HELSINKI, FINLAND, 2015-10-8 — /EPR Retail News/ — S Group is inviting ideas people, start-ups, students and researchers to brainstorm and create visions for renewing the Kera district in Espoo. S Group’s logistics centre will be relocated from Kera to another location in the next few years, which means that the industrial area can be reclassified as a residential area.
The vision is to make Kera a “20-minute district”. The goal is that Kera residents would be able to reach anywhere in Espoo, as well as the centre of Helsinki, in 20 minutes without having to use their own cars.
Brainstorming based on circular economy
A particular challenge in the contest is to redefine the old industrial area as a lively, inspiring residential area. The goal is to find sustainable, practical, innovative and smart solutions that will make Kera a pleasant, lively district. The purpose is to brainstorm ideas for the district’s different developmental stages and specify how to make the changes in an interesting way, as well as the kinds of services that could be implemented in the district, starting from the initial scenario all the way to executing the vision for the Kera district.
According to the principles of the circular economy, it is possible to reuse and recycle the S Group logistics centre’s existing structures, the district’s industrial buildings and related demolition and waste material in future urban development.
The only Finnish-based location in the challenge
The Kera district is the only project in Finland selected by Nordic Innovation (working under the auspices of the Nordic Council of Ministers) in the Nordic Built Cities Challenge. The competition includes five other Nordic projects. Nordic Built Cities is one of the Council’s flagship projects.
The challenge is about sustainability, being smart, lively, engaging in Nordic cooperation, and having export potential. The best four ideas related to the Kera district will each receive around €30,000 in further development funding. The best four teams will also get to compete at the Nordic level in the Nordic Built Cities Challenge Awards, with other top teams.
The first stage of the challenge is from 7 October to 17 December 2015.
Read more and join in: www.nordicbuiltcities.org/thechallenge
More information:
Raija Rinta-Erkkilä, Project Manager, SOK Real Estate, +358 10 76 82 210
SOURCE: SOK
###
