The old buildings on the site of the Roihupelto campus in Helsinki have already been demolished, and the actual construction is well under way. The foundation stone laying ceremony involved speeches by Nasima Razmyar, Deputy Mayor for Education, Satu Järvenkallas, Head of Education Division of Helsinki, and Lauri Porokka, Head of Business Area at Lujatalo.
“I am confident that the modern and innovative facilities in Roihupelto, combined with new ways of learning and teaching, will increase the attractiveness of vocational education and inspire new students to pursue their studies – to complete a full qualification or to update their skills at different stages of their career,” said Deputy Mayor Nasima Razmyar at the ceremony. “Vocational education is a key factor in solving the labour shortage that is challenging society.”
“Thousands of future experts will receive the latest modern education and professional skills on the Roihupelto campus. For teachers and staff, the campus will offer a modern teaching environment and opportunities to leverage extensive cooperation on campus,” said Satu Järvenkallas, Head of Education Division, in her speech.
Upon completion, the massive new campus will provide a seat of learning for an estimated 4,500 students annually. The campus will gather under the same roof students from all over Helsinki. The campus will have facilities for 13 different vocational upper secondary programmes and have an area of approximately 44,000 m2. The premises will be ready for use at the beginning of 2026.
Campus to be heated geothermally
The new building will meet Helsinki’s carbon neutrality goals. A significant part of the energy used in the building will be produced on site by its own geothermal system. In addition to the approximately 100 geothermal wells to be drilled on the site, the property will have its own solar energy system. The carbon footprint of construction will also be 10% smaller than in conventional projects.
“Cooperation between all parties is very important at every stage of the project. Through the cooperation, we will also ensure that the premises meet the goals of the user. As the project’s main contractor with service-life responsibility, we wish the project a tailwind,” said Lauri Porokka, Head of Business Area at Lujatalo, in his speech.
The project will be implemented as a service-life contract, where Lujatalo is responsible for the implementation of the school’s design, construction and 20 years of maintenance services, as well as for meeting the delivery condition requirements. The new campus will be the fifth educational institution in Helsinki to implement the lifecycle model.
Time capsule to carry memories for posterity
During the foundation stone laying ceremony, a time capsule containing items such as the campus project plan, the decision by the city council, the day’s newspapers and coins currently in use was deposited inside the foundation stone to serve as a memento for future generations.
The new vocational college and adult institute will be built at Holkkitie 5 in Roihupelto in eastern Helsinki, which is expected to develop as an area by leaps and bounds in the next few years. Its accessibility will be enhanced by good transport connections once the Jokeri Light Rail Line starts operating in the area. Another attraction will be Metropolia’s new vocational school, which will offer student exchanges between educational institutions upon its completion.
The developer of the project is the City of Helsinki, and Lujatalo Oy is responsible for the construction and Verstas Architects for the architectural design.