YIT tipped for Helsinki redevelopment project

Finish contractor YIT has been named preferred bidder for the new € 1 billion Central Pasila centre in Helsinki by an evaluation team appointed by the city and the state.

YIT’s tender includes the redevelopment of a railway yard to build the Tripla Centre, a mixed-use development that will include office and retail space, residential accommodation, a hotel, conference centre and multipurpose arena, and a transport terminal.

Ecological criteria were a key requirement of design. The YIT plan proposes that park areas and green roofs cover one third of the roof area. Parking places for 3,400 bicycles and charging stations for almost 400 electric cars support ecological transportation. There will also be a central vacuum waste system.

Building rights for 183,000 m2 will be zoned in the area, and the total value of the project is approximately €1 billion. The construction of the project will begin when the local plan is confirmed, which is estimated to take place in 2015, and it will be implemented in phases over approximately 10 years. The project will employ almost 900 persons per year on site.

“The project is huge, technically demanding and diverse. YIT has solid experience in large projects and comprehensive competence for exactly this kind of project. It is great to be able to implement the most important urban development project in central Helsinki. In the competition phase, we have invested particularly in design and risk management. We are certain that there will be interest in the project among various parties, from residents and service providers to investors and financiers,” said Kari Kauniskangas, president and CEO of YIT.

YIT’s design was created by Dutch architects Office for Metropolitan Architecture (O.M.A.). The Finnish architect and main designer of the project is Inter-Arch Architecture Oy.