YIT and eQ Community Properties have agreed with the City of Helsinki on construction of the Hermanninranta school, daycare center and youth center

YIT and eQ Community Properties Fund were selected as partners for the new building that will serve as the Hermanninranta school, daycare center, and youth facility, which will be utilized by the City of Helsinki in the meeting of the Urban Environment Committee's Building and General Areas Division on June 26, 2025; YIT as the property builder and eQ Community Properties Fund as the property owner and landlord.

YIT, the City of Helsinki, and eQ Community Properties Fund have signed a project agreement. The parties have agreed that the value of the project will not be published. The agreement will be recorded in YIT's order book when the project's building permission becomes legally effective, approximately in the summer of 2026.

YIT will build the property for eQ Community Properties Fund, and the premises will be designed as a learning environment to meet the needs of the building's user, the City of Helsinki. eQ Social Real Estate will lease the premises to the City of Helsinki for a period of 20 years.

The property will have five floors, with only technical facilities on the top floor. The building will be used by about 700 elementary school pupils, 224 children of early childhood education age and about 160 staff members. A youth center will also be built in connection with the school, which about 150 young people expected to visit it daily. The school gym will serve the residents of the area in the evenings.

The building will have a frame made primarily of wood, and wood will also be widely used on the interior surfaces of the structure. The scope of the property will be approximately 11,000 gross square meters of floor area and the building will be constructed to meet the requirements of the highest energy efficiency class A. Four stars are sought for the building in the Rakennustieto environmental classification. The Rakennustieto environmental classification is a tool suitable for Finnish conditions, which guides sustainable construction and property maintenance.

"The designers have created a nature-themed yard that extends to the rooftop and opens out onto the adjacent park. The spatial design of the building is innovative and the architecture is timeless. The combination of the geometric building and a lush courtyard also works from an urban design perspective-the result is very successful," said Project Director Mari Koskinen from the City of Helsinki.

"It is great that we are able to provide a versatile rental property for learning and early childhood education for the City of Helsinki in a rapidly growing area, which is also strategically very suitable for eQ Community Properties Fund. Working with a skilled contractor partner and talented designers, we developed a design solution that was appreciated by the city. Excellent cooperation with both the design team and the city during the bidding and contract negotiation phase also heralds a successful outcome for residents of Hermanninranta and the surrounding areas," says eQ's property development director Markus Salmela.

"We were aiming for high quality in the design, which is reflected, on the one hand, in modern, highly energy-efficient performance and solutions that reduce the carbon footprint, and on the other hand, in traditional façade materials that will stand the test of time. A multi-story solution was developed for the challenging construction site, in which the lush outdoor courtyard of the tall school building safely extends onto the rooftop yard area. The environment the building provides for learning and play is unique. Despite the height of the building, the spaces for young children and local residents were placed on easily accessible lower floors. The youth center is situated at street level in an inviting location," describes YIT's Design Manager Heikki Kurtti.

The design of the building to meet users' needs will continue in the autumn of 2025, and a building permission will be applied for in early 2026. The construction work is planned to start at the end of 2026, when the premises will be completed by autumn 2029.

For more information:
YIT Group Communications, tel. +358 44 743 7536, press@yit.fi

Distribution: NASDAQ Helsinki, major media, www.yitgroup.com/en

We build and develop sustainable living environments: functional and comfortable homes; public and commercial buildings for future needs; infrastructure to promote the green transition; and industrial, production and energy facilities to support our customers' processes. YIT's vision is to be the most competent partner in the development of sustainable homes, facilities and cities - for a good life. The company employs around 4 100 professionals, and in 2024 our turnover was EUR 1.8 billion. YIT's shares are listed on Nasdaq Helsinki.

Learn more: www.yitgroup.com/en and follow us on Linkedin I X I Instagram I Facebook