Developing attractive cities is a team effort

Attractive and evolving city centres lie at the heart of SRV’s strategy. Cooperation with different parties, such as cities, investors, financiers and designers, plays a key role in making cities even better places to live.

One example of effective cooperation can be found in Tampere, where an entirely new city district will be erected on top of the railway in the heart of the city over the next few years: the Tampere Central Deck and Arena. This project was developed by SRV and the investors are the City of Tampere and an investor group comprising SRV, LocalTapiola and OP Financial Group’s insurance and pension insurance companies. Nordea, OP Tampere, Handelsbanken and LocalTapiola (Yritysrahoitus I Ky) are on board as financiers.

“The Central Deck and Arena project has shown that by assembling a team of players that have the same goal, you can achieve results that would be impossible otherwise”, says Tero Tenhunen, Project Manager for the City of Tampere.

The new city district unites the eastern and western halves of Tampere. A deck will be builtover the railway tracks for an arena with a capacity of more than 13,000 people, as well as a hotel, casino and the tallest tower buildings in the city.

“The Central Deck and Arena has attracted international attention. The construction of this major project kicks off the large-scale development of the Tampere station area. Tampere will gain a new landmark that will be a meeting point for the people of our city, travellers and tourists. It is sure to be one of the most photographed attractions in the city”, says Tenhunen.

The first phase involves covering the southern railway yard with a deck on which the arena, a hotel and two towers will be built. The second phase will encompass the northern deck and three towers. The project has a total value of over EUR 550 million and also includes the development of six apartment buildings in Ranta-Tampella. According to the current schedule, the Central Deck and Arena project will be completed in 2024.

“From our perspective, we’re competing not only with other Finnish growth centres, but also with other Nordic countries. In order to thrive in this competition, we must have the courage to let the city develop. The city’s key focus is to seek solutions that create vital services and increase the attractiveness of the city”, says Tenhunen.

The story was originally published in 2017 Annual Report