Metro to bring new residents, jobs, services and educational institutions to Kivenlahti – Kiviruukki to grow into a unique bio- and circular economy innovation cluster
Construction in the surroundings of Espoo’s new metro stations will continue even after the metro starts operating to Kivenlahti on 3 December 2022. The West Metro extension will bring five new metro stations to Espoo: Finnoo, Kaitaa, Soukka, Espoonlahti and Kivenlahti. In this series of stories, we present the surroundings of each station.
The western end of the metro extension, Kivenlahti, is facing major changes. The area is expected to receive thousands of new residents, new jobs, a business centre with its services and a circular economy innovation centre. Two educational institutions are moving to Kivenlahti: Omnia, the Joint Authority of Education in Espoo Region, and Laurea University of Applied Sciences.
In the vicinity of the Kivenlahti metro station, 4–8-storey residential buildings and a 22-storey residential tower are planned.
Kivenlahti is growing at an astonishing rate: by 2050, the population of the whole area is expected to grow from 8,000 to 25,000.
Services in the area will be improved by the business centre to be built on Höyrylaivantie. A hybrid arena of 15,000 square metres will also be built in Kivenlahti. The construction of the sports, culture and events arena will begin in 2023, and it is planned to open in spring 2024.
The business centre will also house one of the two entrances to the metro station. It will be opened once the business centre is completed. Laurea University of Applied Sciences will also move to the business centre. The street and park areas and squares for the metro centre are currently being built.
Länsimetro Oy is building a park-and-ride facility in Kivenlahti, set for completion in spring 2023. The parking facility will have approximately 650 parking spaces for cars, charging points for electric cars and 50 bicycle parking spaces. The parking facility is located next to the western metro entrance, which will be opened later.
When the metro traffic to Kivenlahti begins, passengers will be served by the Kivenlahdentori entrance, which is accessible from Seitsenmerenreitti.
At the Kivenlahti metro station, sculptor Kalle Mustonen’s work “Kulkijat” (Wanderers) will catch the eye. Passengers will be greeted by two wooden figures in the middle of the platform. Read more about station art on the Länsimetro's website(external link, opens in a new window).
Kiviruukki to become a new innovation centre for the circular economy
In the future, an integral part of Kivenlahti will be the Kiviruukki area, located on the north side of Länsiväylä, a short distance away from the metro’s western terminus. The former industrial area will become a lively centre for working, studying and living.
Two underpasses will be built under Länsiväylä to connect Kiviruukki and Kivenlahti: one for vehicles, pedestrians and bicycles and the other for pedestrian and bicycle traffic only.
Kiviruukki will be home to Cleantech Garden, a major bio- and circular economy innovation cluster that will bring together science and research, Omnia’s new campus and pioneering companies in the field. Kiviruukki is already home to VTT Bioruukki, the largest research centre for bio- and circular economy in the Nordic countries.
In addition to jobs and study places, a large number of dwellings are being planned in Kiviruukki. By 2040, the population in the area is expected to grow to 9,000.
Read the other articles in the series:
Finnoo becomes an urban and maritime residential area along the metro line
The metro brings a strip of the city to Kaitaa
Soukka’s look was updated on the eve of the start of metro traffic
- Urban development