Congratulations to 100-year-old Finland — more life to the yards

In Finland’s centenary year, in collaboration with Finns, YIT has been developing a new yard area of the future, doing small good deeds in order to make yards more appealing. We will also renovate one yard area of the future for public use.

In Finland’s centenary year, we wish to bring more life to sustainable cities and make yards an environment where everyone feels more at ease. Good planning and construction can assist the creation and development of comfortable, safe neighbourhoods. Functional surroundings, hassle-free everyday life, familiar neighbours and a sense of community make people attached to the area in which they live. Those are the environments we want to build.

Finnish yards as an export
Over the course of the jubilee year, yards have been developed in collaboration with more than one hundred volunteer experts who are interested in developing yards. Development has been carried out through background interviews and surveys as well as by engaging people and crowdsourcing at workshops and discussion meetings with decision-makers’ groups.

A goal of the yard project has been to identify and come up with new ideas for planning and utilising yards as well as realising them as communal and functional spaces that make it possible to use yards as an extension of your own home year-round. Our vision is a yard area where there is room for both children and the elderly, offering a place for activities or a place for relaxation and encouraging people to have hobbies or enjoy physical exercise.

The work resulted in the More life in yards concept, which is also tool for designing yards. A good yard comprised three areas:

1)   The silent area is where you can relax, catch your breath and enjoy the peace.

2)   The social area is located in the middle of the yard, where it is permitted to do things together and interact with people.

3)   The active area is intended for sports, games, children’s playing and other wild activities. This area encourages you to come outdoors.

Such ideas and concepts are also applied to YIT’s own projects. The first yards following this concept will be implemented in Kivistö and Aviapolis, Vantaa. Finnish yards will become YIT’s first product to export, as yards following this concept will also be built in Poland, Slovakia and the Czech Republic.

Sähköttäjänpuisto park – a park of the future
As part of the Finland 100 gift, YIT will renovate one park in accordance with the the More life in yards concept. The site to be renovated was Sähköttäjänpuisto park, and it was selected together with the City of Helsinki.

The yard will be situated where as many people as possible can enjoy it. The park is situated within a short walking distance from the Pasila station, and the renovators wish that not only those who live in its immediate vicinity but also others will visit it. The park renovated by YIT will also bring joy to the area’s residents who have lived for many years in the neighbourhood of YIT’s construction sites.

At present, the implementation phase of the park is being prepared through procurement, with the actual renovation beginning in spring 2018. For updated on the planning of the park and information on it, visit the www.yitgroup.com/en/suomi100 website.  

YIT is allowed to use the renovated park as a pilot project for the development of an open urban space. As part of the development project, the park will function as an empirical source for research carried out under the concept “Art as an engaging method”.

100+ Good Deeds
As part of our gift to Finland, we have, throughout the year of celebration, offered our assistance in increasing the comfort and communality of yard areas. We have built structures (What the heck is “nikkaroida” in English anyway? You are an amateur, you build something out of wood - utensils such as chairs, tables or even a garage with your own hands, using the necessary tools), given advice on issues related to safety, and brought people together to gain new experiences and fiends. The recipients of good deeds include day-care centres, assisted living facilities, enthusiasts representing various interests, young athletes and students.    

Anybody could propose good deeds. The recipients have been non-profit societies, associations and organisations.

We will continue to do good things to yards. Please submit your application to join: www.yit.fi/100hyvaatekoa

Finnish design
YIT is also one of the main sponsors of the Echoes – 100 years of Finnish Architecture and Design exhibition, a project of the Finland 100 centenary year. The exhibition presents a selection of outstanding pieces of Finnish design and architecture as well as lesser known gems from the early days of independence to the modern day. “Echoes” is targeted at an international audience, with the exhibition having toured the cities in which YIT has operations during the jubilee year – Warsaw, Bratislava, and Prague.

*A Pro Gradu thesis: Sassa Hartikainen School of Arts, Design and Architecture, Art and Creative Practices, Conversion Education, Aalto University

Pictures from Sähköttäjänpuisto: http://bit.ly/2AnOXsr

For further information, please contact:
Kristina Broman, Brand Manager, YIT Corporation, tel. +358 (0)40 840 3166, kristina.broman@yit.fi
Hanna Malmivaara, Vice President, Communications, YIT Corporation, tel. +358 40 561 6568, hanna.malmivaara@yit.fi 

YIT creates a better living environment by developing and constructing housing, business premises, infrastructure and entire areas. Our vision is to bring more life into sustainable cities. We want to focus on caring for customers, visionary urban development, passionate execution and inspiring leadership. Our growth engine is urban development involving partners. Our operating area covers Finland, Russia, the Baltic countries, the Czech Republic, Slovakia and Poland. In 2015, our revenue amounted to nearly EUR 1.7 billion and we employ about 5,300 employees. Our share is listed on Nasdaq Helsinki .www.yitgroup.com

Suomi100 - In 2017, independent Finland celebrates its 100th year. For Finland, this will be a great year that we all will build together. The centenary year will give rise to action, experiences and events. It will involve the whole country throughout 2017. Through deeds we can examine Finland’s century of independence, the present and the future. Learn more: suomifinland100.fi