YIT and Sato’s Punos proposal is being proposed as recipient of planning reserve for the Jokeri block in the Itäkeskus district of Helsinki

YIT Corporation Press release May 3, 2019, at 8 am  

In spring 2018, the City of Helsinki organised a competition for development plans for Itäkeskus’ Jokeri block, which was won by YIT and SATO’s shared proposal, Punos. YIT and SATO are now applying for a planning reserve for the project, the objective of which is to build a versatile hybrid block in the metro station area of Helsinki’s Itäkeskus. Designs for the block include owner-occupied and rental housing, business premises and a public transport terminal.

YIT and Sato have applied for a planning reserve for the Punos hybrid block, which will be composed of the station, track and street areas as well as the station and the housing and business premises in the area of the Itäkeskus metro station. The project is based on the development competition concerning the Jokeri block in Itäkeskus, organised by the City of Helsinki in the spring 2018, to which YIT and Sato submitted a joint proposal. 

The project’s technical and financial feasibility is being investigated in cooperation with the City of Helsinki, the Jokeri Light Rail alliance, Helsinki City Transport, Helsinki Regional Transport Authority and the area’s operators. The goal is to start construction in 2020, with the first housing units, the public transport terminal and the business premises set for completion in 2023–2024. It is planned that Punos will have about 350 housing units and about 9,000 square metres of office and business premises.

An even more functional and cosy urban centre

Itäkeskus is an important transport hub that can be reached by metro, bus, car, foot or bicycle and, in the future, also by light rail. The objective is to build a functional and pleasant urban centre with a high-quality urban landscape and architecture on top of the current metro station. Called Punos, this urban centre will provide residents and passengers with the chance to move from one means of transport to another conveniently, through indoor spaces, and take care of their daily errands while they’re doing so.  

The transport-wise central location and the services of Punos, combined with the range of services on offer in the nearby shopping centres, form the basis for smoother everyday life, for residents and visitors alike.  

The public transport terminal would open at the same time as the Jokeri Light Rail is set to begin operations in 2024. YIT is a party to the Jokeri Light Rail alliance, and therefore construction sites could be smoothly integrated with the construction of Punos. The Jokeri Light Rail terminus would be in a covered space. 

“In terms of its activities, Punos will be divided into different floors. The first-floor public transport terminal will be for transit. This street level will also house points of fast service, cafés and places you can drop by in, all of which make the station even more enjoyable. The second floor will house restaurant and welfare services, and the upper floors are for housing,” explains Sanni Tuomainen, Head of Project for business premises development at YIT. 

Renting or buying homes

Privately financed rental and owner-occupied apartments as well as assisted living enable a cosy and urbane everyday life for residents at different stages of their lives, who value services and transport connections. The courtyard of Punos rises clearly higher than the street level, into its own peace, as do the apartments in the apartment buildings around it. Some of the apartments will be assisted living units, which support residents’ independent lives, their ability to function, and their ability to live at home for as long as possible.  

“Thanks to their compact size, the apartments in Punos will be suitable for single people and DINKs of all ages. They can even be a new family’s first nesting place or an active senior citizen’s home,” says Heikki K. Hannukkala, Vice President at YIT.  

“When choosing an apartment, location is one of the most important criteria, and Itäkeskus is an area where traffic connections will become even better in the next few years, and by using the public transport, one can easily travel to different directions. The Punos block provides us with an excellent opportunity to offer cosy rental homes right by a transport hub and extensive services,” says Antti Aarnio, Vice President in charge of investments at SATO. 

This is Punos: 

• A modern public transport terminal for more than 100,000 daily users of public transport 
• Homes for 500 residents located right by a variety of transport options and services  
• Fast service spots as well as food culture and well-being services, about 9,000 square metres of business premises 
• 150 new jobs in services 
• A cosy and functional urban centre adding to the appeal of the strongly developing East Helsinki  
• www.yit.fi/punos  

More info:
Sanni Tuomainen, Vice President, project development of hybrid and care initiatives, YIT Finland Ltd, tel. +358 (0)40 519 2784, sanni.tuomainen@yit.fi
Heikki K. Hannukkala, YIT Vice President, Housing, Greater Helsinki metropolitan area, East, YIT Finland Ltd, tel. +358 (0)40 551 5940, heikki.hannukkala@yit.fi
Hanna Malmivaara, YIT Vice President, Communications, YIT Corporation, tel. +358 (0)40 561 6568, hanna.malmivaara@yit.fi
Antti Aarnio, Vice President, Business, Sato Corporation, tel. +358 (0)20 134 4200 and +358 (0)40 164 7052, antti.aarnio@sato.fi
Ilkka Aaltonen, Senior Real Estate Advisor, City of Helsinki, tel. +358 (0)9 310 36441, ilkka.aaltonen@hel.fi 

YIT is the largest Finnish and a significant North European construction company. We develop and build apartments, business premises and entire areas. We are also specialised in demanding infrastructure construction and paving. Together with our customers, our 10,000 professionals are creating more functional, more attractive and more sustainable cities and environments. We operate in 11 countries: Finland, Russia, Scandinavia, the Baltic Countries, the Czech Republic, Slovakia and Poland. The new YIT was born when over 100-year-old YIT Corporation and Lemminkäinen Corporation merged on February 1, 2018. Our pro forma revenue for 2017 was over EUR 3.8 billion. YIT Corporation's share is listed on Nasdaq Helsinki. www.yitgroup.com

SATO Corporation is one of Finland’s leading lessor. SATO’s objective is to offer extensive options for rental homes and an excellent customer experience. By the end of 2018, SATO owned approximately 25,900 apartments in Finland’s largest growth centres and also in St. Petersburg. Our operations promote sustainable development and initiative and we also work in open interaction with our stakeholders to produce additional value. We operate in a long-term and profitable manner. We increase the value of residential property through investments and realisations and also renovations. In 2018, SATO Group’s revenue was EUR 290 million, earnings EUR 273 million and profit before taxes was EUR 231 million. Our invested capital amounted to approximately EUR 3.9 billion.

APPENDIX  

An architect’s vision of Punos in the competition stage, Cederqvist & Jäntti Architects 

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