Nordicum - Real Estate Annual Finland 2014 | Page 31

Be True to Your School
Aalto University is building a true heart
for its historic main campus
Aalto University – the new academic entity hailed as “the innovation
university” – is looking to build a true main campus. Fittingly, the existing
campus in Otaniemi, Espoo, was designed by the man who gave his name to the
university – one Alvar Aalto, the legendary architect/designer. But having Aalto
design the campus turned out to be a “kiss of death”, so to speak, for future
development: no one dared to meddle with this holy ground. After years of
preparation, however, there are plans to build a true core to the campus area –
while making sure that Aalto’s original work is not compromised in any way.

A

alto University Properties Ltd. put
together a high-profile architectural competition to find a vision that
would complement that of Aalto – and international entries came pouring in like rain.
As many as 189 entries entered the competition which is an extremely high number given the tight guidelines of the contest, says
Kari Kontturi, Managing Director of Aalto
University Properties.

“From a cultural historic perspective,
this competition featured its share of challenges,” he says, adding that a concept was
needed here that the entire community could
be proud of and fully commit to its realisation.

Setting the Standard
Finally in November, a winner was declared for the competition: Väre, designed
by the Finnish firm Verstas Architects and its
team of architects, Väinö Nikkilä, Jussi Palva, Riina Palva and Ilkka Salminen, walked
away with the first prize. According to the
jury, this scheme most successfully “solved
the challenges and conflicting demands of
the competition”.
All along, the university was looking
for a unique solution and a usable learning
environment for the new building and its
immediate surroundings. The quality of the
architecture as well as cost efficiency and
ecological sustainability were among the assessment criteria.
The jury described Väre as a strong
and convincing entry. Dean Helena Hyvönen, chairperson of the competition jury, remarked that the jury expects this winning entry to set a “new standard” for future university learning environments, not
only in Finland, but also within the international arena.
Kari Kontturi seconds the motion:
“The entire process, and especially the level
of interaction therein, has been world-class,”
he believes, emphasising that this project has
been all about “true dialogue”.

Driven by Metro

Open Innovation House in Otaniemi.

Kari Kontturi, Managing Director of
Aalto University Properties.

And, of course, the expectations are only
heightened by the introduction of metro into the campus in late 2015; the metro traffic is likely to energise various forms of development in the area.
But when can we expect to see the ul-

Lobby of Otakaari 1 (formerly main
building of The Helsinki University of
Technology) in Otaniemi.
timate “end product” of the process? Kontturi says that the new main building could
open its doors by the end of 2016, if everything runs smoothly. He admits that there
are some obstacles in the way, most of them
linking with zone plan alterations.
“Nevertheless, in the end we will get
something that has the power to bring people together,” he says.
The new building and its surroundings are examined as part of the university’s
broader campus programme which seeks to
strengthen the operational preconditions for
research, artistic activity and teaching.

Campus Facelift
There is also a massive renovation programme underway: the extensive retooling needed in the campuses is expected to
swallow € 230 million by the year 2020.
“We are looking to add new buildings, but also get rid of some old premises,” Kontturi says. More and more, the focus of the university is turning to new ways
of learning:
“Various co-working concepts are certainly worth looking into,” Kontturi says,
adding that collaboration with especially SMEs is likely to increase in the neighbourhood.
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