Nordicum - Real Estate Annual Finland 2010 | Page 38

REAL ESTATE SPECIAL REPORT

Homecoming
Otaniemi welcomes Aalto University

A

s the launch of Aalto University is getting nearer
by the day, there is excitement
building in Otaniemi which is
the largest campus of the new
entity. Of course, Otaniemi is also much more than academic excellence: it is a true innovation
hub jam-packed with cuttingedge companies and research
institutes.
According to Ari Huczkowski, CEO of Otaniemi Marketing, there are as many as 800
companies, 16,000 hi-tech professionals (including 5,000 researchers) and 16,000 higher
education students all co-exist-

ing within a four square kilometre area.
“The PhD and CEO density is very high. This kind of a
concentration is essential for the
success of a small country like
Finland. Take Otaniemi away,
and what does Finland have?”
asks Huczkowski.
Huczkowski is convinced
that the arrival of Aalto will play
to the area’s strengths – and give
them an added boost. He expects Aalto to be in the TOP20
of world’s elite universities by
2020.
“It’s like getting Stanford
or MIT or Cambridge Univer-

sity inside Otaniemi,” he describes.

The Place to Be
As for the main campus of Aalto, Huczkowski doesn’t think
that there can even be a serious
alternative for Otaniemi.
“Aalto University main
campus should, of course, be
where Alvar Aalto designed the
campus in the first place,” he
says. Also, “innovation university” should be where innovation takes place.
“Some 50% of all Finland’s hi-tech innovations are

made within a three kilometre
radius from the Helsinki University of Technology’s main
building, also designed by Alvar Aalto.”
As for the distance to
downtown Helsinki, it is already
small – and continues to diminish. The western metro line will
feature Otaniemi as one of its
key stations in 2014.
“The metro will shrink
both time and distance, physically and mentally. The centre
of Helsinki will be just a fewminutes away,” Huczkowski
says. b

Tapiola Group:

Revitalising Tapiola Centre
The Tapiola Commercial
Centre is about to be
revitalised with the advent
of the new metro line, new
underground parking and
upgraded bus terminal. One
of the key corporate players
in the Finnish real estate
area, Tapiola Group, is keen
on developing commercial
premises on Merituulentie
street. Vesa Immonen,
Managing Director of
Tapiola Real Estate Ltd, says
that he is extremely satisfied
to see the wheels finally in
motion.

T

apiola Group is aiming to
place specialty stores –
featuring top fashion, beauty &
health services and entertain36 Nordicum

ment – in the new part of the
commercial centre. The new offering would complement well
the current service mix, Immonen believes.
Tapiola Group is also one
of the most significant real estate owners in the area and remains fully committed to the
neighbourhood. Immonen himself is a fan of the legendary
Tapiola centre: the centre is a
true marvel culturally, commercially and historically and all real estate investors would do well
to recognise the unique nature of
the opportunities inherent here.
“The Tapiola Centre has
already made its mark, as a
‘green garden centre’ planned
by the best architects of that
time, but it keeps developing intensely with regards to its services, traffic and living environments.”
Immonen acknowledg-

es that the metro is a key driver of that development. Making all the pieces of the puzzle
fit – parking, bus terminal, new
Shopping Galleries etc. – is a
big challenge. The perfect balance is needed to get the commercial and cultural offering to
where it needs to go – to another level entirely.
“This transition will boost
the attractiveness of the area for
residential purposes.”
However, the required investments are based on the longterm benefits, but somebody
needs to fork up the bills in the
short term.
“The residents, actors and
real estate owners of the area, as
well as the City of Espoo, look
at these things from different angles. We must be able to bring
these views together somehow,
when we are planning the new
Tapiola Commercial Centre.” b

Tapiola Real
Estate Ltd

T

apiola Real Estate Ltd
provides real estate investment and management
services. Half of the company is owned by Tapiola General Mutual Insurance Company and the other half by
Tapiola Mutual Life Assurance Company.
Tapiola Real Estate Ltd
offers real estate investment,
managing and counselling
services as well as manages real estate investments
and fixed assets. The company also engages in rental
business, marketing, house
management and administration, maintenance, outsourcing and sales services. b