Nordicum - Real Estate Annual Finland 2012 | Page 37

Wanted: Room for Creativity
Aalto University has set its sights on new learning environments
As the official decision was made and
Otaniemi became the main campus
of the new Aalto University, nobody
was terribly surprised. After all, the
majority of the students of the new
“innovation university” hail from
Otaniemi, so it makes sense to focus
resources here. Otaniemi is also
very much a “spiritual” home for
Aalto, since the core buildings in the
campus area have been designed by
Alvar Aalto himself. Still, a lot of new
construction is needed if the Otaniemi
campus wants to accommodate the
Aalto University School of Arts,
Design and Architecture which is to
shift its operations here, also.

K

ari Kontturi, Managing Director of
Aalto University Properties Ltd (Aalto-yliopistokiinteistöt Oy), says that
the coming years will feature intense development in Otaniemi.
“We are launching an architectural
competition to get some ideas as to what do
with the core campus area,” Kontturi says,
adding that the competition is very much
about “taking the bull by the horns” in the
sense that previously, real estate development has focused on the fringes of the campus area. The reason for this simple: Aalto’s
legacy has been so awe-inspiring that no one
has dared to touch the core.
“As a result, however, the core campus
area has fallen behind, in a sense. We need
a competition to find some fresh solutions
to the situation,” Kontturi says.

Master Plan in the Works
Aalto University Properties Ltd was set up to
administrate, uphold and develop the premises and real estate assets of the new university – with the focus on the long term. Kari Kontturi recognises that the company has
some work to do.
“At present, we’re sitting on real estate
that is in serious need of renovation,” Kontturi admits. The extensive retooling needed in the campuses is expected to swallow

€ 230 million by the year 2020. Or, at least,
those are the numbers at the moment – Aalto University is working on a premises programme that will be completed by the autumn of 2012.
“There may be even some radical
changes to the plans,” Kontturi says.
He believes that the future premises
will deploy multi-space functions with a
digital edge:
“We want new solutions that inspire
people, exploring opportunities with remote
working and ICT, for instance.”

Aalto is Central
At the same time, the Otaniemi campus
is key element in the Espoo’s T3 strategy
which is – while combining arts, business
and science – very much in tune with the
Aalto ideology. In fact, one could argue that
Aalto is the centre piece in the city’s plans:
“Otaniemi, as an area, is already a
global innovation network hub, but through
a benchmarking effort, one can find out the
best ways to improve operations,” Kontturi says. In an extensive study, about 200 international innovation hubs were analysed
to find out exactly what works – and what
doesn’t.
Still, visions are not going to materialise overnight and for now, the innovation

university has to get by with premises that
are not always so innovative. Nevertheless,
the aged real estate assets of Aalto have a
considerable price tag at € 450 million. There
are about 40 buildings which feature as much
as 330.000 sqrm (NIA) of which the company owns about 280.000 sqrm (NIA).

Satisfied with Space
Also, the surveys arranged amongst university staff and students in both 2010 and
2011 about the quality and functionality of
the premises have yielded positive results.
With regards to main campus, the park-like
environment of Otaniemi is a big hit with the
faculty and students – and the participants
of the survey also stated that the premises
of the university are quite suitable for their
designated functions.
Both students and faculty expressed
opinions about the “no cars on campus” policy that has been developing bit by bit. While
in global comparison, cars are not very visible on university campuses around the world,
Otaniemi is still a very motorised campus.
Kontturi would like to see a shift towards a more green campus – and is hoping that the arriving metro is going to help
in the effort.
Sami J. Anteroinen

Nordicum 35