Photo: copyright WSP Finland Oy Photo: Paul Charpentier
high from the beginning and the project even picked up momentum along the way. Vallila Vision was pushed into motion in late 2015, and the finished“ product” was launched in September 2016.
“ In the background, we had the principles laid out in the new city master plan. Therefore, we had the basis to make a vision for a hybrid neighbourhood that is mostly business premises, but with some residential elements in the mix,” Metsälä explains.
Both Sides of the Story
Key arteries to the area are Mäkelänkatu and Teollisuuskatu streets of which the latter is the” main street” for eastern core city, uniting Kalasatama, Vallila and Pasila. In addition to various offices complexes, there is the Konepaja area which emphasises residential solutions.
Pasila
“ The identity of Vallila has two sides in the sense that there are both new office buildings and older properties as well,” Metsälä says, adding that there is a certain roughness and robustness to the neighborhood which is appealing to many companies and citizens.
For the Vallila brand, the team envisioned an area that is known for its versatile and around-the-clock services. Metsälä admits that“ 24 / 7 Vallila” is not a reality quite yet: after the offices turn off the lights in the afternoon, there isn’ t much action going on. Still, new pilots such as pop-up events during the summer time have already started to change the status quo.
United Front
Development Manager Minna Maarttola from the City of Helsinki says that the
Vallila
Kalasatama
1 km
Photo: City of Helsinki
Helsinki City Centre
FINLAND
Nordicum 35