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YIT enhances urban development with Spacemaker software

YIT CORPORATION Press release, February 8, 2021 at 08:00 a.m.

The picture is from a Spacemaker´s  test project.
The picture is from a Spacemaker´s test project.

YIT is the first Finnish construction company to implement software developed by the Norwegian company Spacemaker to enable quick modelling of urban development projects. YIT will use Spacemaker technology to design new living environments, improve housing quality and cut down the turnaround times of construction projects.

YIT has launched cooperation with the Norwegian software company Spacemaker. The goal is to develop even more customer-oriented, sustainable and efficient living environments.

“Spacemaker will help us design and develop larger areas as the AI-based technology enables us to view multiple options using various parameters. In the design stage, the placement of residential buildings can easily be adjusted based on sunlight or wind direction, for example,” says Juha Kostiainen, Senior Vice President, Urban Development at YIT.

Spacemaker helps adjust and optimise any solution nearly endlessly. The software updates all the calculations related to the project immediately after each change. This makes the iteration of projects significantly easier and faster compared to traditional projects, where it can be quite difficult to make changes to the original decisions.

“Spacemaker’s technology allows YIT to quickly analyse the proposals of architects and produce new proposals, taking into account various factors, from the number of buildings to noise, sunshine and daylight. The future development of cities requires both creativity and data to support the best possible decisions,” says Carl Christensen, Co-founder and CTO of Spacemaker.

The constant growth of cities creates pressure to build more and more quickly and densely, but it is also important to ensure the quality of urban environments.

“Spacemaker has an excellent method for using open urban data, such as the data available at the Finnish Transport Infrastructure Agency. The software can view the traffic flows predicted for 2040, allowing us to consider how to prepare for them in our projects. Spacemaker will enhance the urban development and project development process of YIT,” says Marko Oinas, Acting Vice President for the Housing Finland and CEE segment of YIT.

Spacemaker efficiently illustrates options to fully utilise the opportunities of the construction location. This leads to better results and more efficient resourcing from the first steps of the project, allowing the designers to concentrate on creativity instead of calculations.

At YIT, Spacemaker is used by project and zoning developers as well as architects.

“The cooperation will help us create even more sustainable and enjoyable living environments and improve the comfort of housing while taking into consideration the conditions at the construction location and building regulations,” says Oinas.

For further information, please contact:

Juha Kostiainen, EVP, Urban Development, YIT Corporation, tel. +358 40 072 1475, juha.kostiainen@yit.fi

Marko Oinas, interim EVP, Housing Finland and CEE segment, YIT Corporation, tel. +358 40 506 7430, marko.oinas@yit.fi

Johanna Savolainen, Communications Manager, YIT Corporation, tel. +358 (0)44 305 4594, johanna.savolainen@yit.fi

Maria Dantz, Head of Communications, Spacemaker, tel. +447783126277, maria@spacemaker.com

Antti Paavilainen, Strategic Account Executive, Spacemaker, tel. +358 50 379 9904, antti@spacemaker.com

YIT is the largest Finnish and a significant North European urban developer and construction company. Our goal is to create more sustainable, functional and attractive cities and living environments. We develop and build apartments, business premises and entire areas. We also specialise in demanding infrastructure construction. We own properties together with our partners, which supports the implementation of our significant development projects. We also provide our customers with services that increase the value of properties. We employ approximately 7,400 professionals in ten countries: Finland, Russia, Sweden, Norway, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, the Czech Republic, Slovakia and Poland. Our revenue in 2020 was approximately EUR 3.1 billion. YIT Corporation's share is listed on Nasdaq Helsinki Oy.