SATO develops the Hakunila district of Vantaa: 161 new rental homes in Raudikkokuja street

SATO, one of Finland’s largest rental housing providers, is developing new non-subsidised rental homes in Raudikkokuja street in the Vantaa district of Hakunila. Construction began in June this year and the homes will be move-in ready in May 2023.

SATO has been taking part in the development of the eastern Vantaa district of Hakunila since the 1970s and has more than 700 rental homes in the area. SATO is investing in the development of Hakunila in many ways: apartment buildings constructed in the 1970s have been renovated in recent years and infill construction projects are creating new homes for the area. Providing Hakunila with access to rail transport, the currently planned Vantaa Light Rail will improve the area’s transport links even further.

“We’ve been closely involved in the development of Hakunila right from the start. We also want to continue to participate in the renewal and development of Hakunila as a residential area together with the City of Vantaa and other actors. The efficient local transport connections, easy access to nature and services provide an excellent foundation for the development of a residential area where people enjoy living and everyday life is smooth,” says Arto Aalto, Vice President, Investments at SATO.

Raudikkokuja street block to undergo major renewal, with Hiirakkokuja area also to be developed

Owned by SATO and constructed in the 1970s, the Raudikkokuja 3 and 5 properties have undergone full renovation that was completed in 2019. The new property now under construction, Raudikkokuja 7, will be implemented as an infill construction project in the same block in part on the site of the current parking lots of Raudikkokuja 3, 5 and 10. There are currently a total of 216 SATO rental homes in the Raudikkokuja block.

On 2 June 2021, SATO signed a construction contract with TNRak Oy on the property to rise at Raudikkokuja 7, and construction work has already begun. The property will consist of 161 new rental homes on a lot owned by the housing company.

“The amendment to the local detailed plan and the design solution for the Raudikkokuja street block were prepared in good cooperation with the City of Vantaa planning and building control departments,” Arto Aalto says.

In conjunction with the project, new parking lots will be built in the block and the play area in Raudikkopuisto park will be upgraded. The amendment to the local detailed plan also includes three new lots for owner-occupied apartment buildings, with two of these implemented by T2H Rakennus Oy.

The development of Hakunila will continue in the Hiirakkokuja area south of Raudikkokuja where planning is underway for residential building rights for almost 300 new homes to be located between current buildings and on parking lots. SATO is also developing the Hiirakkokuja area with its partners, and the amendment to the local detailed plan is expected to be completed soon.

Housing sustainability as well as adaptability and flexibility taken into account in design solutions

In keeping with SATO’s responsibility programme, all modernisation and new build projects involve determination of whether energy for the buildings can be sourced from the ground. In this project, SATO chose to go with geothermal heat, which makes use of thermal energy stored in the ground. Geothermal heat reduces carbon dioxide emissions and also has an additional advantage in that it may be used for cooling as well. A solar power system producing renewable energy will also be implemented as part of the project. The building will be carbon neutral as regards operational emissions during its use, as renewable electricity will be used in addition to geothermal heat.

Sustainability is taken into account not only in heating but also in mobility and design solutions. All parking spaces will be equipped with electric car charging facilities.

The building’s carbon footprint is further reduced by the domestically manufactured wooden balconies of the new homes that will face the street. The wooden balconies have a negative carbon footprint, which means that during their lifetime they will absorb more carbon dioxide than they emit. In addition, the ground floor will feature dual-purpose premises that will serve as studio homes but can also be modified for use as business units if necessary. Some of the studio apartments will also have a sleeping loft.

The design of the apartment building constructed at Raudikkokuja 7 also takes into account adaptability and flexibility, with some of the load-bearing concrete walls of small apartments being replaced with light walls between apartments. This way they can be combined with the apartments next door if there is demand for larger apartments in the future.

Raudikkokuja is located in Hakunila and has good access to transport links and three main arteries: Lahdenväylä, Porvoonväylä and Ring Road III. The nearest bust stop is around 100 m from the property. The nearest train stations are around 5 km away in Puistola and Tikkurila and the closest metro station is in Mellunmäki. Jumbo shopping centre and Helsinki-Vantaa airport are both only 10 minutes away by car from Raudikkokuja. Currently in the planning stage, if built, the Vantaa Light Rail will have trams running right past the block on Hakunilantie road. The tram service would provide fast, smooth and frequent connections to the metro, airport as well as Tikkurila, which is one of Finland’s busiest train stations. In Hakunila, everyday services can be found in the shopping centre only a couple of hundred metres from Raudikkokuja. There are great areas for outdoor recreation nearby.

For media enquiries, please contact:
SATO Corporation, Arto Aalto, Vice President, Investments
Phone +358 40 513 0702, arto.aalto@sato.fi

SATO is one of Finland's leading rental housing providers. SATO aims to offer a comprehensive choice of rental housing and an excellent customer experience. At year-end 2020, SATO owned nearly 26 800 apartments in Finland's largest growth centres and in St Petersburg.

We promote sustainable development and initiative through our operations and work in open interaction with our stakeholders to generate added value. We operate profitably and with a long-term view. We increase the value of our housing stock through investments, divestments and repairs.

SATO Group's net sales in 2020 were EUR 303,4 million, operating profit EUR 179,6 million and profit before taxes EUR 129,5 million. The value of SATO's investment property is roughly EUR 4,8 billion.