Property investment company Sponda Plc is developing an office building for Talentum Plc at Itämerenkatu 23, in the Ruoholahti district of Helsinki. The building with an area of nearly 6,000 m² has quickly progressed to rooftop height, and the topping off is celebrated today on the site.
The new four-story building has risen on the site of the demolished Kuntotalo, the former recreational facility for the personnel of the state-run alcohol retail monopoly Alko.
Construction began in summer 2011 with demolition work, and construction work continued in November 2011 with the new building. The project will be completed in March 2013. Basement levels of the Kuntotalo building that was in poor shape were retained. The basement levels will house the parking facilities of the office building. Over 70% of the building has been leased to Talentum.
Energy efficiency and environmentally friendly solutions are emphasized in the design and construction of the office building. In the design phase, the energy efficiency level was increased from the level required by the building permit, and different solution options for saving energy were tested with the help of energy modeling. Based on the modeling, the thickness of heat insulation, technical values of windows and air tightness objectives of the building were specified.
The energy consumption during the use of the building will be reduced by the Are Sensus building services system in which heating and cooling are organized with the Sensus panel based on radiation technique. In addition to energy efficiency, the system will improve the attractiveness of the building by reducing the draught problems experienced in cooled down buildings. The building is included in the district cooling network that exploits the heat that would otherwise be wasted.
International environmental certification will be sought for the building. Upon completion, it will also be part of Sponda's energy efficiency program, which is Sponda's initiative that strives for energy conservation in partnership with its clients.
In addition to energy efficiency, special attention has been paid to flexibility and possible divisibility of the premises in the design phase. This makes it easy to change the premises from open office concepts to room offices and for meeting use, explains Kari Inkinen, the President and CEO of Sponda Plc.
During the last few decades, the district of Ruoholahti has developed into a popular residential and business area. For companies, Ruoholahti offers multifunctional options for office premises in the proximity of Helsinki city center. In addition, Ruoholahti is also easily accessible via public transport.
In Ruoholahti, Sponda has nearly 170,000 m² of leasable premises in total. The Helsinki Court House represents approximately 50,000 m² of this. Other properties owned by Sponda in Ruoholahti include the Ruoholahti Shopping Centre as well as office buildings Ruoholahden Tähti, Ruoholahden Poijut, Ruoholahden Sulka and Itämerentalo that offer modern office premises.
Sponda Plc
