.
Niina Puumalainen, the City Project
Manager for Pasila, says that Tripla promises
to be a very innovative centre. “The trains
will run through here, as well as trams and
buses, and we also have a strong focus on
pedestrians and cyclists,” she promises.
There is even a reservation for a metro line
here. “In addition, there will be a new rail in
Pasila which makes it possible to add train
connection to and from Pasila,” she says.

dering Ratapihantie, Pasilansilta and Pasilankatu.
“The Pasila station and its surrounding areas will be totally transformed. Central Pasila will become a modern meeting
place, with, for instance, a shopping centre – one of the biggest in Finland – and a
conference centre as well as business headquarters. Also, the multipurpose arena will
deliver something really special, making it
possible to host concerts and athletic events,
too,” Puumalainen says.
The architectural concept for Tripla
was created by the Dutch architects Office
for Metropolitan Architecture (O.M.A.). The
Finnish architect and main designer of the
project is Architects Soini & Horto.

Delivering the Total Package

Green List

The construction of the Tripla project will
begin when the local plan is confirmed,
which is estimated to take place in 2015,
and it will be implemented in phases over a
period of six years.
The new diverse Tripla Centre, which
is designed to be comfortable in terms of
functionality and landscape, will feature offices, shops and a conference centre, housing, hotel, multipurpose arena and a terminal for public transport. The centre is located
in a logistics traffic node, with the area bor-

Ecological criteria were a key requirement
in the implementation and design competition. Environmental friendliness and energy efficiency have been the starting points
in the planning, says Puumalainen.
“We want to launch a new, greener Pasila and as one sign of this approach,
green roofs will cover one third of the total
roof area.” The energy efficiency of Tripla
will be significantly improved from the
norm. Ecological transportation is supported by parking places for over 3,400 bicycles

and charging stations for over 400 electric
cars.
“We will also have a public park for
the residents, located in the middle of the
area.”
Furthermore, waste collection will be
realised using a central vacuum waste delivery system. A sustainability co-ordinator
will be responsible for the realisation of the
criteria in all of the project phases.

Pasila Goes Vertical
Beyond Tripla, Central Pasila will also
feature ambitious high-rise construction.
“There are plans for as many as ten towers
in the area,” says Niina Puumalainen, adding that the towers will feature both offices
and residential space. Hybrid buildings are
what the City would prefer to have in this
setting, but other kinds of solutions can be
deployed as well.
According to Puumalainen, companies are very excited about Pasila – in
fact, it is among the few places in the metropolitan area where you don’t have to
consider, whether the location is good or
not. In a commercial sense or from office
viewpoint, Pasila offers simply superb
location and connections: “Pasila sends an
international, high-quality message,” she
says.

The new traffic/commercial hub – called Tripla Centre – will be built in the railway yard area freed up in the Central Pasila area.

Photo: YIT

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