Nordicum - Real Estate Annual Finland 2019 | Page 33

mann and Q-Park – a pick-up service where
visitors can have their purchases delivered
to their cars while they shop. And there’s
more: parking facilities represent new kind
of “smart parking” where the register plates
of incoming cars are read upon entry and this
data can be accessed by patrons to locate
their vehicles.
Inside the shopping center, one can
immediately spot the emphasis on food and
restaurants. Kim Särs points out that while
the common formula for a shopping center
once – perhaps 10 years ago – called for 5 %
of the operations to be restaurants, AINOA
wants to do things a bit different:
“Almost 15% of our stores’ leasable
area is now covered with cafes and restau-
rants and we feel very comfortable with this
trend,” he says.
Culture Boost
Nevertheless, food and drink is not the
only thing to experience here. As AINOA
is located in the middle of Espoo’s culture
hub – with, for example, Espoo City The-
atre next door – it makes sense to “go cul-
tural” from time to time.
“There are plans to borrow art work
from WeeGee museum and host also clas-
sical concerts here,” explains Särs.
It is also good to consider the sus-
tainability angle. In June 2017, AINOA’s
expansion received a LEED Platinum certif-
icate, racking up more points than any other
Finnish shopping center to date. Once Phase
III is completed, there should more reason
to celebrate:
“We want to sustain the current LEED
excellence,” comment Särs and Immonen.
But even before the launch of Phase
III, there will be a major development in the
shopping center as a new bus terminal will
kick-off in March 2019.
“The bus terminal will handle about
20,000 passengers every day, meaning that
around 100 buses will come through the ter-
minal per hour,” explains Immonen.
Residential Reach
Still, there’s more to new development here
than strictly commercial pursuits. There is,
in fact, a completely new type of residential
area that is being built on top of the shop-
ping center. Featuring five apartment build-
ings, the area is intended also for the public,
offering an attractive living environment in
the very heart of Tapiola. “The area – going
by the name Kirjokansi – already features
127 apartments, with another batch to fol-
low soon,” says Kim Särs.
“By spring 2020, we will add around
200 apartments, bringing the total to 322
apartments,” says Särs, referring to the res-
idential solutions as “the next level living”.
The views from the apartments to the neigh-
bouring park and beyond are tremendous –
there are, for instance, green roofs in place
that really pay tribute to the spirit of the
Garden City.
“The legacy of Tapiola is clearly evi-
dent in the residential designs,” adds Särs.
Keys to the Kingdom
Tapiola has always been near and dear to
the heart of LocalTapiola which, of course,
shares its name with the neighbourhood
(Tapiola is the name of the ancient forest
kingdom of Finnish lore). “Tapiola is also
the home base of LocalTapiola, as the com-
pany has over 1,500 employees here,” com-
ments Vesa Immonen.
“LocalTapiola owns more than a dozen
properties in the Tapiola Center with a value
of around EUR 600 million.” This “Tapiola
Portfolio” represents the biggest real estate
investment in the history of the company.
According to Immonen, the develop-
ment in Tapiola has sometimes been lag-
ging behind, in a way, due to various inter-
ests of local owners.
“In such a situation, it is helpful if a
big player makes a commitment to push the
neighbourhood to the next level. LocalTap-
iola has been glad to take on that role – and
we want to keep contributing in the future,
too.”
Rebirth of a Legend
Tapiola certainly has a special place in the
hearts of the Finns – and many international
fans, as well. The neighbourhood has been
regarded as a natural treasure since its birth
over 60 years ago: a shining example of a
modern community rooted in natural values.
Immonen believes that this Tapiola
“core brand” remains, for the most part,
unchanged.
“Tapiola Spirit is alive and well –
and now, it’s really been re-energized,” he
says.   l
Nordicum 33