Lindström Invest and YIT start construction of the Kalasatama office area

YIT CORPORATION    PRESS RELEASE     14 May 2009 at 2 p.m.

The Hermanni property in Rantatie, which is being constructed by Lindström Invest and YIT, has now reached the rooftop phase. Covering a floor area of some 11,800 gross square metres, Rantatie Business Park is expected to be completed by the end of the year. The office building now under construction marks the start of developing Kalasatama into an open urban area that was enabled by the moving of the port and its operations to Vuosaari.

”Rantatie Business Park is the second cornerstone of our company in the evolving Kalasatama area. The arched form of the building and strip of red brick wall built on site arouse interest and curiosity. This is a sign of individualised, high-quality planning and implementation,” says Jouni Puhakka, Managing Director of Lindström Invest Oy.

”Combined with our genuine customer-oriented thinking, the facilities and services in Rantatie make up an operating environment that enhances the image of our customer companies and in which customers can operate easily. In a sense they are forerunners in establishing themselves in a building made by another forerunner,” Puhakka says.

”Kalasatama will also be developed impressively as an area in the next few years. The concrete building of the office and residential area and improved traffic connections has made Kalasatama one of the most desirable areas in Helsinki,” says Unit Manager Tapio Salo, who is responsible for YIT's premises services in the Helsinki metropolitan area.

YIT still has building rights to 36,000 square metres of floor area in Kalasatama, for which negotiations are currently under way with possible tenants.

”An office building of some 12,000 square metres of floor area will be erected on the site adjacent to the property under construction, together with some 24,000 square metres of business premises on the nearby sites,” Salo says.

Personnel preferred Kalasatama

One of the customers at Rantatie Business Park will be Sininen Meteoriitti Oy, a leading developer of software for network services and electronic desktops in Finland. According to Aki Antman, Chairman of the Board of Directors, Kalasatama was an obvious choice when the need for premises arose.

”It was evident that we needed larger premises so we asked our personnel where they would like us to move. Kalasatama was by far the most popular choice, thanks to its good traffic connections and the services to be available in the new premises,” says Antman. Sininen Meteoriitti is currently located next door to the property under construction.

”We have seen major growth in the last few years so there was an evident need for new premises. We wanted premises that would support the growth of our business and enhance the well-being of our personnel at work. Our personnel were involved at the planning phase, which is one of the most important things in ensuring that the facilities are pleasant and match the company's image. We can’t wait to move in,” Antman says.

Kalasatama to provide homes to 17,000 and jobs to 10,000

Moving the port area and its operations to Vuosaari will also mark the construction of residential buildings in Kalasatama, which according to the estimates of the City of Helsinki will continue at least until the early 2030s. The first stage will see the construction of residential buildings in Sörnäistenniemi to the south of the Kulosaari bridge.

According to Helsinki City Planning Department, the former industrial area will become a modern and international city district combining housing, jobs and services in an open and pleasant area.

For further information, please contact:
Tapio Salo, Director, YIT Rakennus Oy, tel. +358-20 433 2391, tapio.salo@yit.fi
Jouni Puhakka, Managing Director, Lindström Invest Oy, tel. +358-40 50 63 638, jouni.puhakka@lindstrominvest.fi

YIT CORPORATION

Veikko Myllyperkiö
Senior Vice President, Corporate Communications

Distribution: Principal media, www.yitgroup.com

For more information on Kalasatama, go to www.yit.fi/kalasatama, www.kalasatama.fi
For more information on Rantatie Business Park, go to www.lindstrominvest.fi