Urban centre REDI opened its doors at Kalasatama, Helsinki
SRV GROUP PLC PRESS RELEASE 20 SEPTEMBER 2018, AT 09.00
Urban centre REDI opened its doors at Kalasatama, Helsinki
Target is 12 million visitors in first year
Urban centre REDI opened its doors today at Kalasatama, Helsinki. REDI is a new way to live, enjoy oneself and shop in the middle of the city – yet near the sea and close to nature.
“The banking crisis was just beginning when in 2008 we sketched out the first REDI plan; we understood that the eastern inner city lacked services. Our certainty about the need for REDI grew after the Western Metro decision: the extension of the metro created for the Helsinki Metropolitan Area a totally new kind of east-west zone, on which urban centres like Kalasatama have grown. REDI is the largest construction project in SRV’s history, with a total value of over EUR 1 billion. It has been a huge financial endeavour for us, as we have not compromised on quality in the slightest. The amount of urban space is growing and compacting, because a bus load of new residents is moving to the Helsinki Metropolitan Area every day. More homes and services close to people are needed. Both are being implemented here at REDI,” says SRV’s President & CEO, Juha Pekka Ojala.
REDI has 63,000 square metres of leasable space, which makes it one of Finland’s largest shopping centres. There are just over 200 leased business premises, occupied by nearly 180 operators. REDI has a footfall target of 12 million visitors in its first year. The centre is located at the intersection of the major highways Itäväylä and Lahdenväylä. Around 500,000 people live within a 15-minute drive from the centre and 1.1 million live within a 30-minute drive.
“REDI is not only a shopping centre; it is an urban centre, where people can live, hang out and enjoy themselves. Previously, we went to a shopping centre merely to shop; nowadays, we go there not only to shop but to meet friends, be inspired and entertained. REDI has been brought to where people already are. It is an integral part of the urban structure,” explains Pia Svensk, Director of REDI shopping centre.
REDI shopping centre is an SRV own-development project, whose investor group also includes Ilmarinen, OP Financial Group and LocalTapiola.
REDI is a community open to all city residents
In addition to fashion and interior design outlets, restaurants and cafés, and daily consumer goods stores, REDI offers art, experiences and exercise opportunities as well as basic and wellbeing services for everyday life. Specialities include a climbing arena, the free-fall wind tunnel FÖÖNI and, located on the roof of the centre, the green deck Bryga, an oasis of relaxation intended for all city residents, which is nearly the size of the Esplanadi Park in central Helsinki.
“REDI has been designed on the customers’ terms right from the start. It has plenty of parking spaces: for 2,000 cars, including several hundred electric cars, and initially for 1,500 bicycles. From the metro platform, there is direct access to the third floor of REDI. The attractiveness of the centre is enhanced by works of art. REDI sits well in its environment – it is part of Kalasatama, which has always been a busy trading area,” adds Svensk.
REDI is cooperating with, among others, Jaakko Blomberg and Helsinki Urban Art. This cooperation has led to the creation of the Free City of Kalasatama, which will change for the autumn and winter, bringing to REDI new winds and making it an even more interesting location. The communal nature of REDI is also evident in the fact that the Children of the Station youth organisation, Helsinki Business College, the Forum Virium innovation unit and the parishes of Kallio and Paavali, for example, all have premises there.
“REDI has been planned to be part of a new kind of compact urban construction. Its location in a harbour area is seen and felt both indoors and outside. The sea and the harbour are present in the materials: Corten steel, copper and glass. REDI’s rough essence sits well in the harbour setting. REDI is not a closed capsule; it is a service centre for the people of the city, which breathes outwards into its close surroundings,” says Architect Pekka Helin, Chairman of the Board of Helin & Co Architects, which was responsible for designing REDI.
For further information, please contact:
Juha Pekka Ojala, President & CEO, SRV, tel. +358 40 733 4173, jp.ojala@srv.fi
Pia Svensk, Shopping Centre Director, REDI, tel. +358 50 389 0569, pia.svensk@srv.fi
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