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