SATO built half of Pihlajamäki 60 years ago and continues
SATO Oyj
Press release 29 August 2022 at 14:15
The Pihlajamäki The district of Helsinki was one of the first to apply the neighborhood construction approach, where the development of a larger area was entrusted to one company. It was also the first in Finland in industrial construction methods and a completely prefabricated system. 60 years ago, rental apartment specialist SATO, which was involved in the creation of the district, continues to play a role in its development.
Located in northern Helsinki, Pihlajamäki is a hidden gem among neighborhoods. A mixture of bold, steep architecture and a park-like atmosphere, Pihlajamäki is a district where Finland’s oldest glacial pits and trenches from the time of the Russian tsars are still standing, even though the road has also been made for modern skateboarding ramps. SATO was responsible for the lion’s share of Pihlajamäki’s buildings, including the construction of its landmark apartment buildings and the part of the shopping center that is currently a protected building. Today, SATO still has almost 250 rental apartments in the area.
SATO was the first to implement a completely prefabricated system
Helsinki Housing Authority Haka was once responsible for construction in the northeastern part of the district and SATO in the southwest. The construction of Pihlajamäki started in 1960, and the goal is to build more than 2,000 apartments in the area by 1964.
Architect Lauri SilvennoinenThe ambitious goal of the winner of the architecture competition organized by SATO was to unify the entire construction process, and Pihlajamäki’s development was therefore a pioneer in the use of industrial construction methods.
While the first part of the area developed by SATO was realized with large molds, in which the building frames were cast on site, the second phase was the first in Finland with a completely prefabricated system, where the buildings were assembled entirely from ready-made elements. . SATO’s element structure, its architecture in terms of scale and composition, as well as the streamlined appearance of the buildings and the sought-after efficiency advantages had a significant impact on the future of Finnish construction. Pihlajamäki is considered the watershed of the Finnish construction industry and housing design in Finland.
– Even today, we prefer prefabricated elements in construction and we also use a completely prefabricated system. Today, factory-made elements are much more flexible and designed for different needs, he says Arto AaltoInvestment Director of SATO.
The flexible adaptability of the housing layouts in the area has also been useful in terms of the changes made during the life cycle of the buildings.
“The frame comfort makes it possible to later combine two adjacent studios into one larger home, for example in connection with modernization,” explains Aalto.
SATO continues its development Pihlajamäki
As a responsible provider of rental housing, SATO implements the modernization of its rental apartments and buildings in accordance with life cycle principles.
In 2021, SATO started the modernization of 64 homes in Pihlajamäki in order to significantly improve their energy efficiency and living comfort.
“In the modernizations, our goal is to achieve a roughly 30% improvement in energy efficiency,” says Aalto.
The Graniittitie house to be renovated will also switch from district heating to geothermal heating. SATO also invests in the further development of prefab construction techniques introduced for the first time in the region.
“The service life of modern prefabricated elements is longer, the materials used are more advanced, and the range of solutions that can be implemented with the elements is much wider. Today, SATO requires the service life of all building frame elements to be 100 years,” says Aalto.
More about Pihlajamäki on our website: Pihlajamäki – 60 years at the mercy of element elements
For media inquiries, please contact:
SATO Oyj, Arto Aalto, investment director
telephone +358 40 513 0702, [email protected]
SATO Oyj is an expert in sustainable rental housing and one of the largest rental housing providers in Finland. SATO owns approximately 25,000 rental apartments in Helsinki Capital Region, Tampere and Turku.
SATO’s goal is to offer an excellent customer experience and a comprehensive selection of rental apartment options in cities with good public transport connections and services. We promote sustainable development and operate in open interaction with our stakeholders. SATO invests profitably, sustainably and long-term. We increase the value of our assets with investments, sales and repairs.
SATO Group’s turnover in 2021 was EUR 298.3 million, operating profit EUR 304.5 million and profit before taxes EUR 259.4 million. The value of SATO’s investment properties is approximately EUR 5 billion. www.sato.fi