More vibrantly

We are bringing life, services, and greenery here so that city residents can enjoy a good everyday life.

Vallila has enormous untapped potential. The former industrial and office area near the city center has fallen into disuse in recent years. Even if renovated, empty offices will not attract new customers, but by changing their purpose, they will be replaced by apartments and services for all city residents. New residents and services will bring a new kind of life to Vallila. Helsinki is growing, and we should make the most of all the good locations. Empty buildings are not a sustainable solution from an environmental perspective either.

More sustainably

This site utilizes the tools of the circular economy more extensively than any other construction site.

The plan includes demolishing parts of the existing buildings in the block. Construction and material recovery will be carried out according to the principles of circular economy and sustainable development. All the best parts of the old block will be preserved. The dismantled building components will be reused either on the same site or in other YIT projects. The block project can serve as a testing ground for innovations and new practices, and demonstrate what circular economy in construction truly means.

Currently, the block has very little greenery. As rooftop courtyards are dismantled, it becomes possible to create ground-level yards that allow trees to grow large, add more inner courtyards, and multiply the amount of green space. The block is currently an exceptionally wide-framed structure. As part of the transformation, some buildings will have narrower frames, allowing natural light to reach the renewed, green courtyards.

More respectfully

We are bringing this block to life so that we can have more of Vallila.

Revitalizing Vallila requires residents who use a variety of services. New housing and services bring life to street level at all hours of the day. The new buildings are designed to be flexible in the future, should the needs change. The architecture and the design of active street space take into account Vallila’s identity, its historical layers, and a human scale. The block also enables ambitious housing solutions that may not have been possible elsewhere in the inner city. What matters most is that the overall concept becomes something that city dwellers can easily embrace as their own.

More courageously

We are boldly piloting new types of housing, circular economy solutions, and services for Vallila.

The people working in Vallila and the various cultural actors have a lot of knowledge and understanding of the area's unique identity. YIT wants to utilize this understanding already in the planning phase of the block project. It is also important to involve future users already in the early stages to ensure that the new buildings meet the wishes of the city's residents. New plans in the old area can also raise concerns among the current actors in Vallila or residents of the surrounding areas. That is why it is important that they are heard.