First residents move into Majakka, Finland’s tallest skyscraper
The first residents have moved into the Majakka tower building, which has been completed in Kalasatama, Helsinki. Rising to a height of 134 metres, Majakka is the first real skyscraper in Finland. The moving-in period will last a total of four weeks. Majakka is part of a complex of eight tower buildings under construction in Helsinki’s most popular reformed residential area, Kalasatama.
“SRV has been a pioneer in urban construction in Finland. The Kalasatama towers are the largest construction project in our history. We aren’t just constructing buildings in Kalasatama: we’re creating functional living environments built around a good location, beautiful views, diverse traffic connections and easy access to housing services. We’ve developed this project for years and it’s now truly wonderful to see residents moving into the tower building. We wish them a pleasant move and plenty of happiness in their gorgeous new homes,” says Timo Nieminen, SRV’s Executive Vice President,
Deputy CEO.
Majakka has 35 floors and a total of 282 apartments. The apartment sizes range from 36 to 196 square metres. The average apartment price is slightly over EUR 7,000 per square metre. Almost all of the apartments have already been sold. Only a few units on the uppermost floors are still available. Another residential tower, the 124-metre Loisto, is currently under construction next to Majakka. It is expected to be completed on schedule at the end of 2021. A total of seven residential towers and one office tower (Horisontti) will be built on top of the REDI shopping centre.
Majakka’s completion was delayed by the water damage that occurred in February. Some floor and wall materials had to be dried and replaced in some of the apartments. A team of experts consisting of SRV staff and external specialists oversaw the drying process and moisture measurements. The repairs emphasised quality. The residents can now move into healthy and high-quality apartments.
Housing services play a key role in the tower buildings
Majakka offers a unique service portfolio. The residents were closely involved in planning housing services right from the start. Majakka features a hotel-like lobby service and versatile communal areas on the 33rd floor: a large club room, a sauna section with a bath and hot tub, an outdoor terrace that runs the width of the entire building and a summer kitchen boasting stunning views. The building also has a gym for the residents and a bicycle maintenance room. The residents also have access to a communal car and electric bikes. The service portfolio developed with the residents includes a variety of services that can be ordered from partners, such as home cleaning, handyman help, pet walking, laundry, home delivery of groceries and catering.
“We’ve engaged in plenty of research and joint development to understand the daily lives of our customers and the related challenges and wishes. Constructing tower buildings in urban centres sets the stage for service packages of a kind never seen before in Finland – this frees people from dull daily routines and gives them the time to do things that they enjoy,” says Lotta Toivonen, Project Manager for Service Development.
Kalasatama is the most pleasant and appealing of Helsinki’s reformed residential areas
Kalasatama, a former harbour and industrial area, is now a city district with 3,000 residents. When the area is completed by 2040, it will have 25,000 residents and 10,000 jobs. A new survey* indicates that Kalasatama is considered to be the most pleasant of Helsinki’s reformed residential areas. One fifth of all the survey respondents would consider moving there. The key benefits of Kalasatama are its seaside location, versatile services and excellent transport connections.
“At Kalasatama, the old industrial Helsinki meets the new, setting the stage for unique and urban living in a historical milieu. The area combines versatile services, including shopping centres, with efficient transport connections and good housing supply into an attractive whole. Proximity to the sea has always been a great draw in the housing market. Modern housing in a seaside location with good transport connections is an attractive proposition to homebuyers – and also a safe one in terms of price development,” says Riikka Lohikoski, Sales Director at SRV.
Converting old harbours into residential areas is an international trend, evident in cities such as London, Hamburg and Amsterdam. Former harbour areas like Kalasatama can be found in Nordic cities such as Stockholm (Hammarby Sjöstad), Gothenburg (Norra Älvstranden) and Oslo (Aker-Brygge-Bjørvika).
*Research company Dagmar used an online panel to assess the opinions of Finns living in Uusimaa on the most popular reformed residential areas of Helsinki. Of the respondents, 18 per cent considered Kalasatama to be the most pleasant reformed residential area and 20 per cent would consider moving there. The next most interesting new areas are Kruunuvuorenranta, Jätkäsaari, Pasila, Keilaniemi, Sompasaari and Verkkosaari. The survey had 317 respondents.
