Nordicum - Real Estate Annual Finland 2019 | Page 45

to:
‘Luoto’
The experience center is expected to
become a significant year-round destina-
tion in Turku, with plenty to see: an indoors
amusement park, a theme park, activ-
ity parks, cultural spaces and exhibitions,
diverse events, a multi-purpose arena...
From the perspective of the City, the
undertaking is a key downtown spearhead
project which enhances the attractiveness
of the city in terms of events and tourism
– along with the vitality of the city center.
As the city center expands into Turku’s rail
yard, it will also create a new neighborhood
of approximately 1,000 residents.
Take Me to the River
A historical part of the Turku identity is, of
course, River Aura and the Baltic Sea. Sit-
uated by the river, the Old Town is being
developed as an attractive tourist destination
and a lively “urban living room” for the stu-
dents, university staff, visitors and citizens.
The Old Town with its large unified park and
pavilions for cafés and galleries will form a
vivid platform for the creation of new busi-
nesses and services.
In the coming years, the downtown
area will make the push towards also the
river delta and the harbor. In addition, the
Turku of the future will bring its the archi-
pelago – which is among the most beau-
tiful in the world – to the forefront more
and more.
“With all these elements coming
together, we feel that Turku possesses the
most European identity of all the cities in
Finland,” Turto says.
Driven by Science
Just a walking distance from the downtown
area, we find Turku Science Park, one of
the biggest and oldest science parks in Fin-
land. Located in the immediate vicinity of
the Kupittaa railway station and the Turku–
Helsinki motorway, the Turku Science Park
is home to the University of Turku, Åbo
Akademi University, Turku University of
Applied Sciences, Diaconia University of
Applied Sciences and over 400 other organi-
zations and companies which employ a total
of nearly 16,000 people.
Turku Science Park fosters also active
start-up culture which is promoted by the
start-up community SparkUp, based in Elec-
troCity. Furthermore, coworking space Wer-
stas opened in 2015 and has been a success
story from the beginning. Presently, the
coworking space has some 7,600 square
metres in three buildings – and all the prem-
ises are full.
According to Mikko Lehtinen, Man-
aging Director of Turku Technology Prop-
erties, Turku Science Park could continue
its integration into the downtown area by
expanding the Turku Science Park area
across Helsingintie road, to the present
Itäharju industrial district, by 2029.
Come Together Right Now
This means that the Turku Science Park of
the future would integrate working, living
and leisure even more closely as part of the
existing urban structure and public trans-
port connections.
“This would be done by building a
deck construction from Kupittaa to Itäharju,”
explains Lehtinen, adding that the deck is a
great fit for all types of hybrid construction,
from residential to services to office.
“Also, public sector projects, such as
schools, could be realized here. The first pri-
ority, however, is student housing,” Lehtinen
says.
“The deck alone could feature as much
as 200,000 square meters of new construc-
tion and there is another 200,000 square
meters likely to be available for develop-
ment in the neighborhood.”
According to initial plans, different
buildings ranging from high to low would
provide a varied appearance as well as leav-
ing room for large green areas.
New bold plans are needed since
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