Situated by the sea, Keilaniemi is a well-known hub of high tech, innovations and business life.
Keilaniemi boasts a significant number of large listed companies and promising start-ups. It is home to the head offices of many large international companies, such as Kone, Neste, Valmet, Fortum, Tieto and Fiskars. Almost half of the trading done on the Helsinki Stock Exchange is for companies from the Keilaniemi area.
In the area, there are approximately 7,950 jobs and the number is expected to grow to 11,050 by 2050. Keilaniemi is currently known as a business area but it will have a more services and will have population of 3,000 in the future.
Distance from Helsinki Central Railway Station to Keilaniemi is 10 minutes by metro.
An illustration of the future Keilaniemi. The Keilaniemi business district will be expanded with new office, hotel and residential buildings. Photo: SARC Architects
The 2017 opened metro service has meant that Keilaniemi is easy to reach. One of the West Metro stations is located in Keilaniemi, which has contributed to the area’s rapid development. The traffic connections will improve even further and Keilaniemi will become a central public transport hub once the final terminus of the Jokeri Light Rail is built adjacent to the metro station. The Jokeri Light Rail will start operating, at the latest, in early 2024, but preparations are being made as part of the construction project and in terms of tram deliveries and driver training to enable an earlier start in the autumn of 2023. It is expected that the decision on the start of operation will be made during the summer 2023.
The new light rail line will interlink Keilaniemi, Otaniemi and Leppävaara - Espoo’s most significant high-technology employment areas. Jokeri Light Rail will also connect the West Metro line and the train tracks at Leppävaara, Espoo’s main railway station, into a combined system.
Keilaniemi and Otaniemi are growing towards each other and are separated only by one metro stop or a few minutes walking distance. The area forms a unique innovation cluster and a world-class collaboration hub. The Aalto Universitys main campus is situated in Otaniemi as well as A Grid Centre where the Aalto Startup Center can be found, and 140 companies and communities, such as the business incubator of the European Space Agency ESA and the United Nations technology laboratory.
Kone
Neste
Valmet
Rovio
Microsoft
Tieto
Fortum
Fiskars
The West Metro line and the Jokeri Light Rail will mean big changes for Keilaniemi. The area surrounding the final stop of the Jokeri Light Rail adjacent to the metro station has become an important and interesting development site. A central underground car park is planned near this final stop, enabling a great deal more efficient land use.
More residential buildings will be constructed in Keilaniemi and the area’s character is being diversified. With the new commercial and residential development, Keilaniemi is set to become a much livelier and more densely built neighbourhood. All in all, the area’s activities will be widened and enlarged in the future. The new developments in Keilaniemi and the tunnel at Ring Road I link Keilaniemi with Otaniemi and Tapiola. A pleasant park area has been built over the tunnel. The Tapiola-Keilaniemi-Otaniemi area is significant to the whole of Finland, and it has excellent potential for attracting both investment and new businesses to Espoo.
Fiskars Group headquarters in Keilaniemi.Photo: SARC Architects
Keilaniemi high-rise – office, hotel and residential buildings
The Keilaniemi business district will be expanded with new office, hotel and residential buildings. The plans in Keilaniemi include three residential towers, the highest of which will comprise 40 floors. One of the towers has 32 (16,000 floor m²) floors and two of them 36 floors (both 18,100 floor m²). They will provide housing for new residents in the Keilaniemi area. Construction work will begin in 2023.
A new 161-metre office and hotel tower is being planned as a new landmark for the Keilaniemi shore. The lower floors of the tower would serve as congress, restaurant and cafeteria premises, offering a vista over the Waterfront Walkway.
Behind the tower project is Strike. It remodelled Fortum’s former headquarters into modern office premises, with Accountor as the main tenant. The tower’s renovation was completed in 2020.
Keilaniemi square has two glass pavilions with comprehensive services.
Furthermore, Norwegian AB invest AS is planning an extensive hotel and congress centre project and office space for the shoreline near the Keilaniemi metro station and the final stop of the future Jokeri Light Rail. The hotel is planned to have 660 rooms, and the entire project scope comprises 30,000 square meters.
Planning of a wooden office building to be continued
The construction of the wooden office building, Keilaniemen Portti, along Keilalahdentie, highlights solutions that support sustainable development. This is the flagship project of Varma Mutual Pension Insurance Company. Varma’s goal is to proceed with the project as soon as possible.
The seaside office building to be constructed next to the metro station and the terminus of the upcoming Jokeri Light Rail line will be the first wooden building in Keilaniemi. Building is called Keilaniemen portti.Photo: Architects Soini & Horto
Keilaniemi waterfront
The Keilaniemi waterfront will also be developed to open it up for recreational use. A high-end restaurant and event venue is being planned for the Keilaniemi waterfront to enliven the local service offerings.
