Nordicum - Real Estate Annual Finland 2015 | Page 19

Service Edge
Business parks need to rededicate themselves to serving
the customers once again, says Heikki Levo of Peab Invest
Business parks can reach their true
potential only if the developers learn
to listen to the tenants – and listen
well. Managing Director Heikki
Levo of Peab Invest believes that
a lot of the talk involving business
parks revolves around issues that
are of secondary importance. As
generals are always busy fighting the
previous war, so are the construction
companies tied to reliving the past
glories.

“T

he ways of working have changed
so much that the only way to survive in this business is to get very
close to the customer – find out his needs
and wishes and come up with the solutions
and services that really support his business
in the best possible way.”
But isn’t this what the developers and
construction companies are doing – or at
least claim that they are doing? – According to Levo, an industry veteran of 40 years,
most construction companies are mostly
concerned about putting up walls and roofs
and doing a good job in the building depart-

ment – but fall short when it comes to the
over-all service concept.
“It’s the whole operative environment
that matters here. If you have a high-concept
services package, the tenant will respond
favourably to that, because he sees the extra
effort that went into the planning and realisation of the concept,” says Levo, adding
that as potential tenants take notice, so will
the real estate investors.

One Solution Fits All?
Levo says that the days of standardised solutions – e.g. “this is the way a conference
room must be and the cafeteria goes here”
– are done in the industry, but not everyone has realised it yet. If solutions are not
found on the shelf anymore, business parks
will be developed with so much more freedom and creativity.
“In all of this, it is crucial that both the
premises and the services are as flexible as
they can be,” Levo says, commenting that
we don’t know what shape and form office
work will take in, say, five years – but we
can start preparing for that future today.
For Peab, the new wave of business
parks commenced in earnest with the launch
of Moveres six years ago. Located in Pitäjänmäki, Helsinki, Moveres Business Garden
went on to grab LEED Silver Certificate –

first LEED in the land. After that, Peab has
stayed on the LEED path – but the “medals”
keep getting brighter: Eventes Business Garden in Matinkylä, Espoo was awarded with
LEED Gold and the new Ultimes Business
Garden is going for platinum.

Reinventing the Garden
Peab Invest has had an idea, for years, to create a concept that attracts tenants and investors, but also such that can be successfully
multiplied. The new, clarified Business Garden concept is being tried out in Ultimes
Business Garden with Peab’s partners and
tenants and it will be in operation in spring
2016.
Ultimes Business Garden will shine
due to its ability to mix both work life and
leisure activities, all in line with a low-cost
total service package in maintenance services, offered by ISS Palvelut Oy.
“But what really differentiates Business Garden concept in the market is our
well-thought total wellbeing concept. We in
Peab Invest see that the total wellbeing of
employees offers the businesses a good step
ahead and helps them to reach the set goals
better,” says Levo.
According to Levo, the Business Garden concept is just warming up:
“We have plans ready for four more.”

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