Davidsson Tarkela Architects winner of the architectural competition for KPMG's office building to be constructed in Töölönlahti

PRESS RELEASE            29 November 2011

Davidsson Tarkela Architects winner of the architectural competition for KPMG's office building to be constructed in Töölönlahti

The winner of the invited architectural competition for the new office building to be constructed for KPMG in the central Töölönlahti area of Helsinki has been selected. The winning entry was designed by Aki Davidsson, Jaana Tarkela and Pekka Mäkelä from Davidsson Tarkela Architects. The new office building will be constructed north of the Holiday Inn Hotel, next to the Sanomatalo building in block 2015.

The invited architectural competition was organised by the building company Lemminkäinen together with the developer, Etera Mutual Pension Insurance Company, and the City of Helsinki and KPMG.

The goal of the competition was to find an overall design to serve as a basis for further planning that would provide an interesting and high-quality solution both in terms of architecture and cityscape. Among the key criteria were taking into account the central and highly visible location, as well as the overall functionality of the building and its flexibility to adapt to evolving needs. Further considerations were the feasibility of the design with regard to the confined building site conditions, and energy-efficient and ecologically sustainable solutions.

"According to the jury's evaluation, the design language gives an air of lightness to the big building. The space that opens up in the middle of the building is inviting and creates a natural meeting point," says the Chair of the Jury, Timo Sotavalta, Head of Real Estate Investments at Etera. Due to the central location of the building, it can be approached from several directions. The winning entry successfully draws on the great views over Töölönlahti park, Eliel Square and Kaisaniemi.

The office building to be constructed north of the Holiday Inn Hotel will have a gross floor area of 18,500 m2. Construction will begin in spring 2012 and the building will be completed at the end of 2013.

"Our key criteria for choosing the building were a central location and good traffic connections, a good architectural fit with KPMG's corporate image and values and the possibility to be involved in designing the premises from the start in order to achieve a building that closely matches our needs. This project will excellently achieve all of these goals," says Juha Purovesi, Head of Finance and Administration from KPMG.

Etera will construct a total of three office buildings in the Töölönlahti area. The construction work will be carried out by Lemminkäinen. The total costs for these projects will exceed EUR 200 million. Construction of the first office building, which will mainly be occupied by Alma Media, was started last spring and the building will be completed in 2012.

Construction of KPMG’s office building will start in spring 2012.

Press images of the winning entry can be downloaded at Lemminkäinen web site and www.etera.fi.

For more information, please contact:
Jussi Niiranen, Project Director,
Lemminkäinen Talo, Helsinki Metropolitan Area
Tel. +358 2071 53208,
jussi.niiranen@lemminkainen.fi

Timo Sotavalta, Head of Real Estate Investments,
Etera Mutual Pension Insurance Company
Tel. +358 40 732 5577,
timo.sotavalta@etera.fi

Juha Purovesi, Head of Finance and Administration,
KPMG
Tel. +358 20 760 3000,
juha.purovesi@kpmg.fi

Lemminkäinen:
Lemminkäinen Group operates in all areas of the construction sector. Its business sectors are building construction, infrastructure construction and technical building services. As of 2012, international operations will be the fourth business sector. Net sales in 2010 were approximately EUR 2 billion, of which international operations accounted for about a quarter. The Group employs an average of 8,000 people. Lemminkäinen Corporation's share is listed on NASDAQ OMX Helsinki.www.lemminkainen.fi

Etera:
Etera Mutual Pension Insurance Company provides private-sector employees and self-employed persons with pension cover while promoting wellbeing at work. The company's premium income in 2010 was EUR 570 million. Etera insures over 200,000 employees. Etera will pay out pensions to 151,000 pension recipients in the amount of more than €1 billion in 2011. Etera secures its pension funds through investments, which, at the end of September 2011, totalled EUR 5.2 billion, of which EUR 745 million is invested in real estate. www.etera.fi

KPMG:
KPMG is one of the world's leading expert organisations whose purpose is to turn knowledge into value for the benefit of its clients, people, and surrounding society. Our services include audit, tax and advisory services. KPMG's member firms have 140,000 employees in 150 countries around the world. In Finland, we employ over 700 people in 16 locations.
www.kpmg.fi