Countless SATO neighbourhoods across the decades
Many people know SATO as one of Finland’s largest housing providers, but few realise that its roots stretch all the way back to the post-war housing boom. In fact, SATO has played a key role in the development of some of Helsinki’s most beloved residential areas. In this article, we take a step back in time to explore how these familiar neighbourhoods have evolved over the decades and what today’s residents think of their home areas.
1940: SATO was founded in response to the post-war housing shortage
SATO's story began in the 1940s, at a time when post-war Finland was in desperate need of housing. Nearly half a million people had been relocated, and there was a strong desire to provide homes especially for large families and low-income households.
The company’s first CEO and Head Designer, Doctor of Technology Ole Gripenberg, designed practical homes at reasonable costs. His first building plans were drawn up for Käpylä, where construction of six residential buildings began promptly. By 1 October 1941, a total of 170 SATOhomes were ready for move-in.
One of the first to purchase a SATOhome in Käpylä was a young officer eager to move out on his own: “I was still living with my mother at the time and thought it was time to become independent – after all, I was already a lieutenant. I bought a two-room flat for 42,000 marks.”
The Continuation War, which broke out in June 1941, slowed housing production, but the need for homes didn’t disappear. In fact, a post-war baby boom and rapid migration only worsened Helsinki’s housing crisis. The situation began to ease in 1946, when Finland’s final war reparations to the Soviet Union crossed the Vainikkala border.
After that, the pace of development accelerated. Over the following decades, entire neighbourhoods rose across the city. These new home areas remain well-known and well-loved by many Helsinki residents to this day. In addition to Käpylä, SATO has played a role in the development of areas like Pohjois-Haaga and Pihlajamäki – from initial zoning to full construction. Each of these neighbourhoods reflects the architectural ideals of its time.
Let’s now take a journey through time to see what kind of neighbourhoods were built in different decades.
1954: Pohjois-Haaga was SATO’s first major development project
In 1954, SATO was entrusted with an ambitious task: to develop a 32-hectare area – about the size of 45 football fields – in Pohjois-Haaga. This was an unprecedented project: for the first time, a private company was allowed to create a zoning plan and oversee the area’s infrastructure. SATO also built 30 commercial and service premises in the neighbourhood.
The rental homes in Pohjois-Haaga III were constructed in four stages between 1956 and 1960. In line with the Arava regulations of the time, the homes were compact: the average floor area was under 50 square metres, and no apartment exceeded 87 square metres.
In total, 1,400 flats were built in 3–4-storey lamella blocks and 10–12-storey tower blocks, which were among the tallest buildings in Helsinki at the time.
One of these tower blocks is now home to Yelyzaveta Pervysheva. The view was what drew her and her partner to the apartment. “When your home is high up, you don’t hear traffic noise at all,” she says.
“This area is the perfect blend of nature and city life. The forest is right next door, and so are Kaari shopping centre and a sports complex with a swimming pool and ice rink. My partner plays ice hockey and I swim, so having these close by is really important!”
Even though the building is old, it doesn't show in everyday life. “The flat is tidy, the heating works brilliantly, and the laundry rooms are in great shape. The internet included in the rent is more than sufficient for my work, even though I use a high-performance computer and heavy-duty systems,” says Yelyzaveta, who works in the IT sector.
1960: Pihlajamäki led the way in prefabricated construction
The 1960s were a time of rapid industrialisation in Finland, and Helsinki saw an influx of new residents. The fast-growing population needed new suburban areas – one of the largest was Pihlajamäki. Its northeastern part was developed by the housing cooperative Haka, and the southwestern part by SATO.
SATO held a design competition for its section of the development, aiming to find the most cost-effective building types and practical housing solutions. The winner was architect Lauri Silvennoinen, whose ambitious goal was to apply industrial construction methods in a pioneering way.
The Pihlajamäki development used the Skarne system developed in Sweden, which relied on fully prefabricated construction. Buildings went up faster than before – even in winter – and tower cranes became central to the process.
According to the Finnish Heritage Agency, Pihlajamäki is seen as a turning point in the history of Finnish construction and home design.
The area’s spacious courtyards, 60s-style shopping centre, and newer grocery stores keep the neighbourhood lively. The tower blocks on Graniittitie were recently modernised, giving them a new lease of life. The new residents have embraced them gladly, including Ilona Havia, who studies at the University of Helsinki’s Viikki campus.
Originally from Nousiainen, a rural municipality with around 4,700 residents, Ilona adapted quickly to city life, even though the pace is now much more intense.
“There are people everywhere, all the time. Back home the shop was five kilometres away – here, it’s a two-minute walk. Public transport also became part of my daily routine really quickly.”
Ilona appreciates the green surroundings. “There’s space to breathe here. Nature is close by, and the vibe reminds me a bit of home.”
1967: Hakunila in Vantaa is SATO’s largest independently developed district
Surrounded by nature, Hakunila is the largest residential district on the eastern side of Vantaa. SATO began building the area in 1967 and continued into the 2000s. Today, Hakunila is home to over 11,000 residents, about 1,200 of whom live in SATO-owned rental homes.
Local services have grown alongside the community, and people still reach them via the streets, parks and courtyards built by SATO. In Hakunila, nature starts right at the doorstep – jogging paths and forests are practically in your backyard. The City of Vantaa aims to develop Hakunila into a green national park-style city, serving as a gateway to Sipoonkorpi National Park.
The 1970s: a construction boom like no other
Many familiar residential areas were born in the 1970s. In 1973 and 1974, more homes were built in Finland than ever before. These construction projects laid the foundations for half of today’s Finnish cities. The intense pace was felt at SATO too, which hired its first full-time landscape designer for the architecture department during this time.
SATO played a major role in the development of Soukka and Kivenlahti. Both were among Finland’s most significant housing development projects of their time. In Soukka, SATO introduced a new, demand-driven approach to housing design, along with resident and housing studies to better understand and meet diverse living needs.
Construction in Soukka began in 1967, and in Kivenlahti a year earlier. SATO was involved in Soukka’s zoning from the start, resulting in a distinctive block structure: tall tower buildings placed on rocky ridges, with lower buildings in between. Nature was considered right from the planning stage, and the towers around the shopping centre are still considered landmarks of Soukka today.
Nowadays, about 8,000 people live in Soukka, many of them in homes built by SATO. A similar number live in Kivenlahti, a coastal district that continues to grow as part of Espoo’s urban expansion.
New areas, same goal
An anniversary is a good moment to look back – but also forward. At 85 years old, SATO continues its work as a developer of urban areas. Hervantajärvi in Tampere and Skanssi in Turku are examples of neighbourhood projects from the new millennium, supported by years of zoning and planning work. Most recently, SATO is planning a future neighbourhood in Kauklahti, Espoo, on the former Lasihytti industrial site.
A city is never finished, but one thing remains unchanged: the desire to build neighbourhoods and homes where everyday life runs smoothly and people feel at home.
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Sources:
Helsingin SATO Oy 1940–1980
Mauno Koskinen, Merkkituotteena suomalainen koti, SATO 1940–2000
This content has been translated with the help of generative AI. Tämä sisältö on käännetty generatiivisen tekoälyn avulla.