The EriCa project of Kemira, Ahlström Capital, Kirkon Eläkerahasto and Aktia Life Insurance Ltd starts in Espoo
The building and innovation investment of Kemira, Ahlström Capital, Kirkon Eläkerahasto and Aktia Life Insurance was published in spring 2021. The building plan is now legally binding, and the construction of the EriCa Green Chemistry Park can get started.
The planning and the concept development of Kemira’s new technology center has proceeded well and the building permit has been applied for. The building plan for Rusthollinrinne got legally binding in the end of December and on January 5, 2023, the plot owned by Kemira’s pension foundation Neliapila was acquired. The project starts with excavation in the beginning of 2023.
“EriCa is a long-term investment for us and our partners, the Church Pension Fund, and Aktia LifeInsurance Ltd. We’re happy that we can develop this unique business and science center in Espoo together with NIB, Kemira and the joint venture,” says Pia Lindborg, Director Real Estate at A. Ahlström Real Estate Ltd. (subsidiary of Ahlström Capital).
The first phase of the project delivering approximately 3,100 square metres of lettable office area, an 8,600 m2 lettable laboratory area, a 730 m2 lettable conference area and a restaurant. The construction will be in accordance with the environmental certificate BREEAM with the goal of obtaining “Very Good” as a minimum. Kemira Oyj will lease approximately 70% of the total Phase I area with a long-term lease agreement. The other Phase I lettable spaces include approximately 2,900 m2 of laboratory and office space as well as a common space of around 730 m2 containing restaurant and meeting facilities which will be leased to other companies for chemical research. The Nordic Investment Bank (NIB) will partly finance the building and the construction of the phase I and the acquisition of land.
”Great that the planning process is now finished and that the construction of the new laboratory and office premises of the Kemira research centre will be able to start in early 2023. The Kemira research centre has been located in Finnoo for over 50 years and will continue in the same location as we move to the new EriCa Green Chemistry Park once it is completed in 2025,” says Kemira Director of Real Estate and Investment, Jari Tolvanen.
”We are eagerly waiting for EriCa to be constructed in Finnoo, Espoo. We often get inquiries about laboratory facilities like this. We are finally able to direct companies to the Green Chemistry Park at EriCa, where the companies can have office, research and laboratory premises in the same building and joining a community of expert from different fields of Chemistry. The sustainable ecosystem in EriCa fits well in Espoo as the city has many times won the title of the most sustainable city in Europe” says Jaana Tuomi, Managing Director of Enter Espoo Oy.
More about the EriCa-projects next phases can be read at www.ericagcp.fi
EriCa project group in the Netherlands 22–23 September
The EriCa project group visited the Netherlands for two days in September to learn about the region’s science parks and organisations. It was apparent during the very first site visits that demand for premises that enable research activities is high, and a large number of new, high-quality sites are currently under construction.
Amsterdam Health and Technology Center was established in a high-quality office complex. Thanks to the height of the ceilings, it was possible to retrofit the premises with laboratory facilities. The Center is connected to a hospital and is fully leased. Several sites have been renovated in the area since the first phase of construction was completed, and residential housing is also planned for the area.
Leiden Bio Science Park is situated in connection with Leiden University. New construction in the area is brisk, and the facilities are of a very high quality. Most of the occupants in the science park also lease their premises – laboratory facilities and office space alike. It is worth noting that construction of the sites began essentially with no pre-leasing.
Since the summer of 2020, the EriCa project group has been learning about High Tech Campus Eindhoven established in Philips’ centre for technology. The Campus is an excellent example of a science park driven by a major company. The group met with key persons from the campus and found inspiration and advice for building an ecosystem.
“Every company at High Tech Campus Eindhoven shares a common goal: to develop new technologies and applications that help solve social problems and challenges, and to successfully bring them to the market. This combination of technology and business is central to the many collaborations on the Campus – and it shows.”
Kemira to launch a new Growth Accelerator unit – Sampo Lahtinen appointed to lead the team
Kemira is launching a new Growth Accelerator unit to drive Kemira’s long-term growth in selected strategic initiatives. The new unit has two main objectives: to accelerate the commercialisation of new and unique biomaterials in Kemira’s current markets and to create business opportunities in new adjacent markets for both new and existing Kemira products.
Kemira’s strategy targets long-term growth through sustainability and being the leading provider of sustainable chemical solutions. Furthermore, Kemira has set a target of growing the revenue from Kemira’s biobased products to more than €500 million by 2030. Establishing the new unit is a concrete step that will help Kemira execute its strategy.
Erica goes Noormarkku
The EriCa project’s investors – the Church Pension Fund, Aktia Life Insurance, A. Ahlström Real Estate and the main user Kemira – gathered in Noormarkku in May for so-called Strategy Days.
All project participants are committed to the ambitious goal of making EriCa a sustainable ecosystem that is more than the sum of its parts. It is important to understand the roles of the various parties, however, and to engage in open dialogue on this.
Pertti Huuskonen, a member of Ahlström Real Estate’s Board of Directors, gave an inspiring and thought-provoking speech on science parks and shared the experiences he has gained in the course of his long international career.
Planning of EriCa’s ecosystem launched
An agreement concerning the implementation of Kemira’s and A. Ahlström’s joint venture EriCa was finalised in April 2021. This marked the start of planning for a green chemistry ecosystem that is expected to be completed in 2024. The ecosystem, which will unite industry operators in diverse ways, will be built collaboratively by industry operators and start-up companies. The first workshops were held in June 2021. Joint and systematic development work will continue throughout the construction period.