The actual building work was preceded by several years of cooperation in planning and design between the City of Porvoo and SRV.
King's Gate in Porvoo
The new Kings Gate (Kuninkaanportti) business and commercial area in Porvoo is being built close to the Porvoo West motorway junction, a good two kilometres from the city centre. The E18 motorway and the Porvoo to Mäntsälä highway act as barriers which divide the area into sectors, each of which has its own specific character. The areas attraction lies in easy accessibility and the large volume of through traffic.The actual building work was preceded by several years of cooperation in planning and design between the City of Porvoo and SRV. The Masterplan for the Kings Gate area was completed in spring 2003. It is the result of collaboration between three renowned architectural firms (Arkkitehtitoimisto Larkas & Laine Oy, Arkkitehtitoiminta Kai Wartiainen Oy and Arkkitehtitoimisto Tuomo Siitonen Oy). The Masterplan has been deployed as the basis of land use planning and design. The Masterplan has been supplemented and more detail added in the different stages of the development work, and even during the building work.
The Kings Gate area will form a well-designed regional conurbation where the functions of product development, research, production and training are closely interwoven. When these functions are added to the service provision and the commercial activities in the area, Kings Gate will indeed be an attractive entity. The first phase of the building work will involve the production of an extensive commercial unit, requiring a large volume of space and accommodating automotive, furniture, hardware and interior design outlets. The second phase will consist of a business park offering modern and functional office premises, which can be adapted to different uses by the occupiers, including SMEs and industrial research and development units.
COMMERCIAL SECTOR
In the first implementation phase, the commercial sector will be developed in the area that lies to the west of the motorway and south of the Mäntsälä highway. The existing plan includes building rights for a large-volume commercial unit of about 75,000 m2 of floor space. Following the completion of the plan at the beginning of 2004, extensive excavation work has been carried out in the area in preparation for the preliminary construction work as well as the construction of the street network and traffic infrastructure and for the municipal engineering works.
The building construction was started in autumn 2005. The first commercial outlet, Keskos K-Rauta, was opened for business in spring 2006. After the completion of the K-Rauta building, work was commenced on the new vehicle showroom for Autosalpa Oy, measuring a generous 4,000 m2. Work has also commenced on a new build measuring more than 6,000 m2 for Veljekset Laakkonen Oy. This sector will also accommodate the new emergency services centre for the City of Porvoo.
By the end of 2008, it is estimated that the area will comprise 65,000 m2 of commercial premises for the retail trade. Apart from K-Rauta, the following retailers will be represented in the area: Markantalo, Hirvox, Musta Pörssi, Isku and Hong Kong. The possibility of getting planning permission for and using the central section of the whole area is also being investigated.
BUSINESS PARK
The area lying to the north of the Mäntsälä highway is reserved for the business park which will include vacant office space, company premises and production space. The ratified plan for this sector includes building permission for 90,000 m2 of floor space. The business park will be completed on the principle of producing an area with architecture that reflects the individual atmosphere of Porvoo and respects tradition, but nevertheless gives the area a modern city appearance.
