YIT internal magazine - ing 02/2012

The control room is up to
speed on YIT properties
Willa energises the town of Hyvinkää
YIT builds property in a prime
location in St. Petersburg
Kaleva’s printing house
in Oulu built by YIT
14
30
20
36
Work premises
of the future are
flexible and ready
for changes
The SpaceGenius concept is
a solution to the challenges
of the modern office.
6
YIT Corporation Stakeholder Magazine 2/2012
www.yitgroup.com

2
For more
information,
please visit
www.
icehotel.com
Jukkasjärvi
ICEHOTEL
is the world's largest
hotel built of ice and
snow. The hotel is
rebuilt every year
at the start of the
winter season.
2

Jukkasjärvi
hotel:
circle of ice
TeXT Risto Pakarinen PHOTO ICEHOTEL
E
very fall, as soon as the temperature drops to minus 3 degrees
Celsius, the people at Jukkasjärvi hotel start building their
new hotel. Big ice blocks have been cut out of the Torne
river, and saved over the summer for that purpose. The end
result, opening usually in December, is a 5,000 square-meter
hotel made of ice.
YIT recently signed a three-year contract with icehotel, for the
service and maintainance of their cooling and heating equipment.
“It’s a major contract for us here in northern Sweden, amounting
to about 700 annual man hours for the next three years,” says Thomas
Rönnberg at YIT in Luleå.
“The entire ice hotel has 23 cooling units in the production space,
the Arctic Center and the warehouse where they store the ice blocks. In
addition, they have 16 heating pumps,” he adds.
Inside the hotel, instead of keeping drinks cool, there are heaters that
make sure they don’t freeze. And so the guests won’t freeze.
One of the management’s goals is that by 2015, when YIT’s contract
expires, the hotel will also be CO2
negative. The first step has been to
educate the staff on saving energy.
“The next step will be to invest in facilities for producing our own
renewable-source energy,” says Dan Björk, Icehotel’s Marketing
Manager.
A big majority, 80 percent, of the hotel’s buildings are already heated
with ground-source heat.
“We haven’t delivered anything new yet, but we hope that there will be
some new investment,” says Rönnberg.
In April, the 900 tonnes of ice start to melt and two months later, it's
all gone. In the fall, the hotel will be back, better than ever.
3

Our centennial anniversary year has proceeded towards its natural conclusion, enriching us with many different
memories. In the course of one hundred years, we have advanced good living environments for people through
numerous development projects. In 1912, the Porvoo water tower was a monument to YIT’s competence in steel-
reinforced concrete construction, winning widespread admiration in its time. Our work in Porvoo continues, as we build
day-care centres there in accordance with the life cycle model.
In this our anniversary year, we also have countless new innovations already in implementation or set to be launched.
This is exemplified by the SpaceGenius office buildings that are about to land on the shores of Kalasatama in Helsinki.
When we planned the new concept together with the client, we set a number of goals for it; we wanted to make it fit
for purpose, flexible for modifications and energy efficient. Another goal was to promote well-being at work – the best
work environment is friendly both to people and nature. According to Jani Orava, Project Development Manager for YIT
Building System Finland, SpaceGenius can offer something unique to every employee on the premises.
High-quality repair and renovation of old buildings are further strengths of YIT. Old valuable real estate, in particular,
requires cultural and historical knowledge because it is also very significant from the societal standpoint. The future
outlook for renovation is good because the amount of valuable real estate is rising all the time.
In the areas of city and regional development, examples of our successful efforts include the development of the
town centre of Hyvinkää with the Willa shopping centre featuring over 100 shops,
and the construction of an office and business centre in Tikkurila at a location with
excellent traffic connections. The Tikkurila Commercial Centre will be a key nexus
for travel between the Helsinki-Vantaa airport and the main railway line going
north. From an architectural viewpoint, the centre in Tikkurila will add an elegant
Finnish touch to international railway and air travel. The multifunctional three-storey
shopping centre and the office towers will have over 16,000 square metres of
unique office space.
The Tikkurila Commercial Centre is one of our SpaceGenius sites. Read more
about SpaceGenius at www.yitgroup.com/spacegenius.
YIT’s property control room (celebrating its 10th anniversary this year)
works around the clock to ensure that building systems – heating, plumbing, air
conditioning and electricity – are working flawlessly and energy-efficiently in all of
the 500 buildings connected to the system.
Additionally, YIT’s operations abroad provide numerous fine examples of the
multi-faceted nature of the company’s business, with all the life cycle models and
energy efficiency solutions. One such example is the exotic Jukkasjärvi Icehotel
in Kiruna, Sweden, which is built from scratch every year. YIT is in charge of
servicing the hotel’s cooling and heating equipment. The company’s operations
in Russia, Central Europe, the Nordic countries and the Baltic countries continue
along innovative lines, based on what our customers need from us.
I wish you a useful and enjoyable read!
The life cycle model
– from the Porvoo water town to day-care centres
“SpaceGenius
can offer some-
thing unique to
each individual
employee.”
Eija Sandberg
Editor-in-Chief
4
YIT Corporation Stakeholder Magazine 2/2012

SpaceGenius – how ingenious!
A century of YIT in Porvoo
Buildings under
control,YIT in control
Willa in Hyvinkää
Downtown St. Petersburg
New premises for newsprint
These office premises are energy-
efficient, modifiable and individual.
The Porvoo water tower was built
one hundred years ago. Now day-
care centres are built in the town.
The control room is up to speed
on the situation at it properties.
A new shopping centre
opened in the southern
Finnish town.
YIT builds and renovates in
the city’s historic centre.
Kaleva’s new printing house
meets contemporary demands.
11 Valuable real estate
is worth renovating.
6
12
14
20
30
36
18 Development co-
operation is also a
chapter in YIT’s annals
Painotuote
441 032
34 Future outlooks
for investors
PEFC/02-31-120
YIT is a major European
service company catering
to the real estate and
construction sectors
and industry.
We construct, develop
and maintain a good
living environment in the
Nordic countries, Russia,
the Baltic countries and
Central Europe. In 2011,
YIT’s turnover was around
€4.5 billion. The Group now
has approximately 26,000
employees. YIT’s share is
quoted on NASDAQ OMX
Helsinki Oy.
Publisher: YIT Corporation, P.O. Box 36, FI-00621 Helsinki, tel. +358 20 433 111, www.yitgroup.com
Editor-in-Chief: Eija Sandberg Editorial board: Kirsi Hemmilä, Sari Malka, Elena Vanhanen,
Katja Tiitinen, Tuija Vilhomaa Editorial secretary: Terhi Paavola, Maggie Oy Layout: Maggie Oy | Zeeland
Cover: YIT Printing house: Erweko Painotuote Oy Paper: Edixion ISSN: 1795-7850 (print), 2323-1300 (online
publication) ISSN-L: 1795-7850 Read -ing online: www.yitgroup.com/media/publications Source of address:
YIT's customer and shareholder register Change of address: postit@yit.fi or leena.hemmila@yit.fi Feedback and
ideas about articles can be sent to: eija.sandberg@yit.fi The next -ing will come out in May 2013.
Engineering for Living – YIT Corporation Stakeholder Magazine
www.yitgroup.com/YIT_
GROUP/about-us/Media
The -ing magazine
and other YIT publications
are available at
a single location.
www.yit.fi
Get the information
you need about
YIT’s services and
topical news.
yit100.yit.fi/yit100/YIT100_uk/
Learn more about
our history at
our anniversary site.
5
6 2012 36

6
TEXT Pertti Suvanto PHOTOS YIT AND OLLI Urpela
An ingenious space
solution for offices
The SpaceGenius concept was developed
in collaboration with customers.
The result was multi-use office 2.0
In a SpaceGenius office,
the work environment
can easily be modified as
company’s needs change.

7
J
arkko Pakkala, Director of YIT's Office
Construction Services in the Greater Helsinki
region and Tuula Klemetti, Sales Director for YIT,
are visibly excited. The reason is SpaceGenius, a
new, flexible and modifiable concept introduced by
YIT, which responds exactly to the great transformation in
work life seen today.
Earlier, cellular and open-plan offices were at the opposite
ends of the office layout spectrum, the former consisting of
isolated rooms or “cubes” and the latter of sometimes noisy
and often bustling open spaces. Today the talk is of multi-
use offices that can be modified to the requirements of the
work community, and shaped by the nature of information
work. Sometimes the layout of work premises may need to be
changed multiple times in quick succession, even several times
a year.
In many cases, the constraints of building systems and
the location of fixed structures, such as, intermediate walls
and shafts, prevent making flexible changes in office work
environments.
The SpaceGenius concept refers to an office where the
work environment is easier to modify to conform to changing
company needs. With SpaceGenius, single premises allow
for flexible implementation of different space solutions, as
may be required by different work tasks. The only limitation
is one’s imagination – not the structures or building
systems. The office can be changed smoothly along with the
organisation.
Customers provide the guidelines
Tuula Klemetti says that the SpaceGenius concept was
initiated in 2011 out of the customers' own needs and views.
The workshops and group discussions, arranged together with
companies of different sizes and representing different lines

of business, resulted in a clear idea of what an optimal office
should be. However, these types of premises had not been built
before in Finland.
“A strength of YIT is the company’s wide-ranging expertise
and competence across the entire scale of construction. We
threw a challenge to Building Services, and it excited them.
Together we set out to find solutions to meet the customers'
needs. On the visual side of the project, we were able to rely on
the support of SARC Architects.”
“The SpaceGenius concept requires a lot from the building
systems. It combines technical solutions in a new and innova-
tive way. But because we use solutions that have already been
tried and tested, this guarantees that the systems will work.”
According to Klemetti, there were three “tablets of law”
guiding the design work of the concept; it needed to be fit
for purpose, flexible for modifications and energy-efficient,
which also entails plenty of positive environmental effects
that are important for customers. Another starting point was
awareness of the fact that improving the well-being and job
satisfaction of employees will also increase the company's
productivity and profitability.
“The premises must be such that employees feel good about
being there. The goal was to promote well-being at work in
many ways. This is something we were able to do. A work
environment that has been optimised in the best possible way
is friendly both to people and nature.
Combining blocks as needed
Jarkko Pakkala illustrates the ingenuity of YIT's building
systems solution with pen and paper. A conventional office is
often based on a solution featuring two corridors, where the
workspaces and functions are situated in fixed rows on the
sides and in the middle.
SpaceGenius is based on grids that fill up the space on a
given floor. By placing the workstations and functions into the
grids, different office layouts can be freely applied.
Building systems are included in each grid. The goal is to
make the conditions as pleasant as possible. Instead of relying
on conventional chilled beams, ventilation and cooling are
provided with a sufficient number of multi-function terminals
installed in the ceiling, and controlled by YIT's automation
system. This is a way to achieve the desired conditions for each
individual workspace.
As for heating, the SpaceGenius concept relies on underfloor
heating. The underfloor heating network can also be used
for cooling by using the thermal mass of the floor as the
storage. Lighting is controlled on an as-needed basis. The
energy efficiency of lighting is ensured by controlling standard
lighting and presence lighting.
The oh-so-familiar mazes of columns in open offices are
gone, and the location of power sockets no longer determines
the placement of workstations. Electrical and data cabling
are in a grid, mainly installed through floor installations. The
wireless local area network (WLAN) distributes data capacity,
thereby further reducing the need for visible data cabling.
“The concept can be divided in parts, which can be referred
to as blocks, and by combining these blocks we can find the
best and most applicable solution for the customer. This will
result in different functional SpaceGenius solutions accord-
ing to company needs. These may include round conference
rooms, single office rooms, open spaces, changing locations of
workstations and corridors and so forth,” Pakkala says.
Tuula Klemetti thinks that
employees should be able
to feel comfortable in the
premises where they work.
The office buildings emerging
at Kalasatama will feature work
premises customised according to
the SpaceGenius concept.
8

T
hree modern office buildings, Polttimo,
Paahtimo and Paja, pave the way for the
evolution of working space. You can get an
advance look of the uniqueness of these
spaces at vimeo.com/41134100. By looking
at the premises that open up in zones, you will
see how all the versatile opportunities for designation of space
and situation-specific customisation begin to unveil before
your eyes. The premises adapt well to different changes in the
work environment.
In a concentrated solution, the long rows of desks steer the
flow of movement within the office, and information can be
passed freely from person to person and unit to unit, in waves.
In a dispersed layout, groups of desks are linked with each
other by meeting areas, forming independent units.
In a divided layout, everyone can see each other in
an optimal way, and information can be passed around
quickly. Everyone can observe the activity and be part of it
simultaneously.
This results in spacious and functional premises that
support the work and whose atmosphere corresponds with
their purpose: impressive lobbies, quiet work premises,
peaceful relaxation areas and sound-insulated telephone
rooms. Mobile meeting rooms can be moved from one place
to another. The light-structured space solutions
allow for easy and affordable modifications to
meet changing company needs and functions.
To a large extent, the new solutions depend
on building systems. According to Jani Orava, Project
Development Manager for YIT Building Systems Finland, the
premises represent a whole new standard for the arrangement
of work environments, owing to good acoustics and the
modifiability provided by the application of building systems.
Good conditions play a very important part in work
satisfaction. People experience lighting, temperature and
air movement in different ways. At best, SpaceGenius also
makes it possible to control the conditions specifically for each
and every employee.
SpaceGenius is being introduced at Kalasatama because
it is an exciting new development area. This maritime area
emerging in the heart of Helsinki attracts dynamic companies
with its unique, modern and urban appeal. Thanks to excellent
traffic connections, the area is a dream workplace for
thousands of people.
“The new concepts are an excellent fit at Kalasatama.
Those companies that contemplate the comfort of personnel
and future ways of working will probably land in the area,”
Orava says.
The first office buildings under the SpaceGenius
concept emerge in Helsinki’s Kalasatama.
Long rows of desks
steer the flow of
movement within the
office. The premises are
spacious and functional.
Read more
www.
yitgroup.
com/space-
genius
9

“As the company’s space requirements change, resulting
in changes to working areas, now it is possible to do most of
the change work without relying on renovation specialists.
This creates considerable savings in time and money, and also
benefits the property owner when tenants change and space
requirements change accordingly,” Klemetti continues.
A journey in tandem
It has been said that business premises are more than just a
lifeless setting for work. They are also the building material
for the company's external image, and good ones will attract
competent and creative employees. In time, premises become
part of the company’s everyday business in many ways and
create the image of the company's distinct character.
What kind of companies would find SpaceGenius useful?
Klemetti does not need to think long or hard for the answer.
“SpaceGenius suits each and every company. Companies
have different needs. The nature of some companies' work
requires rooms where matters can be handled discreetly,
whereas other companies need to have environments conducive
to innovation and creativity. This provides something for
everyone, without limitations. It gives companies a new boost
and uplift, regardless of the line of business they are in.”
Klemetti describes SpaceGenius as a new kind of journey
made together with the customer. The concept provides
individuals and teams with different zones and types of space
that are neither fixed nor static. SpaceGenius changes the
orientation from the building, which has been the conventional
approach, to the user, underlines the comfort factors of the
work environment and supports focusing on the work instead
of the workstation.
“YIT collaborates with the customer, right from the
beginning of the design work. We listen carefully to the
customers to know their wishes and needs, offer them support
and give them ideas. Our aim is to collaborate with them in
customising for them exactly the kind of premises they want
and need,” Klemetti says.
Mobile meeting rooms
can be moved from
one place to another.
1
10

Renovation extends the life of buildings with cultural
and historical value.
W
hen you talk about buildings with exceptional
architectural features, you are speaking about
valuable real estate, located in good central
areas and often boasting beautiful scenery. In
renovating them, the idea is to retain and pay
homage to the old structures with an eye to modernisation. These
buildings often feature architectural details that should be retained,
particularly if they are historically protected, but many aspects of
which need modernising.
YIT has collaborated with the real estate investment company HGR Property Partners Oy
for many years. Both companies have strong competencies in real estate development
and implementation of demanding, total solutions. In addition to developing real estate,
the two companies are constantly looking for suitable sites and thinking about how the
buildings could be utilised. YIT handles the technical aspects and the renovation work.
Modernising old buildings to convert them into office use, for example, has positive
effects on their surroundings.
“Renovation definitely has a social dimension as well. It extends the life of a building
and helps to preserve sites with cultural and historical value. Furthermore, renovation often
supports the development of the surrounding area because the buildings will remain in
use when there are better services available in the area,” says Timo Erkkilä, unit head
for YIT.
From tobacco factory to office space. Construction of the property at
Ruoholahdenkatu 23 in Helsinki, which was originally a tobacco factory, was a big project
at the time. Now, there has been a desire to renovate the building to make it better suited
for contemporary needs.
Renovation always requires meticulous planning. The building must be inspected
carefully so as to avoid any major surprises during the actual renovation. At the
Ruoholahdenkatu site, the roof was completely replaced, and special attention was paid
to roof ventilation. The entire building façade was serviced and painted. The building
systems were brought up-to-date, and all interior surfaces were redone. Because CWT
Kaleva Travel continued its tenancy in the building all during the renovation, it was
necessary to guarantee them a peaceful work environment to the highest possible degree
and circumstances under which they could successfully carry out business.
“Studies show that relocation is a major cause of stress. To relieve this, we needed to
communicate the process flow to our staff. YIT kept us up to speed as well as we could
hope for, really. Now we have completely revamped and spacious premises that have a
fresh feel to them at our disposal,” says Terhi Utriainen, HR Director at CWT.
FUTURE TRENDS. The future outlook in renovation looks good. There will be more and
more valuable real estate as the current trend favours renovation over demolition. And
there will be more new sites; currently, the preservation approach already includes build-
ings from the 1960s and 1970s. There are an increasing number of decisions favouring
preservation.
“I believe that valuable real estate will remain valuable. Investors operating in these
markets appreciate low risk and guaranteed income. The tenants also benefit from the
longevity-based approach of their landlords,” says Kari Helin of HGR Property Partners.
Renovation of valuable real
estate is always worth the effort
2
1 The interior of this
valuable real estate
has been renovated
completely, with
clear respect paid to
the old structures.
2 The nearly century-
old building was
designed by Emil
Fabritius and Valter
Jung. It was built in
1913. The building
has a total space of
6,895 square metres.
It is excellently
located, only about
700 metres from
both the Ruoholahti
and Kamppi metro
stations.
TIMOERKKILÄ
11

TEXTMattiA.KallioPHOTOSYIT&PeterheleniusARCHIVEs
A century in Porvoo
YIT has been building in the Finnish
town of Porvoo for a hundred years.
It started with the construction of
a water tower in 1912. Today, YIT
constructs contemporary buildings in
Porvoo using the life cycle model, with
a strong focus on energy efficiency.
T
hree new day-care centres serve as fine examples
of YIT projects in Porvoo. They are the first day-
care centres in Finland built in compliance with
the life cycle model. The main purpose of the life
cycle model is to divide financial liability, offering
a turnkey service that includes building mainte-
nance. Under this model the day-care centres are guaranteed
to be kept in good condition and remain usable for a period of
20 years. It relieves the City of Porvoo from dealing with extra
costs, including possible repair costs.
1
The day-care centre at Ylä-Haikkoo was completed in
summer 2012, and the new facilities welcomed the first
children in early August. The Omenatarha day-care centre
will be ready in December 2012, followed by the centre in
Porvoo’s Jokilaakso in summer 2013.
The day-care centres have been designed to be energy-
efficient. The structural solutions, under floor heating, use
of geothermal energy, solar collectors and LED lighting,
will generate savings in operating costs. The ventilation is
controlled by a presence-sensing system.
Besides the day-care centres, YIT's current building pro-
jects in Porvoo include residential housing in the Haikko
district and a medical centre, Porvoon Lääkäritalo. The
medical centre has been designed with attention paid to
giving unobstructed access and meeting function-specific
requirements. It is scheduled for completion this autumn.
“In Haikko, we are building a row of houses. On the
western bank of the Porvoo River in Länsiranta, we are
about to start construction of a new multi-storey residen-
tial building opposite the Porvoo Art Factory. YIT is pre-
paring a zoning change, together with the city, for the Näsi
1 YIT’s competence
in steel-reinforced
concrete construction
helped to clinch the
contract for the water
tower in Porvoo.
2 The day-care centre
at Ylä-Haikkoo was
completed in summer
2012. It was designed
with a focus on
energy efficiency and
according to the life
cycle model.
3 YIT provides both
Neste Oil and Borealis
with maintenance
and project services.
Servicing work was
done at Borealis
during the major
shutdown in August-
September 2012.
12

Safety and
operational reliability
The Kilpilahti industrial park
is the largest concentration
of oil refining operations
and chemical plants in
the Nordic countries. The
biggest players there are
Neste Oil Corporation and
Borealis Polymers Oy. YIT
provides both Neste Oil and
Borealis with maintenance
and project services. Safety
and maintenance are key
when talking about process availability and operational
reliability.
This autumn has been a busy time in Kilpilahti. A
major shutdown for servicing began at Borealis on 28
August. In addition to the in-house staff, a maximum of
1,500 external contractors will be involved in the servic-
ing work. Once the shutdown at Borealis is finished,
some of these people will move over to the Neste Oil
refinery that will also be shut down for servicing.
Major servicing work requires exact planning to do it
safely and on time. Preparation for possible surprises is
also needed, because disassembly of process equip-
ment may reveal something that would require more
work or require spare parts. It is not a coincidence that
the two shutdowns have been planned to take place
sequentially rather than simultaneously. Sequential shut-
down ensures the availability of resources, improves
efficiency and facilitates logistics arrangements.
3
2
district, where we will build new housing,” says Esa Turkka,
head of unit for YIT Residential Construction in Uusimaa.
According to Hannu Soikkeli, Director of YIT’s Project
Development in Uusimaa, Porvoo is part of the company’s
past, present and future.
“The experiences we garner will be useful in our other
life cycle projects, such as the school and day-care centre at
Huhtasuo in Jyväskylä,” Soikkeli says.
Porvoo is a good place to live. Porvoo’s Mayor,
Jukka-Pekka Ujula, aims to build more than 2,400 new
homes in the city area over the next four years. Some 720
of these will be right-of-occupancy homes and rental
apartments.
“Rental housing construction in Porvoo is relatively small
on a country-wide scale, and until now, the town has been
responsible for it. But developers and construction companies
will surely have a bigger role in the future,” says Mayor Ujula.
“In developing the town centre, we are guided by values
regarding the townscape, based equally on cultural and
historical and present-day needs. These needs are affected
by technology and the value people place on their living
circumstances,” he specifies.
“Some time ago, we carried out a migration analysis and
studied people who moved to Porvoo to find out more about
them and their living preferences. New residents are mainly
looking for areas where housing predominantly consists of
single-family homes”, Ujula says.
“We are looking at the situation over the long term, and
from this viewpoint, there is plenty of room for public-
private partnerships (PPP), naturally, always by way of
bidding competitions. The partners are obviously required
to be reliable, have the necessary expertise and come with
references. But a good partner must always have a certain
desire to try something new. A good partner will bring new
thinking to the table,” Mayor Ujula summarises.
1313

YIT’s property control room ensures that
the building systems of any property
operate flawlessly and energy-efficiently.
This reflects in cost savingss as well.
Control room
services have
a finger on the
pulse of properties
TEXT Katja Alaja PHOTOS Janne Lehtinen
R
ed, more red and then some. In a matter of a few
minutes, one hundred blips show up on the massive
screen. Just moments ago, YIT expert, Juha-Pekka
Paalo, said that things were exceptionally quiet
today. So much for quiet.
We are in YIT's control room, whose HEPAC
experts monitor the building systems of 500 properties on a 24/7
basis. The services cover all heating, plumbing, air conditioning and
electrical equipment.
“Well, well, cooling is not working in one of the ventilation
systems hall, and the temperature is climbing. Ditto for another
ventilation systems hall; the situation is becoming more critical,”
Paalo says, while performing an on-screen analysis of the ventila-
tion machines. He deals with the alarms in their order of urgency.
14

“In nine out of ten alarm
situations, troubleshooting and
repairs can be done remotely.”
Ville Posti, head of the control room
15

YIT’s control room services have evolved
from monitoring equipment alarms to
providing comprehensive maintenance
services. It started in 2002, when
two large contract customers of YIT
required centralised monitoring of their
equipment alarms. Two years later YIT
made control room services available
for purchase to all customers, the
first company in Finland to do so. YIT
developed its own control system, to
which different building systems can
be connected. In 2006, the control
room services were expanded to
include equipment adjustments through
remote connections and the utilisation
of reporting, and in 2008, they already
played a part in the energy management
of properties. Two years ago, the
property control room was relocated
from Helsinki to YIT's office at Torpantie,
Vantaa. This year the control room was
expanded by merging YIT's energy unit
with it.
The control room
celebrating its
10th anniversary
Paalo appears completely calm and relaxed – he has faced similar
situations in the course of nearly ten years. On a really busy day, the number
of alarms may reach 2,000, and there may be 100 related phone calls. During
the hot summer months, the operation of ventilation machinery is easily
disrupted, with as many as 20,000 alarms set off per month.
The door opens and in walks Customer Account Manager, Mika Parvela,
the site manager for the ventilation systems halls. He and Paalo examine
the situation. A sequence of measures follows: adjustment of the cooling
process, telephone calls to the customer and maintenance personnel and
dispatching a maintenance man to one site.
A digital newspaper is on one monitor. A news release appears on the
screen, providing an explanation for the number of alarms. A district heat-
ing pipe has broken in downtown Helsinki. However, the situation with the
ventilation system halls is under control because backup cooling is up and
running.
Control room head Ville Posti is satisfied with the way the control room is
operating.
“In the ventilation system halls, for example, our experts must be able
to make things work within very tight response times. But these guys are
up to the task of resolving building system problems remotely, with their
engineering backgrounds and HEPAC qualifications. If a radiator network
causes an alarm or a ventilation machine stops working, they know instantly
where to begin troubleshooting.”
An energy-stingy approach equals savings
Building systems of over 500 properties around Finland have been
connected to the system of YIT’s property control room. Different business
properties account for half of these, and residential properties the other half.
These properties include a steel mill, pharmaceutical plants, commercial
properties, server rooms and student dormitories.
YIT's expert Timo Joutsenkunnas
on duty at the control room.
Check out
the videos at
vimeo.com/
yit/videos
16

The control room also gathers data on system operations, and the experts
adjust equipment parameters so that the circumstances in the properties are
precisely as the customers want them.
“Customers expect to save both energy and money when their systems
are optimised. There are ways to restrain energy consumption. We see to it
that the building systems of our customers’ properties operate at a sufficient
level, but not excessively so. For example, we adjust time-controlled
ventilation to correspond with the properties’ hours of use and ensure that
heat recovery works right,” Posti describes.
Those customers that require optimisation order an energy review from
YIT to serve as the basis for an energy management plan. Varma, Finland’s
largest pension insurance company and investor, is one of YIT’s customers
who looks for energy efficiency. YIT has carried out an energy review and
prepared an energy management plan for Varma, and performs energy
management by monitoring, adjusting and servicing the equipment of 55
of Varma’s properties. Varma has entered into a ServiFlex agreement on
property maintenance with YIT. Customer companies can select the services
they want, ranging from heating to fire
security. In all, there are 80 services available.
“The energy review highlighted many
different areas where efficiency can be
increased. At one site, the ventilation
machine was adjusted manually and running
constantly, even though this was not
necessary, and at another site, the radiator
network needed to be adjusted. Different
minor adjustments alone have considerably reduced the need for energy.
Things have gone well also in the sense that we have not had any negative
feedback from tenants in our properties regarding indoor temperatures, for
example. Instead, our tenants have considered user comfort to be good,”
says Aarne Markkula, Regional Manager at Varma.
Varma is committed to reducing its carbon footprint and has joined the
National Energy Efficiency Action Plan for Business Premises, set up by the
Ministry of Employment and the Economy. In 2011, the pension insurance
company set a target of reducing energy consumption by six per cent within
six years.
Unnecessary alarm
responses are a thing of the past
Before Varma ordered control room services,
there were a lot of false alarm responses in its
properties, which basically resulted in a lot of
unnecessary costs.
“For us to have been able to reduce the number
of alarm responses in our properties during
regular business hours and especially at other
times is nothing short of great. This has created
savings for us. Another good thing is that YIT’s
monthly alarm reports feature information on all
the measures undertaken, and this is something
we can utilise. It used to be different as it was
chiefly the maintenance men who knew about the
malfunctions,” Markkula underlines.
According to Posti, control room personnel
can often adjust the equipment remotely from the
control room, eliminating the need to dispatch a
maintenance man or expert to the site.
“In nine out of ten alarm situations, trouble-
shooting and repairs can be done remotely.”
Aarne Markkula of Varma has been satisfied
with the control room services and the co-
operation.
“The service and the co-operation have met
our expectations, and even exceeded them,
with respect to energy saving targets. At first, it
took some time for YIT to install the necessary
technology in our properties and
for us both to get to know how the
other party operates in practice, but
this was only natural. Both parties
are engaged in open discussion,”
Markkula reckons.
As the fundamentals are already
right, Markkula believes that future
co-operation will focus on more
efficient utilisation of property-specific reports.
Maintenance needs and investment targets can be
found on the basis of strictly measured building
systems.
“The provision of as-needed servicing
involves analysing and monitoring the results
of building systems measurements and using
them to determine which systems we should
service and when. This increases the efficiency of
maintenance,” Posti summarizes.
“We have been able
to reduce the number
of alarm responses in
the properties.”
Mika Parvela,
Juha-Pekka Paalo
and Ville Posti deal
with incoming alarms
at the control room in
their steady and calm
manner.
17

18
YIT’s project exports abroad started over 50 years ago. YIT was
also entrusted with development co-operation projects in far-off
lands, in demanding environments.
Between 1972 and 1995, YIT’s main target countries in East
Africa were Tanzania, Kenya and Somalia. The company also had
projects in Egypt, Mozambique, Zambia and Chad. Outside Africa,
Vietnam was a target country for development co-operation. A
hunting trip to East Africa by the company’s then-President and
CEO Ragnar Kreuger in the mid-1950s was the starting point
for YIT’s operations abroad. At the safari, Kreuger noticed that
he got on well with people of a different cultures living in a very
different environments. Encouraged by this observation, YIT began
searching for construction projects in faraway lands.
DEVELOPMENT
CO-OPERATION
IN AFRICA
TEXT Timo Herranen
PHOTOS YIT ARCHIVE
DELIVERY PROJECTS TO DIFFERENT COUNTRIES.
Along with the development of the water supply, YIT’s
co-operation development schemes included various
delivery projects. These comprised engineering, deliveries
of materials and equipment and installation supervision.
From 1976–1977, YIT delivered precast hall elements and
modular units to an educational facility in Zambia and a
wastewater treatment plant to a factory in Tanzania.
New delivery projects came on line after the mid-1980s.
In Somalia, YIT began the construction of two power plants
and the power distribution network, as part of a consortium.
YIT got a new customer in the Finnish Red Cross, for whom
the company delivered a blood service centre to Somalia
and renovated a maternity hospital in Chad.
In the late 1980s, YIT started co-operation development
projects in two new countries. In Egypt, the company
carried out equipment contracts for a number of water
supply departments, and in Mozambique, the company
built an area of single-family homes.
WATER SUPPLY AND HEALTHCARE for
KENYA. A project to develop the water supply
was also started in Kenya in the early 1980s.
The project was carried out by a consortium,
Kefinco, formed by YIT and Finnconsult Oy.
The objective was to build thousands of
wells and ten small waterworks in western
Kenya during a time frame of twenty years.
Additionally, the project entailed the repair of
existing waterworks.
The development of the water supply
was complemented by a health care project
carried out in western Kenya at the same
time. The project involved construction of
public health care centres, improvement of
sanitation and development of health care
systems in the area.
Around the mid-1980s, there were 21
Finnish workers stationed on the site, roughly
half of them YIT employees. Adding in family
members, the strength of the Finnish force
was almost 50. The families lived in an area of
single-family homes built in Kakamega,
the central area of the region.
1818

19
Between 1988 and
1990, YIT and ARE Oy
built a power grid in the
Somalian countryside
plus two power plants
in the cities of Baidoa
and Kismayo.
PUMP WELLS AND
WATERWORKS FOR TANZANIA.
YIT’s first-ever co-operation development
project was carried out in south-eastern
Tanzania, as part of the Finnwater Consulting
Engineers consortium. The task was to
develop a water supply network in the
southern parts of the country by charting
water resources and building hand pump
wells and small waterworks.
The project made drinking water available
for 600,000 Tanzanians. Waterworks were
needed in places where ground water was
too deep to reach by digging wells. The
Kitangari waterworks were introduced in
the mid-1980s, serving 200,000 people in
over one hundred villages. The water was
distributed through hydrants.
THE END OF CO-OPERATION
DEVELOPMENT. When a major
economic recession hit Finland in the
early 1990s, the Finnish state was
unable to maintain the former scope of
co-operation development. YIT’s last
co-operation development projects
ended before the mid-1990s.
YIT refocused its operations on new
lines of business and new countries
closer to Finland.
However, one thing we should
keep in mind about these projects
is that those of us participating in
them acted in accordance with YIT’s
best principles: they boldly went to
unfamiliar circumstances and got
along well with people of very different
cultures. This is how they were able to
get results, despite the many difficulties
they faced. Ragnar Kreuger surely must
have appreciated those YIT people
who were involved in co-operation
development.
1919

TEXT Terhi Sell PHOTOS Eija Sandberg AND Matti Kallio
Hyvinkää gets a
shopping centre with a
great range of services
The Willa shopping centre represents a whole
new level of commercial services in Hyvinkää.
The Willa shopping centre
houses over 100 shops. Willa is
part of Hyvinkää’s central block.
2020

H
yvinkää, a southern Finnish town of some
50,000 residents, now enjoys a much-improved
offering of commercial services, following the
inauguration of the first stage of the Willa
shopping centre in spring 2012.
The first part of Willa, developed and built
by YIT, houses almost 40 shops, with flagships
Citymarket and the Anttila department store.
October 2012 saw the completion of the second stage of Willa,
and the shopping centre is now home to over 100 companies.
Customers have quickly embraced the new shopping centre, and
the number of visitors has stood steady at about 60,000 per week.
A vital central location
The Willa shopping centre, erected next to the market square,
central library and the Villatehdas business centre, was a long-term
objective of the Town of Hyvinkää, YIT, Kesko, Prisma and the
more than 100 shop owners who have set up shop there. Hyvinkää
now has a shopping centre with all the services right downtown.
“For a long time already, a policy of the Town of Hyvinkää has
been to accommodate the special shops in hypermarkets situated
in the town centre. This is a way to keep the town centre alive,” says
Jyrki Mattila, head of the technological and environmental sector
for the Town of Hyvinkää.
The shopping centre’s central location and inherently excellent
accessibility were important for YIT as well, right from the outset
of the project. A total of 175,000 people live in the catchment area
of Willa.
“Previously, a large share of the purchasing power of the people
of Hyvinkää trickled off to neighbouring municipalities and the
Helsinki region. But when Willa was opened, the situation changed
completely. We are now expecting shopping revenue from out-
side Hyvinkää to start flowing in from a larger area as well,” says
Heikki K. Hannukkala, Vice President of YIT’s Business Premises
unit in Uusimaa and Kanta-Häme.
Besides the wide range of commercial services, there are 1,600
parking spaces available around Hyvinkää’s central block, about
400 of which belong to the Willa shopping centre. They are located
in an underground parking facility, which adds to the visitors’ com-
fort and contributes to the attractiveness
of the town centre.
“Let’s put the cars beneath the deck and
keep people on it,” says Jyrki Mattila.
The Willa shopping centre has been a
major factor in bringing the Hyvinkää
town centre to life. The shopping centre
and the downtown area nearby provide
excellent opportunities for arranging pub-
lic events. At the same time that Willa was
built, a number of high-quality residential
buildings also arose on Hyvinkää’s central
block. Additionally, Mattila mentions the
boost in employment from Willa.
“The shopping centre gave rise to a
good number of new jobs in the service
sector in Hyvinkää, including part-time
positions for students.”
Many parties
with common interests
Development of a new shopping centre
is a complex project that requires time,
capital and special competencies.
“The project was started in spring 2005,
when YIT acquired an old property in
downtown Hyvinkää. This was followed
by project planning, zoning changes
and the actual construction. First and
foremost, the Willa project has required
perseverance from us,” YIT’s Hannukkala
recalls.
The shopping centre
gave rise to many new
jobs in the service
sector in Hyvinkää.
21

Another key factor in a project of this magnitude is
the ability of many different parties to co-operate with
each other.
“In the case of Willa, everything clicked right at the
start,” both Mattila and Hannukkala say, almost in
unison.
In particular, Hannukkala commends the excellent
attitude of the City of Hyvinkää.
“All throughout the project, there was the feeling
that we have a common interest. The town had strong
faith in the successful implementation of the complete
concept.”
The emergence of Willa bolsters Hyvinkää’s position
as a regional centre in the province of Uusimaa.
“We have reserved plots of land for the next 15 years,
and expect our population to grow between 0.5 to 1 per
cent per annum. Hyvinkää is a town in its own right
with all the different aspects of town life now in place:
living, employment, opportunities for recreation and
hobbies, and finally also commercial services,” Jyrki
Mattila sums up, unable to conceal his satisfaction.
Hannukkala also has faith in Hyvinkää’s good
success.
“We continue to be involved in a lot of things and
remain interested in helping this already solid town
evolve into something that is even stronger and more
vital,” he says.
First-rate energy conservation at Willa
The Willa shopping centre has been built and imple-
mented with attention to energy conservation. YIT has
been in charge of the design work, implementation and
now maintenance at the site.
“This uninterrupted chain enables – but also requires
– solutions where every stage of the building’s life
The shopping centre’s
energy efficiency
also benefits the
tenants through lower
maintenance costs.

Contemporary building systems with all the adjustment
opportunities, time-controlled functions and different
sensors have a key position in the management of
energy efficiency at the shopping centre. The building’s
operations and the use of technical equipment are
monitored and optimised continuously. Built with
attention to energy responsibility, the Willa shopping
centre contains a good number of smart solutions that
help to achieve an excellent level of energy efficiency
without compromising on the conditions.
“At this site, YIT has been responsible for all the
different areas of building systems, which has made it
easier to make the building systems work as a whole,”
says Eeva Kareinen, Property Manager at Willa.
In Willa’s building systems, energy-efficient solutions
are applied in lighting, heating and ventilation.
In the parking facility, for example, the efficiency of
ventilation is optimised using exhaust gas sensors.
Naturally, the removal of exhaust gases from the parking
facility is ensured at the same time.
The ramp to the parking facility stays free of ice and
snow in the winter, thanks to the application of otherwise
unutilised heat from the district heating return pipe.
The condensing heat from K-Citymarket’s cooling
processes is directed to pre-heat the outdoor air taken in
by the supply air system.
Lighting accounts for a large share of the shopping
centre’s total energy consumption. This is why it is
possible to achieve substantial environmental benefits by
applying appropriate adjustments.
“A lighting control system was installed in Willa’s
parking facility, where area-specific motion sensors
control the lighting. If no motion is detected in a given
area within five minutes, the lighting output is reduced to
20 per cent. Where there is no motion within 40 minutes,
the lighting is turned off altogether,” says Project Manager
Risto Saviranta from YIT Building Services Finland.
Building systems
that benefit the
environment
cycle has been taken into account,” says Eeva Kareinen,
Property Manager at Willa for YIT Building Services
Finland.
The building’s energy efficiency benefits not only the
environment, but also the shopping centre’s tenants by
lowering maintenance costs. Affordable long-term leases
also benefit the visiting customers due to less fluctuating
prices.
“Reducing energy consumption is a way of
contributing to sustainable solutions. Environmental
considerations can also be affected by various contract
mechanisms; we have chosen green power,” says Kareinen.
Energy-efficient solutions require users to commit
to uniform operating procedures, for example, with
respect to the adjustment of heating equipment, control
of lighting or limitation of tap water flow rate in the
different business premises.
“From the standpoint of energy responsibility, we
who maintain the building must be able to familiarise
and instruct the users so that everyone understands the
solutions and uses them the right way,” Kareinen says.
23

24
NEWS
YIT
has been chosen
to construct two
stations on the
Ring Rail Line. The company’s
contract covers the Ruskeasanta
and Aviapolis stations in Vantaa.
Both stations will be built dozens of
metres below the earth’s surface,
which requires a contractor with
deep experience in underground
construction.
YIT has also carried out some
of the earlier construction stages
on the Ring Rail Line, including the
excavation of the rail track tunnels
and the station at Aviapolis, as well
as the access tunnel at Ruskeasanta.
The Ring Rail Line features,
altogether, 18 kilometres of railway
line in the Greater Helsinki region.
Upon its scheduled completion
in summer 2015, it will form an
important trunk line from the
Vantaankoski station via the Helsinki-
Vantaa Airport to Tikkurila.
YIT to build two
new Ring Rail
Line stations in
Vantaa, Finland
Rising next to Vilnius Airport in Žirnių
Street is the building that will become a
new IKEA furniture and home interiors
store. It is scheduled to open next
summer and it will be the first outlet
of this international chain in all the
Baltic countries. IKEA has entrusted
the building project to YIT Group’s
Lithuanian subsidiary, JSC YIT Kausta.
Early in September, before
construction began, a time capsule was
buried in the foundation of the building
site. Construction work is now under
way.
According to Kęstutis Vanagas,
Director General of YIT Kausta, this
project is important for a number
of rreasons. One is that Lithuanian
consumers, who have already become
accustomed to shopping at IKEA in
other countries, are eagerly awaiting
IKEA’s arrival in Vilnius. Another reason
is that such a large international investor
to Lithuania will have a positive effect
on the country’s economy and perhaps
attract other investors.
Mr Vanagas says, “As the general
contractors of the project, we really
appreciate IKEA’s trust in our abilities
in choosing us as the contractor. IKEA
has set very high quality standards for
this building project, which encourages
us to improve our performance even
further.”
The IKEA store in Vilnius will
encompass 26,000 m². The total
investment will be worth around 50
million Euros.
Advanced solutions
required. YIT Kausta
specialists have visited
IKEA stores in
Sweden to familiarise themselves
with them and to gain experience to
help them to complete the project
precisely to the client’s requirements.
The IKEA building project in Lithuania
is distinguished by some unique
engineering solutions that are in line
with IKEA’s philosophy.
This new store, for example, will
incorporate up-to-date alternative
energy source solutions, including a
plan that specifies using solar energy
collectors to heat water. “This type
of harnessing of renewable energy
has been practised for quite a while
in various countries abroad and it is
very popular. Maybe IKEA’s use of this
technology in this project will help it to
become more firmly established in our
country,” says Vanagas.
YIT Kausta, as the general contractor
for the IKEA store project, has chosen
reliable sub-contractors to carry out
specialised aspects of the project, such
as, installation of external and internal
utilities and engineering connections,
and certain steel structure work. Strict
selection criteria were applied when
choosing sub-contractors.
The company operates to
international standards of responsibility
in the fields of quality control,
environmental protection, OHS
(occupational health and safety) and
social responsibility. These standards
were also applied in selecting the sub-
contractors. They were assessed on 12
criteria, including reliability, quality, OHS,
environment protection, qualifications
held by the sub-contractor and their
staff, and financial and productive
capacity. Sub-contractors were chosen
based not solely on the size of the
company, but on a number of factors
that would enable YIT Kausta to
perform high quality work and allow it to
operate in a socially responsible way.
YIT Kausta lays the foundations
for the highly-anticipated launch of
IKEA in the Baltics
24

C
onstruction of the West Metro
(Länsimetro) from Ruoholahti,
Helsinki to Matinkylä, Espoo is
proceeding at a good pace. If everything
goes to plan, the metro may be running to
Matinkylä already in autumn 2015.
YIT is strongly involved in the construction
of the new metro line. The company has
already completed or is currently performing
excavation contracts on access tunnels,
metro tunnels and stations, as well as
earth-moving contracts that are part of the
project.
At Keilaniemi, for example, excavation is
currently underway for the metro tunnel, the
station and the vertical shafts. The contract
for Keilaniemi will be completed by the end
of this year. Excavation is also underway at
Niittykumpu for the metro station, the metro
tunnel and the vertical shafts.
YIT has already completed four of its
contracts for different stages of the West
Metro, and it is currently completing two
more. The company is the single largest
contractor in the entire project.
The West Metro
is coming along
just fine
A wider selection
of eServiflexTM
services now
available
T
he selection of eServiFlexTM
services, developed by YIT, has
been expanded. In July this year,
YIT Germany GmbH and RWE
Energiedienstleistungen GmbH entered into
an agreement on strategic co-operation.
By pooling their key competencies, the
two companies can respond to the energy
service demands of their customers quickly
and comprehensively.
The eServiflexTM
service package helps to
improve the energy efficiency of properties
and reduce energy costs. The service
provision includes efficiency inspections of
technical systems, continuous optimisation
of operations and measures to
save energy.
B
efore World War II this site
was the location of the Narva
stock exchange. The façade
of the new building required
a new architectural design, a design
requiring maintaining the form of the
former stock exchange building and
theoretically “gluing together” the old
building and the newly-built college.
The new building then became a mirror
image, or negative image, of the facade
of the old building. “The most prominent
detail is undoubtedly the protrusive
concrete “beak,” which towers above
the facade at a 45 degree angle in a
truly eye-catching manner and built
using prefabricated concrete elements,”
explains Kristjan Lood, Site Manager
at AS YIT Ehitus.
The remnants of the foundation and
basement floors of the former stock
exchange building were restored and
retained during the construction of the
college building.
No detail is repeated. For the
builder the project was surely made
more intricate by the fact that all the
concrete frames were to be built with
a different angle and shape, which
meant the formwork could not be used
repeatedly. “Using Peri formwork we
were continuously in the process of
carpentry,” says Lood.
The building also has a horizontal
YIT’s unique design
for an old Estonian building
is eye-catching
roof section, but as Lood said,
the construction of a stone roof
with different inclinations, laid with
Wienerberger stone, was not exactly
a simple affair.
The interior decoration of the
whole college building is under-
pinned by limestone, oak and lime
plaster. The large internal glass
facades inside the building put a
strong emphasis on the aesthetics
of spaciousness. An open view from
one wing of the building to the other
creates the perception of space.
Everything in the building is under
a different angle. That meant that
no standard solutions could really
be used, as old and new had to be
fitted together. All in all, one may be
quite pleased with the results. “We
can be proud of the whole entirety,”
admits Site Manager Lood.
The new building
of Tartu University
Narva College
Closed net area: 4,830.5 m²
Usage types: IV class
Special combustion load:
below 600 MJ/m²
Planned building life time:
100 years
The construction of Tartu
University’s Narva College
building means special orders
and a unique design solution.
25

26
NEWS
26
G
ermany has several biological
laboratories where safety for
personnel working in them
is a top priority. Conditions
in some of the laboratories do not pose
serious risks and are similar to any other
biological research lab, but for the four
laboratories with a high risk factor from
biological hazardous materials, safe
working conditions is pre-eminent. The
extent of the danger is listed in four stages,
with biosafety level 4 as the riskiest, where
personnel work with dangerous agents that
pose a high risk of aerosol-transmitted
laboratory infections, such as, Lassa virus
and the Ebola virus.
To control and contain the risks to labo-
ratory personnel and to the environment,
the lab must be totally isolated from all oth-
er areas of the building, the air ventilation
system must be decontaminated, and the
room must be kept at negative pressure.
YIT has installed the ventilation
systems for all of the four biosafety level
4 laboratories in Germany. The systems
contain, among other components, highly
effective HEPA filters for gas-tight housing,
and gas-tight doors and door systems to
maintain the negative pressure. After the
start of operations, YIT now maintains
these facilities.
YIT experts from plant engineering work
hand in hand with our development en-
gineers from the R+D center to find indi-
vidual solutions for all laboratories, setting
the foundation for YIT’s excellent reputation
in this field.
YIT sets safety for
risky research
laboratories
K
OTI Branik is YIT’s new
residential project in the
attractive Branik area
of Prague in The Czech
Republic. The project, with its 107
apartments, offers high standard
housing designed in a functional
Finnish style with high quality natural
materials. One of the Finnish touches
is a sauna in many of the apartments.
Koti Branik consists of several six-
storey buildings of mostly 2- or
3-room apartments. KOTI Branik is
in a quiet area in a district of family
houses surrounded by greenery.
Prague city centre is just 30
minutes away by car or
public transport.
KOTI Branik is YIT Stavo’s
fifth project and the
largest to date. It will offer
comfortable living at competitive
prices. The main target group of
KOTI Branik is families seeking high
standard living in a green area with
good opportunities for recreation
plus civic services nearby. The
project is designed as a closed
compound with 24-hour reception,
ensuring residents privacy and
security. This gives it a definite
competitive edge in the Czech
residential market.
Construction started this June
and is scheduled for completion in
December 2013.
KOTI Branik in Prague
is family friendly
26

V
ilnius University in the
Lithuania capital now
has a new, ultra modern
scientific communication
and information centre. With an area
of nearly 14,000 m2
, the library is one
of the largest, as well as one of the
most modern facilities of its kind in the
Baltics. Investment in the construction
of the centre comes in at some 20
million Euros and is being carried out by
one of the largest construction service
groups in Lithuania, AB YIT Kausta. The
library is part of the Saulėtekis Valley of
Physical Technology Sciences.
YIT Kausta Director, Kęstutis
Vanagas, says that the new library
represents a major breakthrough in the
country’s construction market.
“For the academic community
it should become a major point of
attraction,” says Vanagass.
An architectural
focus on nature
The building features outstanding
architecture comprising three blocks
that resemble huge stones. Form
followed function and location – it sits in
a lovely natural setting. The glass walls
along the height of the building open to
a vibrant natural panorama. The glass
ceiling in the lobby intensifies the feeling
of being in nature.
It hosts a library for over 600 visitors
with convention and exhibition halls,
and specialised reading rooms, among
other features. The library stacks
include some 1.8 million prints on a
2.7 thousand m2
floor space. Particular
The Lithuanian capital gets a state-of-the-art library
attention in the design and construction
of the library was paid to book storing
and efficient operations, particularly
as it will be open 24 hours a day. It
is equipped with modern security,
air ventilation, dust removal and fire
protection systems. It is also has
Swiss book sorting and transportation
equipment, making it one of the most
advanced facilities of its type in Europe.
Visitors choose
their own space
Irena Krivienė, Executive Director of
the Library of Vilnius University, says
the main aspects of the building’s
activities are contained in its name.
High quality scientific information and
communication is available in a variety
of formats and spaces. The structure
has been designed to give visitors a
feeling of comfort and ease in using the
library’s resources.
“The Centre will have more than
six hundred workplaces that meet
the various needs of visitors – both
quieter and noisier. For example, 40
individual work cubicles are designed
for people who spend a lot of time in
the library researching and writing. The
spaces can be leased for a period of
time, giving users a temporary and
safe personal library. Another novelty
of the centre is the spaces especially
equipped for parents with young
children,” says Krivienė.
She adds that the centre will be open
to anyone looking for the latest and
most comprehensive information. The
centre also boasts a wide selection
of electronic publications, the most
common format these days for
publishing recent research materials.
Vilnius University Library is the largest
subscriber of scientific journals in
Lithuania.
A new look for Kazan for the Summer Universiade
T
he city of Kazan, the capital of
the Republic of Tatarstan, has
been dubbed ‘the third capital
of Russia.’ This sobriquet
is not without its merit as the city is
one of the largest centres of finance,
culture and science in the Russian
Federation. Next year, Kazan will host
the International Summer Universiade.
The athletes will train and compete in
64 different venues, 30 of which will be
built for these Games. The contestants
will be accommodated in the
Universiade Village in a separate area.
Participants will get a first-hand peek
at the new look for the Tatar capital.
YIT has contracts for a number of
esteemed buildings in the city, such as
the Kazan Kremlin, the sports palace
and the city hall. YIT Kazan, which
focuses on residential construction, is
currently building a residential complex
called Sovremennik on the right bank
of the Kazanka River. Sovremennik will
feature nine residential buildings
of differing
heights, plus three car park buildings.
The complex is situated near the city's
commercial centre next to two of the
main venues of the Games: the martial
arts arena and the aquatic sports
centre. The stadium that is currently
being built for the Universiade is also
located nearby. It will also be the
venue for the 2018 FIFA
World Cup.
27

28
NEWS
Full control. Since 2007 Down
Town has reduced the annual electricity
consumption by 1.5 million kilowatt
hours. Jan Brattelid, Service Manager
at YIT, says that it has taken three main
steps to accomplish this:
1. Replacing the ventilation system.
2. Gaining control of lighting.
3. Installing a general control system,
called e-drift™.
With the help of a computer screen,
Operations Manager Einar Solli can
monitor light distribution and the
ventilation system inside the centre,
and he can adjust it as needed. The
system is web based and can be
controlled from anywhere in the world,
which means the boss can monitor the
lighting and ventilation systems even if
he’s at home or on holiday in India, and
when the centre stays open all night.
Regulates the lighting. The
Centre Manager of Down Town, Bent
Rosenberg, says that they have a
much smoother and better indoor
T
he operations manager
of Down Town shopping
centre in Porsgrunn, Norway
can control the lighting and
ventilation systems at the
centre from anywhere in the world,
which has significantly improved the
centre’s environment.
Visitors may not notice or sense
it when they enter the Down Town
shopping centre, at least not straight
away, but the employees do. They
report fewer headaches and say they
are now less tired at work. Customers
had earlier complained of being too hot,
especially during the Christmas rush,
but those days are in the past. The
centre now has full control of lighting
and heat.
YIT e-drift™
• A supervisory control system.
• Developed and provided by YIT.
• Can control, for example,
heating, ventilation and lighting
in a building.
• Provides an overview of how
much energy is used.
• The purpose is to gain
complete control over energy
consumption.
Full control of Down Town
air climate, which he feels is important
for the customers’ experience.
Previously, the lights were on at the
centre at all hours, but now it has been
divided into zones, so the lighting can
be turned on and off as needed. Along
the Porsgrunn River the 20-year-old
masts were replaced with modern LED
lighting that uses 1/3 the power of the
old ones.
“We are located at one of the busiest
intersections in Telemark. Having the
lights on all night was not economical
and was a very poor environmental
signal. There is, fortunately, an end
to that now, says centre manager
Rosenberg.
Saves time and money. Planning
of the Down Town shopping centre
began in 2008. Down Town has
invested 4.5 million Norwegian krones
in three main areas, in addition to 12
million krones in a new ventilation
system.
“Not only do we save money on
electricity, but also a lot of time that
operating staff spent on fixing things.
Now everything can be controlled on a
PC, while we previously had to be on
site physically”, says Solli.
Both the operations and centre
managers believe it is the employees
who notice the changes most.
“ Previously, I could turn off a fan,
and no one would notice. But now the
employees call after ten minutes if it
gets too hot,” Solli says.
Jan Brattelid, Service Manager at YIT
and Operations Manager Einar Solli.
28

I
n May 2012, a state-of-the-art
manufacturing line for steel-concrete
elements was started up at a
concrete element factory in the town
of Voskresensk in Moscow Oblast in
Russia. The line features three battery
moulds that are used in the manufacture
of intermediate floors and walls. With the
battery moulds, the factory can optimise
the use of floor area, and element-
specific reinforcements and inserts can
be placed in the moulds quickly and
efficiently.
Annually, the total output of the new
line will be sufficient for the construction
of 100,000–120,000 square metres of
residential space. The present manufac-
turing capacity will meet YIT's need for
elements in residential construction in
the Moscow region. Juhani Pitkäkoski,
YIT Group’s President and CEO, has un-
derlined the significance of the element
factory for YIT’s residential production.
HOUSING BUILT TO MEET
DEMAND. In addition to manufacturing
steel-concrete elements, YIT VDSK
builds residential housing mostly on
the perimeter of Moscow Oblast. The
company is currently building a large
residential area in the south-eastern part
of the region in the town of Yegoryevsk.
The residential housing in the area
belongs to the new YuV2012 series.
This series offers a wide selection of
apartments in different parts of the
residential complex that has altogether a
total of 18 stairwells.
Although the living areas are compact,
the apartments have a spacious feel
due to the fact that the height of the
rooms averages over 2.8 metres. The
apartments also have glazed recessed
balconies.
YIT VDSK – YIT’s new production plant
in Moscow Oblast
I
n August of this year, a new office
building called Mehhatroonikum was
inaugurated for use by different types
of companies, as well as scientific
communities at the Tallinn Science Park
Tehnopol in Estonia.
The six-storey office building
constructed by YIT’s Estonian subsidiary,
YIT Ehitus, comprises some 8,300
square metres of total leaseable area.
Mehhatroonikum is a contemporary
building that meets current requirements
for energy efficiency and allows for
flexible space arrangements. The
main tenants of Mehhatroonikum are
Metrosert, Mehhatroonika Assotsiatsioon
(Association of Mechatronics – MECA),
Patendiinfo Keskus (The Estonian Patent
Information Centre) and EKTACO. The
future owner of the building is Capital
Mill OÜ.
Tallinn Science Park Tehnopol is
emerging as an attractive business
environment for technology-based
companies and scientific communities.
At present, Tehnopol is home to over
150 companies, including Skype.
New contemporary
office space a
Mehhatroonikum
Capital Market Day in Germany
O
n 25 September 2012, YIT
arranged a Capital Market
Day for investors and
analysts in the German city
of Aachen. The continental location
was a good fit since Central Europe
today plays an important role in YIT’s
businesses. Almost 40 investors and
analysts from the UK, Sweden, Central
European countries and Finland turned
up. The guests were also provided
an opportunity to have a look at YIT’s
research and development
centre where, for instance,
new ventilation-related
solutions and functions
are studied.
In Germany, YIT has
installed ventilation
systems in four biosafety
level 4 laboratories (the
highest level of control)
and is also in charge of
their maintenance.
29

YIT is about to start construction on a residential project in a city
block in the historic centre of St. Petersburg near the Smolny
complex that forms an architectural whole. The housing to be
built next to Smolny by YIT St. Peterburg will become a flagship
project for YIT in the Russian metropolis.
A view
to Smolny
TEXT Igor Arhipov PHOTOs YIT ARCHIVE
1
3030

2
1 Three historic
buildings on
Smolny Avenue
will be renovated
into business class
apartments.
2 The façade of
the new building
echoes the style of
the palatial buildings
on the banks of
the Neva River.
3131

3
T
he new YIT residental complex will rise on 2.9
hectares that were acquired by YIT St. Petersburg
in 2011. The new site is on a city block bounded
by Smolny Avenue, Sinopskaya Embankment and
Tulskaya Street. The block is connected to the
Smolny monastery and the Smolny Institute that
is currently home to the city government of St. Petersburg.
“The area is a unique location in the historic centre of the
city with many interesting buildings. One example is Smolny
Cathedral, designed by the famous architect, Bartolomeo
Rastrelli, which is a major landmark dominating the cityscape
of St. Petersburg,” says Mihail Voziyanov, head of YIT St.
Petersburg.
“To undertake construction on this important site requires
special responsibility from the builder, delicate attention to
the surrounding historical cityscape, and clearly with the
highest quality architectural design solutions. From the outset
we have ensured that our project meets all zoning norms and
legal requirements on the protection of cultural heritage sites.
We commissioned a Spaniard, Ricardo Bofill, one of today’s
leading architects, to create the architectural concept. Bofill
has extensive experience in steering through projects in other
historic European cities.”
Historic and delicate
The historic buildings on YIT’s site on Smolny Avenue, which
date from the turn of the 20th century, will be retained in their
entirety, even though they are not cultural heritage sites. The
houses will be completely renovated and the building services
modernised.
The architect firm of N. F. Nikitin has prepared a
cultural and historical outline for site planning for the area,
commissioned by YIT St. Petersburg. The plan was approved
by KGIOP, the City of St. Petersburg Committee for
Government Survey, Use and Protection of Historical and
Cultural Landmarks.
The height of the buildings in our concept for the city block
strictly adheres to the norms set down in land use programmes
for the protection of cultural heritage sites in St. Petersburg.
Therefore, the residential complex will blend in with the
historic panorama of St. Petersburg and will not overshadow
the dominance of Smolny Cathedral. Additionally, the height
of the façade has been evened out at the eaves line. The
building will follow building traditions on Nevsky Prospekt.
The main façade will have a palace-like appearance.
5
3 The city block will
become a pleasant
residential area with
a day-care centre
and green areas, and
parking spaces will
exceed the amount
stipulated in zoning
requirements.
4 The façade on
Tulskaya Avenue
will create the
impression of
buildings that are
inter-connected.
5 The YIT project is
amidst the historical
architecture of the
Smolny district of
St. Petersburg.
32

4
Zoning logic and responsibility
The architectural and stylistic solutions on the façade will
connect the residential complex to St. Petersburg’s historical
surroundings. The façade of the building on Tulskaya Street
has been designed to comply with the style of St. Petersburg’s
historic centre. Colours and architectural devices, such as
minor differences in the height of the eaves, will create the
impression of a façade consisting of a number of separate
houses, all connected to one another. In this way the
residential complex will not stand out because of its long
façade.
The architects have achieved a remarkable feat by designing
two monumental arches in the middle of the new building’s
façades, one on Nevsky Prospect and the other on Tulskaya
Street, in line with the Smolny Cathedral. Thus, the inside of
the city block opens up, and Smolny Cathedral can be seen
through the arch on Tulskaya Street.
The design pays attention to the historic traditions
established under mid-20th-century zoning regulations,
which required an open square near the Ohtinsky Bridge.
The building line on Tulskaya Street is now 15 metres
further away from the street, and the pavement has been
widened. This leaves a park avenue in front of the new
building, bringing new life to the area with, for example,
summer cafes and other establishments.
Comprehensive quality
The new residential site will form a functional and
charming living environment. The green construction plan
for the area exceeds the requirements for the city block.
The number of car parking spaces will also exceed the
number stipulated in zoning standards. The city block will
feature a two-storey underground parking facility of over
20,000 square metres for over 700 vehicles, and a day-care
centre in the courtyard of the residential complex. The
apartments will fall into three classifications: business, elite
and deluxe. The number of apartments will exceed 400,
and the total residental floor will be 45,100 square metres;
4,500 square metres of the residental floor will be in the
renovated historic buildings on Smolny Avenue. The office
spaces, totalling an area of 5,300 square metres, will be
located on the first floor of the buildings.
The site will be built in phases and final completion is
scheduled for 2017. The first phase will begin this year. It
comprises the renovation of historic buildings on Smolny
Avenue.
33

YIT
has a better
outlook than
the sector
on average,
according to
a portfolio manager and an analyst.
A good company with a solid market
position and a healthy balance sheet
and profitability. These are important
criteria to Markus Larsson Portfolio
Manager of Fondita Fund Management
Company Ltd., when he contemplates
adding shares in a given company to one
of Fondita’s funds. Arvopaperi magazine,
a Finnish investment publication,
selected Fondita as Finland’s best fund
management company in 2012.
“Obviously we get to the bottom of
a lot of other stuff as well. For us it is
important that the company is backed
by strong ownership. The owners may be
a family or an industrial or other player
that manages the company as though it
was their own money at stake,” Larsson
says.
He points out that in government-
owned companies, for example, the
return on capital over time is weak, and
the differences between these and well-
managed companies are rather substan-
tial.
“Our investment philosophy also
includes determining company valuation
and the correlation between the current
valuation and the future outlook. We
also examine the company’s history and
past successes. Then we think about how
profitable the company will be in the
future.”
“If all items on the list look good, we
may add that company’s shares to our
fund.”
The same close scrutiny has also been
applied to YIT, whose shares have been
included in the Fondita Equity Spice
fund (a Finland fund) and the Fondita
Nordic Small Cap fund for years
already.
“We hold a fairly large number of
YIT shares. In our view, the company
has both growth and result-making
potential.”
Concentrating service and
maintenance
YIT seeks growth particularly in main-
tenance and service in building systems
business and residential construction.
Larsson considers it a good thing
that YIT focuses on selected areas and
grows its position in them. The German
markets hold a wealth of opportunities
for YIT. The company should aim
at increasing its market share and,
particularly, its profitability further in
familiar markets.
Additionally, Larsson commends the
company’s strategy as well as practical
activities in servicing and maintenance.
“These will help YIT to do well in
different economic situations, as they
balance out other swings.”
Moreover, YIT’s outlook in Russia has
proceeded in a good direction and will
“Investors need to
have the feeling that
the company is always
aware of where it is and
where it is headed.”
TRUST
REQUIRED
We asked a portfolio manager
and an analyst to tell us what
kind of issues and forecasts
they value when they think
about investing in shares.
TEXTKirsiRiipinenPHOTOolliurpela
Markus Larsson,
Portfolio Manager
at Fondita Fund
Management
Company Ltd., has
faith in YIT’s growth
opportunities and
result-making
potential.
3434

YIT was selected as the best company
in Europe in the management of
investor relations. YIT received the
honour in the investor survey of
the internationally acclaimed Inside
Investor Relations magazine, in the
Construction and Materials category.
The survey, conducted annually among
500 European analysts and portfolio
managers, charts the levels of investor
relations from the standpoint of
investment decision makers.
YIT is committed to the continuing
development of its investor relations. The
company’s web site features resources
such as the IR blog that discusses topics
relating to those YIT operations that
are of interest to investors. The blog
can be found at www.yitgroup.com/
YIT_GROUP/Investors/investor-relations/
investor-relations-blog
YIT awarded for
management of
investor relations
increase the opportunities for growth in
the future.
The portfolio manager also has a
lot of appreciation for openness and
transparency. Investors sleep easier when
they know where they stand. Another
equally important factor is trust. If you
tell investors that a growth of ten per
cent is as good as guaranteed for a given
period, you need to report any changes
in expectations in good time.
“Investors need to have the feel that
the company is always aware of where
it is and where it is headed. If this trust
is dented, for one reason or another,
investors are quick to vote with their
feet.
According to Larsson, the main uncer-
tainties concerning YIT as an investment
are related more generally to investments
in Finland and Europe.
“To successfully resolve the acute stage
of the Euro crisis would restore trust in
the future.”
Cautiously positive
Matias Rautionmaa, Equity Analyst at
Pohjola, also contemplates the cloudy
environment in Europe.
“The trend in construction has taken
a downturn in many countries. Both
consumer confidence and business
confidence equally reflect the euro crisis.
Estimates on economic growth are
modest, no matter whom you ask.”
Rautionmaa points out that YIT’s line
of business depends more on economic
growth than many other sectors do.
“Russia improves YIT’s situation.
Construction appears to remain brisker
there. YIT’s operations in Russia do tie
up capital, but at the same time, the out-
look there is good.”
“YIT’s servicing and maintenance
activities also balance out cyclical
fluctuations by bringing in a steady cash
flow. This is something very positive.”
Rautionmaa, too, holds company
transparency and openness in high
regard. When you are weighing invest-
ments against each other, few things hold
as much weight as trust does.
“YIT has been awarded in many years
for the good way that it manages its
investor relations. I myself follow the
construction business, and am also of
the opinion that YIT is at the top of its
sector in this respect.”
How do you advise your clients? Is it
advisable to invest in the construction
industry right now?
“That is a good question. The outlook
on the sector is cloudy, but on the whole,
I still relate rather neutrally to the future
of the construction industry. A lot now
depends on the political decisions to
be made. This notwithstanding, I am
currently cautiously positive on YIT.
Residential construction is doing well in
Russia, and the profitability of building
services can be improved a whole lot.”
Rautionmaa reminds us that the situ-
ation in Finland still remains a lot better
than in many other European countries.
“The low level of interest rates favours
YIT as well. Low interest rates bolster
the demand for housing. If interest rates
soared all of a sudden, and if Russia
was hit with a major recession and the
price of oil plummeted, the situation
would change completely, and we would
then need to rethink our position on the
construction business. But these threats
appear rather unlikely at this time.”
For Matias Rautionmaa,
Equity Analyst at
Pohjola, company
openness and
transparency are
important.
Read more
www.yitgroup.
com/investor_
relations_blog
35

3636
TEXT Eija Sandberg PHOTOs Kai Tirkkonen
YIT has built a new and contemporary printing house for
Kaleva Oy. Construction was completed in June, and Erweko,
a Kaleva subsidiary, quickly became the first occupant of the
spectacular premises. Specialised building solutions were
required to sustain the heavy printing line. One example is
the machine line which now stands still without vibrating with
an accuracy of one-hundredth of a millimetre.
A BRAND-NEW
PRINTING
HOUSE
The Kaleva Group
Net sales EUR 65.7 million (2011)
Number of staff 523 (2011)
The Group's services include
newspaper and city paper
publishing, various digital
services, book printing and
distribution services and
advertising agency services.
The Kaleva Group comprises
the companies Kaleva Oy,
Forum24Oy, Julkaisupalvelu
Lounais-Lappi Oy, Plusmark Oy,
Erweko Oy, Erweko Publicom Oy
and Oulun Jakelutoimisto Oy.
36

37
NEW PREMISES 12,800 m2
| Area of bituminous membrane roofing 12,000 m2
| Area of fibre-reinforced concrete floor 4,500 m2
| Area of concrete machine
foundations 800 m2
| Sheet metal façade cladding 3 000 m2
K
aleva Oy is northern Finland's largest media company. Its prem-
ises in Oulu were built in the 1960s, and the most recently acquired
printing machine has been running there for 25 years. It became
apparent some years ago that the newsprint machine was nearing
the end of its life cycle, as were the facilities themselves.
“Before making a decision to invest, we conducted a comprehensive financial
review to determine the most economical course of action from that time
onwards,” Kaleva’s Finance Manager Esko Jokelainen says.
Basically, Kaleva was left with two choices: either reconstruct and maintain the
old building or build an entirely new newspaper printing press and acquire all-
new technology for it. Ultimately a new investment was thought to be the better
option. Once Kaleva had decided on the investment, Pöyry CM Oy was selected
as the construction consultant after putting it out for bidding. All construction-
related contracts were also awarded on the basis of bids.
“There was no way for us to halt production at any point during construction,
and it was clear that there was not enough space in the old lot for the new
developments,” Kaleva’s Technical Director Jukka Hurskainen says.
“YIT won the bidding competition, thanks to having the best overall economic
bid. Furthermore, we knew them to be a reputable company from the past. YIT
had performed a number of repair and renovation jobs at our existing premises,”
Finance Manager Jokelainen says.
Thanks to the new technologies, Kaleva is now able to optimise all costs much
more precisely. A number of targets were set for the new property, including
improved energy efficiency, low running costs, smoothly flowing internal
processes and better material logistics efficiency.
The printing machine platform and foundations posed a
challenge. The most extraordinary structure required for Kaleva’s printing
house was the foundations for the new newsprint machine and modernisation
and the positioning of the related mailing equipment system.
According to Finance Manager
Esko Jokelainen, the total investment
including the newsprint machine
amounted to about EUR 40 million.
37

“In the Finnish
context, Kaleva’s
printing facility is
truly contemporary.”
“The foundations of the new printing machine
are partly detached from the rest of the building.
The rotary press foundations were bored into
bedrock with 51 bored piles altogether, each
about 12 metres in length. The bored piles have a
diameter of 400 millimetres and contain concrete.
A stable, stationary concrete platform was built
on top of the piles, and a
concrete footing 5 metres
wide, 42 metres long and 2
metres tall was cast inside
the platform, which would
be under the new printing
machine. The purpose of
the footing is to absorb the vibrations from the
printing machines and prevent any movement in
the printing machines or in the building,” Arto
Hyvärinen, Site Manager at YIT says.
Most of the areas in the building are used for
the production of the printing house, including
the rotary press room, the paper warehouse
and the mailing facilities, plus related auxiliary
and technical premises and staff facilities. Some
changes were needed in the designs during
construction.
“Our newspaper has made a lot of inputs in
product development, and production can now be
divided over a longer time span. Previously, the
newspaper was printed at one go in a short time.
Whereas we used to have eight printing towers, we
now need only four, and the print speed is 50 per
cent faster than in the past,” Hurskainen explains.
A subsidiary joins its parent
in the new premises
Erweko Oy, a Kaleva subsidiary, moved into the
new premises in summer 2012, and its operations
there are in full swing.
“In the Finnish context, Kaleva’s printing
facility is truly contemporary. Erweko has a stand
for roll paper mounted on an 8-colour printing
machine, and this type of stand is the only one
of its kind in Finland. This makes the company
more competitive in the printing of newspapers,
catalogues and other large-scale jobs,” says
Markku Suorsa, Deputy Managing Director who
is also in charge of Erweko’s production activities.
“Erweko has a new reproduction workflow
system. Additionally, we acquired a new folding
machine, a straight blade cutter and a gluing
38

system for post-processing. The amount
of paper on a paper roll equals 2–3
pallets of cut-sheet paper, which means
that we can now run the machine longer
without interruptions. This technology
is a good fit for large print runs, and
the results are also clear in our ability
to provide our customers with high-
quality products produced in a high-
quality process and delivered reliably at
competitive prices.”
Erweko has concentrated its services.
“By concentrating the production of
different products to certain sites we can
increase the efficiency of work done for
our customers, and at the same time,
we are able to develop a more profound
understanding in our areas of specialty,”
Suorsa explains.
The new production site in Oulu
specialises in high-volume CMYK
printing. The flexible production flow
and the new technology add to the
operational reliability and speed. The
quality of printing at the company has
always been high.
“Additionally, we wanted to have
more floorage for our working area and
a floor with a high enough load bearing
capacity to allow us to position the
production machines anywhere in the
printing room,” Suorsa says.
Printing houses have very exacting
demands for air humidity and
temperature. These were considered
in the design stage. The ventilation
machines also feature efficient heat
recovery equipment.
Certificates in order.
“At Erweko, we pay particular attention
to environmental matters. All our units
are entitled to use the Swan label (the
Nordic eco-label). They are also entitled
to use the FSC and PEFC certificates on
wood origin,” Suorsa says.
The company shares some of
the building services with Kaleva’s
newspaper printing press which operates
in the same building. Raw material
logistics and recycling matters have also
been carefully thought through in the
design stage.
“Today, the amount of mixed
waste resulting from our operations is
extremely small. The trimmings from
the cutters are transported in pipelines
by pneumatic conveyors straight to
the recycling container. Office papers
are recycled, and printing plates are
reused. Energy waste is collected in a
separate container and also delivered
for reutilisation. Hazardous waste is
disposed of appropriately.
1 “In this building project,
I represented Erweko
already at the design
stage. Our requirements
for the printing house were
to have sufficient space
on the same level and to
ensure a flexible produc-
tion flow at every step
of the way,” says Deputy
Managing Director Markku
Suorsa who is in charge
of Erweko’s production
activities.
2 “The building services of
a printing house are more
demanding than those of
an average industrial plant.
We needed to take all this
into consideration in the
construction stage, too.
Additionally, the printing
machines of today are
more energy-efficient
than in the past,” Kaleva’s
Technical Director, Jukka
Hurskainen, says.
2
1
39

40
W
ouldn’t it be nice to
spend a city holiday
with the family in a
fully equipped suite
right downtown?
Or what if a work assignment or
project requires staying in a different
city a little longer or if you have to find
temporary lodgings due to a renovation?
Surely you would opt for an apartment
providing a more spacious, better
equipped and cosier environment than
a hotel room. The fully furnished Suites
are easy to move into and the stay can
range from a few days to several months
as needed.
“Already for some time we have
thought about developing new part-time
accommodation by bringing our holiday
accommodation concept near city
services,” Marko Oinas, Vice President,
YIT Leisure Housing says.
There is a clear market demand for
accommodation that falls between a
hotel and rental housing. Developments
in different parts of the world already
testify to this. People are staying in
furnished apartments for periods ranging
from one day to several weeks.
The Chalets concept, developed by
YIT and familiar from holiday resorts,
is now being transformed to city
environments as a result of new, out
of the box thinking. The first Suites, in
Tampere and Lahti, are scheduled for
completion in 2014.
Best spots in the cities
The Tampere Suites will be located in
the heart of downtown Tampere, in
connection with the Pyynikki Swimming
Hall, which is now a spa-type facility.
The balconies overlook Kirkkopuisto
park. Hämeenpuisto park is adjacent and
the Särkänniemi adventure park is less
than a kilometre away.
The location is exactly what YIT Suites
want to offer their residents. The city
centre, vibrant throughout the year with
its restaurants, shops and theatres, is just
a stone’s throw away.
In all, 87 Suites will be built in
Tampere. They come in three sizes,
ranging from alcove studios of 32 square
metres to three-room suites of over 60
square metres featuring two bedrooms
and a sauna. The top three floors are
YIT Homes, providing the opportunity
for permanent residence. The total value
of the project is EUR 20 million.
The Lahti Suites will be built next to
Sibelius Hall, close to Lake Vesijärvi. The
location has many advantages, including
year round events at the cultural and con-
ference centre, the beautiful scenery of
Lake Vesijärvi, and the outdoor exercise
opportunities at Salpausselkä, and it is a
short walk to the city centre.
In the first stage, a total of 61 Suites
YIT to build the first Suites in Tampere and Lahti.
TEXTMerjaOjansivuPHOTOSYITARCHIVE
New part-time
accommodation in
the hearts of cities
The Lah
built nex
40

YIT Suites can
also be bought
fully equipped and
furnished. Cleaning
and bed linen
services are also
available.
will be built in Lahti, together with a
reception area, restaurant and business
premises. The total value of the project is
about EUR 23 million.
According to Marko Oinas, the
excellent locations available in Tampere
and Lahti were a key factor in the
decision to start with these two cities.
“The sites where Suites are built must
be in downtown areas and near the city
centre services,” Marko Oinas explains.
The relative proximity of Helsinki was
another important criterion since the
majority of buyers are expected to come
from the Finnish capital.
Ashes into diamonds
Marko Oinas says that the Suites will
be owned by both private people and
companies.
“The Suites and Chalets are a good
investment for private people as well, be-
cause they can easily be rented out using
the rental service,” Oinas says. The rental
and reception services will be provided by
Forenom, a service partner of YIT.
“In a figure of speech, ashes turn
to diamonds, as owners can get rental
income from the Suites when not staying
there themselves, thus covering their
ownership expenses. In cities there will be
year-round demand for the Suites, which
means that the rental income is as good
as guaranteed.
For owners and investors, the Suites
are easy and effortless to manage. YIT’s
service partner will see to virtually every-
thing relating to the rentals.
Investors can leave the leasing of their
Suites entirely to Forenom and take
advantage of the tax benefits. Forenom
offers a fixed rental income for some of
the Suites. Forenom also arranges the
cleaning and bed linen services.
Those owners of Suites that subscribe
to the rental service can stay at other YIT
Suites, Chalets and Villas locations for
half price.
Oinas says that, a conventional hotel
room will be a more cost-efficient option
than a suite for one person for a stay of
1–2 days.
“But the Suites will be more spacious
and more comfortable for those coming
in for a longer work assignment or
families on holiday.”
YIT SUITES represents a new con-
cept in part-time accommodation.
The proprietary Suites will be fully
furnished and equipped and can
be connected to a rental service.
The concept is familiar from
Chalets, holiday homes built in
holiday resorts by YIT.
The Suites will be owned by
private people and companies.
Owners can leave the renting of
their Suites to YIT’s service partner,
Forenom. Forenom will also
provide the reception, cleaning and
bed linen services.
Forenom offers investors a fixed
rental income for some of the
Suites.
The Suites in Tampere and Lahti
will range from alcove studios of
32,5 square metres to three-room
Suites of over 60 square metres
featuring two bedrooms and a
sauna.
The Tampere Suites will be
located in connection with the spa-
type Pyynikki Swimming Hall.
The Lahti Suites will be
constructed next to Sibelius Hall
near Lake Vesijärvi.
The two Suites have been
scheduled for completion in 2014.
Marketing began in September
2012.
There are already over 650
holiday homes under YIT's Chalets
concept. Existing homes or those
under construction can be found
in Finland at Ylläs, Saariselkä,
Levi, Ukkohalla, Ruka, Vuokatti,
Lappajärvi, Tahko, Sappee,
Vanajanlinna, Vierumäki and in the
Imatra Spa area.
Suites
hti Suites will be
xt to Sibelius Hall.
41

A new building brings together The Swedish
Music Hall of Fame, a place for shows,
restaurant and a hotel all under one roof.
TEXT Risto Pakarinen ILLUSTRATION Shutterstock
EMI Music Finland
A Pop Museum
In Stockholm
42

YIT internal magazine - ing 02/2012

YIT internal magazine - ing 02/2012

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