Communality in Yekaterinburg

Baltym-Park will eventually consist of dozens of three-to-five-storey houses that also include premises for shops and services.

“The plans for the area place a high priority on comfortable public spaces and the energy efficiency of the buildings,” says Julia Pirožkova, Sales and Marketing Manager at YIT.

The low-rise apartment buildings are the latest concept introduced to Yekaterinburg by YIT. There are barely any low-rise apartment buildings in the city, and all of YIT’s other developments there are over ten storeys high. There is demand for smaller apartment buildings.

“Low-rise construction makes it possible to create a residential environment that has character and comfort,” says Teemu Helppolainen, Head of the Housing Russia Segment at YIT.

Having operated in Yekaterinburg since 2006, today YIT has more than five thousand people living in its apartments. Customers include many young families that value YIT’s efficient use of space and reasonably priced housing.

“YIT was one of the first developers to introduce European-style floor plans to Yekaterinburg. YIT apartments have open-plan kitchens and minimal hallways. There is strong demand for YIT apartments in the local real estate market. YIT was also the first to build terraces for ground floor apartments,” Pirožkova explains.

The hub of the Ural region attracts new residents

Yekaterinburg is one of the most densely populated major cities in Russia. It is not only the centre of the Ural economic region, but also a popular university city known for its lively culture.  The vibrant region is continuously attracting new residents.

“Yekaterinburg was closed to foreigners for many decades, but it is nevertheless a very youthful and open city. That is why it has seen such positive development,” Helppolainen says.

In a city with more than a million residents, the only way for the city centre to grow is to grow vertically. The past decade has seen one high-rise after another erected in the city centre. The highest buildings are skyscrapers exceeding 200 metres in height, such as the 54-storey Vysotsky office building.

“The facades of buildings in the city centre are given a great deal of attention these days. They typically feature a lot of glass,” Pirožkova says.

There is an observation deck open to the public on the top floor of the Vysotsky skyscraper, offering beautiful panoramic views across the city. In addition to the impressive view, the observation deck provides a brief respite from the city’s traffic congestion, air pollution and street dust.

Eco-Saturday brings neighbours together

The trend in recent years has been to build entire small areas on the outskirts of cities. The recently completed Akademia City area in southwestern Yekaterinburg, for example, already has a population of 50,000. As the city expands, its metro system has also been extended. Three new metro stations have been opened over the past ten years. YIT is playing a role in these developments. All of the company’s projects are situated in good locations on the outskirts of the city or its suburban areas.

Homebuyers in Yekaterinburg are increasingly paying attention to aspects such as the facades, shared facilities and maintenance of buildings. YIT’s housing sites have their own maintenance companies that have a separate agreement with each apartment. The maintenance company also provides renovation as an additional service.

“The maintenance company helps create a stronger sense of community in our residential areas. We also organise an annual Eco-Saturday volunteer event at our housing sites. We donate saplings and seedlings to the buildings for the local residents to plant.” The events are very popular,” Helppolainen explains.

YIT also co-operates with schools in Yekaterinburg. It supports children’s sport competitions and has even built a hockey rink at one of its sites.

“It is a matter of honour for us to plan our residential areas from a holistic perspective. In addition to apartments, we build day-care centres and parking facilities. The city administration knows YIT to be a developer of good residential environments,” Helppolainen adds.

Yekaterinburg is known for its industry

The fourth-largest city in Russia with a population of 1.4 million.

Established in 1723. Known as Sverdlovsk during 1924–1991.

Main industrial sectors include the metal and machine shop industries.

Closed to foreigners after WWII due to the Soviet defence industry having operations there.

Nicholas II, the last tsar of Russia, died a tragic death with his family in Yekaterinburg in 1918.

Koltsovo International Airport is Russia’s fifth-largest airport behind those in Moscow and St. Petersburg. Finnair operates direct flights to Yekaterinburg three times per week.

YIT projects in Yekaterinburg

YIT Uralstroi currently has over 1,600 apartments under construction in Yekaterinburg. The plot reserve enables the construction of more than 5,000 apartments. Three residential construction projects are currently underway in Yekaterinburg and its suburbs.

Kvartet

Since last spring, YIT has been building a residential area in the northwestern part of the city that will consist of a thousand apartments, a day-care centre and a multi-level underground parking facility. In the first phase YIT is building one 24-storey apartment building comprising 220 apartments and 14 business premises.

Rifei

A residential area with more than 2,000 apartments is under development in the suburb of Verkhnyaya Pyshma, to the north of Yekaterinburg. Construction began in 2011. Seven apartment buildings have been completed to date, consisting of more than 700 apartments. A day-care centre is also being built in the area.

Baltym-Park

The construction of this new residential area began last summer. YIT will build three-to-five-storey buildings comprising 5,000 apartments in this 76-hectare area. The total floor area of the residential units will exceed 270,000 m2. The area will also include a comprehensive school for one thousand pupils, two day-care centres, shops and other services.

More information:

Teemu Helppolainen, Head of the Housing Russia Segment, YIT Construction Ltd,  tel. +7 915 316 8216, teemu.helppolainen@yit.ru

Hanna Malmivaara, Vice President, Communications, YIT Corporation, tel. +358 40 561 6568, hanna.malmivaara@yit.fi