Real
Sponda stakeholder magazine | Autumn 2012
Helsinki’s Second Commercial District
Text Hannele Koskinen
Illustration Kalle Talonen
A step from Helsinki is
Ruoholahti whose growth
to become the city’s second
commercial district is greatly
speeded by its location along
significant transport routes.
– Ruoholahti offers companies a solid base for growth
and development, says Sponda’s customer relationship
manager Anita Suvanen. She
emphasises that the quickly
developed area caters to the
needs of leaseholders looking
for new premises. Along with
new premises, the area also offers a range of previously used
quality premises, which can
be altered to meet the client’s
needs.
– It is significant that the area
is very accessible, Suvanen says.
– Ruoholahti is right next to the
centre and has good transport
connections with other parts of
the city.
Suvanen includes the area’s
clear layout as one of its trump
cards. Ruoholahti is easy to find
and easy to reach.
British American Tobacco, BAT, is one company settled in Ruoholahti. It is the second largest tobacco company
in the world and a market leader in the Nordic countries. The
company’s head office is located
in London, the Nordic head of-
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Autumn 2012
fice in Copenhagen. The company was founded in 1902 and it
settled in Finland in 1909.
BAT’s number one clients are
central corporations who distribute the products to retailers.
– We chose Ruoholahti as
the site for our Finnish operations due to its location. Transport connections are outstanding, no matter which way one is
going, says BAT Finland’s managing director Erja Asikainen
and praises the adjustable premises and the well-functioning
building services.
Asikainen states that it is not
just a question of commuting: We have a lot of young people
working here, the average age is
around thirty and people want
to move quickly and effortlessly. A majority of the employees
have a company car and therefore, a parking garage is vital.
– We’ve decided to stay in
Helsinki and are not even considering premises elsewhere. We
moved to Ruoholahti, a few of
floors above here, in 2008. The
following year our staff was reduced due to organisational
changes and we moved to our
current offices.
– Ruoholahti has developed
rapidly and many dynamic companies have moved here. Our
current premises have the added advantage of having several
excellent suppliers, so the lobby
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and maintenance services work
well, Asikainen says, adding that
the revamped shopping centre is
a big plus.
At the beginning of October, the sporting goods retailer
Intersport and Kodin Ykkönen
interior design department store
were opened in the Ruoholahti
shopping centre. These, and
other shops at the shopping centre, serve a continuously growing customer flow. The new Jätkäsaari residential area designed
for 16,000 people is steadily rising next to Ruoholahti.
Real
The Dawn of Ruoholahti
EDITOR IN CHIEF
Anita Riikonen
SPONDA PLC
TEAM OF JOURNALISTS
Korkeavuorenkatu 45
P.O. Box 940
FI-00101 Helsinki
www.sponda.com
Alma 360
P.O.Box 502, FI-00101 Helsinki
www.alma360.fi
Translation: Nina Garlo-Melkas
The Archtours website describes Ruoholahti as an area
where living, high end office facility building, the revitalization
of old industrial estates as well as
for Ruoholahti. Ruoholahti meets
all the requirements to become a
brand, however, there’s still room
for development. Helsinki pays almost too close attention in ensuring that no single area is labeled
elitist. Sometimes it’s good to call
attention to certain areas, that’s
part and parcel of city life.
Vaattovaara reminds us that
high employment areas attract
people differently than residential areas. Information intensive
companies especially often seek
their own kind. Vaattovaara recounts a study, which discovered
that graduates from the University
of Technology in Otaniemi, Espoo,
who had started their own company, preferred to have their facilities
in either Keilaniemi in Espoo or in
image building all mix together. It’s
a beautiful picture. As a high employment zone Ruoholahti has succeeded well but it’s yet to reach its
full potential.
Mari Vaattovaara, the professor of urban geography at the
University of Helsinki, knows the
secrets behind the pull of different
districts. The story of an area is an
important part of the brand.
– As a brand Ruoholahti is at
a crossroads. A high concentration of IT jobs, excellent transport connections from certain areas, the sea – these are big assets
Ruoholahti in Helsinki.
– Aalto University will move
to Otaniemi. This means we will
soon have a whole new generation
of skilled people who see the western part of the metropolis as their
home turf.
Will Aalto University’s new
main campus location in the west
reflect in the popularity of Ruoholahti, when the growth entrepreneurs of the future choose their
office location? Will the value of
Ruoholahti rise?
– I wouldn’t be at all surprised,
says Vaattovaara.
Location Creates
Brand Advantage
KARI INKINEN
|
editorial
CEO
F
or companies, location is one of the
most important criteria for selecting
an office location. But on what basis
does a company determine its perfect location:
on the proximity of services, connectivity or on
the region’s reputation?
The Helsinki city centre area and Ruoholahti
are two of the most popular office location
districts within the Helsinki metropolitan region. The popularity of these areas is definitely based on excellent transport links and services, but also on images related to both districts, as well as, opportunities offered there.
As a hub of commercial, administrative, cultural and leisure services, our city centre has
its clear advantages.
Although Ruoholahti has already gained
popularity among the business community,
the area is still relatively new as an office location district. Some obvious success factors
of Ruoholahti are its proximity to Helsinki city
centre’s services as well as its extensive public
transport connections.
Turning a location into brand value requires
long-term effort, however. It means building a
“story” around the district by strengthening its
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sources of attractions and by highlighting the
area’s unique characters and identity. The Jätkäsaari district, which neighbours Ruoholahti,
is one area that has a strong focus on building
such a story, and where well-planned location
branding is utilized in the marketing of the area’s apartments and office space.
There are plenty of vacant office space in
the Helsinki metropolitan area, even in those
areas which are easy to reach and where services are at hand. A good example of such an
area is Pitäjänmäki, where office vacancy rates
are high. Why is the previously highly popular
office district no longer considered interesting?
Many districts in the Helsinki metropolitan
area have already started to build their image
by highlighting their pull factors even more
clearly. Pitäjänmäki is also looking to boost its
image through cooperation between the City
of Helsinki, the RAKLI association and businesses operating in the district. Hopefully such
an effort will eventually pay off because when
selecting an office location businesses are not
only purchasing space but also opportunities
and images created by the location.
Autumn 2012
Text Joanna Sinclair
Photo Miika Kainu
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High-end Property Creates an Image
Text Leena Filpus
Photo Arsi Ikäheimonen
At August, the dialogue between new
and old reveals the best of both worlds.
The consulting agency August Associates’ home has been in the Hermes building, at the heart of Helsinki, for almost one
year. The sunlit meeting room provides a
view of the Stockmann department store
and World Trade Center Helsinki.
The company moved there at the turn
of the year, however, design work on the
premises began 18 months before the actual move. The renovation itself took nearly five months.
Have the premises served the occupants
well?
– Yes, they have. I can’t think of anything
we would do now differently. We’re considering some extra lighting for the entry foyer
but that is a minor detail. Our satisfaction
is proof that we gave enough time for interior design and getting all the details just
so, says head of HR Minttu Sinisalo, who
was in charge of the renovation project at
August. The design came from Vertti Kivi’s agency dSign.
August is a Finnish consulting agency
founded in 2001. Today, August employs
24 people. Before moving to the Hermes
building, August resided in the Rake building on Bulevardi but the growing business
needed larger premises.
– We work in teams that vary in size and
composition. We were after premises where
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Wörks to Have a Mobile
“Head Office”
Text Timo Kiiski
Photo Wörks
the teams can work in their own rooms.
We also wanted to separate client and staff
areas more clearly from one another. New
premises often work as a catalyst for further
improvements. Thus, it was time to move.
The glamour of the old building communicates well with the modern solutions.
The harmonious-coloured surfaces emphasise the peacefulness of the general appearance. On the other hand, the modern office
technique, teamed up with contemporary
furniture, surprising details and unique art
update the office to this day.
The Hermes building is partly protected
by the National Board of Antiquities, which
means all renovations are carried out with
extreme care and respect for the old.
Autumn 2012
At August, the staff was also able to express their wishes concerning the new
premises. The pool table remains a dream,
but there is an ice hockey game in the kitchen. High on the list of priorities was a meeting room, in which the entire staff can sit
comfortably and which is large enough to
hold functions for up to 35 people.
Working methods are also different from
those at a regular office. A paperless office
is a reality at August.
– We don’t really need space for filing
cabinets. Instead, we use the space to put
away the staff ’s floorball sticks and other
sporting gear for the day. Showers are also
important because many employees exercise before work.
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Wörks is known for its agile
and cutting-edge marketing planning and branding: now Wörks
has brought its pop-up studio onsite. Up until now Wörks has held
fort in one address. Now, however, the four-man-strong advertising agency HQ will become a mobile office that whizzes from one
address to the next.
– The lease we have signed
with Wörks is flexible since it is
not tied to any named location.
Their mobile office is easy to assemble and move to a new place.
Wörks can have its rented space
according to Sponda’s renting situation, capitalising on available
premises. As we rent the offices Wörks is using to an end-user,
we also offer Wörks a new, available office until that new place
has a new tenant, says Joona
Reunanen, the area manager in
Sponda’s city centre unit.
Jaakko Veijola, the founding partner of and a designer at
Wörks, is excited about the solution.
– In a creative job, having a
new working environment and
deviating from the familiar office
routines gives you a nice boost.
The furniture, designed by interior designers, move with the office. That, in turn, gives an appropriate sense of familiarity and
stability, Veijola says.
– Since our clients are based
all over the Helsinki metropolitan area, we’ve made a request to
have our premises in the centre of
Helsinki, Veijola explains.
Wörks’ operating concept is
not tied to the size of the premises. Space is needed for workstations and a negotiating table.
The office can also be confined
in a shop-in-shop principle to a
larger space.
Reunanen thinks this pilot
agreement with Wörks can in
principal be replicated to also
meet the needs of a slightly larger company.
The Office of the Future?
Text Katri Koskela
Photo Katri Tamminen
The European architecture students brainstormed the
idea of the premises of the future in Citycenter’s offices
in July. During the two weeks, endless marker pens, flip
chart pages as well as lots of modelling clay were used as
architectural working methods were turned upside down.
The Zerobase workshop, organised together with Sponda,
was named “Investigating the future of workspace”. One of
the two tutors, Chris Maloney, says the starting point for
the workshop was the transition happening in working life.
– The information and communications technology
revolution will reshape working methods along with
people’s thoughts about working. It is, therefore, inevitable
that workspaces will be transformed.
The Zerobase workshop took place in an empty, 700
square metre office space in Sponda’s Citycenter building,
right at the centre of Helsinki.
The workshop produced two novel visions about the
possibilities of office spaces. One group turned the space
into a brand sneaker factory whilst the other kept to a more
traditional office environment.
Despite their differences, both models speak the same
language. Flexibility and individuality are on the increase.
There’s call for more communal spaces. In the future, the
premises will increasingly be part of the company brand,
as well as an asset on the employee market.
Master of Staging
Text Jenni Junkala
Photo Miika Kainu
In the beginning, there was a white van man and
his tools. Now Silver Zombie, a visual and technical solutions professional is located in Suutarila, in
premises larger than 1,300 square meters. It’s the
location for the designing and creating of the set
for the popular television programme The Voice
of Finland.
It was 1998 and the founder of Silver Zombie,
Sami Silvennoinen drove from one studio to another in his van packed with scenery design tools.
Silvennoinen did then what he does now: designs,
builds and stages everything from television shows
to music videos and exhibitions. The next step from
the partnership of man and van – which at the time
felt huge but now seems tiny – was to acquire a
small space accessible by car for storing tools.
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Autumn 2012
In order to function properly, the company needs
a space large enough to hold a dust extraction system, a working spray paint shop, a small metal forge
and a separate fire safe space for paints and thinners.
In addition, the premises need to have an office and
a staff area, a loading bay at the back and space for
waste and dust containers as well as parking spaces.
Silver Zombie employs 10 full-time staff and at
best over 50 people on different projects.
Trained both as a carpenter and an artefact designer, Silvennoinen is chiefly in charge of sales and
design. However, it’s also possible to find him from
the shop floor, with tools in his hands, usually in the
evening when things have quieted down.
– When the others go home, I stay behind to experiment with materials, structures and paint surfaces, he says.
Sponda on
Facebook
In late October, Sponda
introduced a new service forum
on Facebook. The new Facebook
page provides Sponda’s
customers and stakeholders with
a new venue from which they
could find information about
Sponda’s services, take part in
online conversations on current
issues in real-estate, and keep in
touch with the company.
Through Facebook’s Livezhat
® online chat room, customers
can take part in one-on-one
talks with a Sponda customer
service representative. The online
discussions are private, and can
only be followed by the two chat
counterparts.
The unifying theme of
Sponda’s Facebook page is
environmental responsibility,
which is one of the company’s
strategic priorities. Sponda’s
eco-friendly values are brought
forward in a humorous way on
Facebook through the company’s
eco-tips comic strips.
– I hope that our customers
who enjoy using Facebook
will also start using our new
service in their commercial
property matters, says Sponda’s
Communications Manager
Anita Riikonen.
www.facebook.com/spondaoyj
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