Maria Hospital was established in the 1800s near Helsinki’s city centre, in the district now known as Kamppi. In 2014, after hospital operations in the building were moved elsewhere, the location was renovated into Maria 01, the largest startup campus in the Nordic countries. The infill development that is planned for area will transform the Maria Growth Company Campus into a significant engine for business and startup growth on a European scale. When the expansion is complete, there will be space for several hundreds of operators and an estimated 5,000 employees.
The hospital’s old building stock in the northern part of the area in question will be preserved, with the new building complex built on a lot south of this. A significant part of the 50,000 square metre floor area on the southern lot will be dedicated to flexible office and meeting spaces for startup and growth companies’ use. In addition, there are plans for the building complex to house accommodations, restaurants, retail and service space, as well as wellbeing and fitness facilities and event spaces.
The area has been reserved for planning by a consortium formed by the construction company YIT and the property owner, the pension agency Keva. A detailed plan for the area’s construction came into force in 2023.
Preliminary construction begins in 2024
The YIT-Keva consortium aims to start construction in 2024, and the detailed general planning for the new buildings has already commenced.
Before the construction of the buildings begins, the City of Helsinki will carry out preliminary construction work in the area to improve the municipal infrastructure and transport connections. The city is planning to implement the following projects in the Maria area in 2024–2028:
The plaza leading to the north entrance of the Maria Campus will be paved and trees and benches will be added.
The bridge spanning the pedestrian and cycling corridor known as Baana will be built from the western end of the street named Lastenkodinkatu to the Maria Campus. A ramp connecting the bridge with the Baana corridor will also be built. The bridge will provide light traffic and emergency vehicles with easy access to the area.
One-way bicycle lanes will be built on the busy throughfare of Mechelininkatu, starting south of its intersection with Lapinlahdenkatu. In addition, the narrow walkway connecting the junction known as Länsilinkki with the Mechelinaukio plaza will be widened. Pedestrian crosswalks and the crossing arrangements for bicycle traffic will be updated at intersections.
A new drive and walkway leading to the Maria Campus will be built on the edge of the campus, adjacent to the current parking area under the Ruoholahti bridge. For this reason, the steps leading up to the bridge will be moved slightly.
In connection with the street construction, municipal infrastructure such as water supply and telecommunication links will be renewed, and a new network will be built to serve the Maria campus and other neighbouring areas.
The new buildings planned for the Maria area will require changes to the southern end of Helsinki’s nearby pedestrian and cycling corridor known as Baana. For example, the bike path between the streets of Ruoholahdenkatu and Lapinlahdenkatu will be moved to the other side of the canyon where the railway to the harbour once ran. The basketball court in Baana will be moved south, closer to the end of Ruoholahdenkatu. The pétanque court in the area will be removed, and trees and three new green areas will be added. The part of the “Love Helsinki” artwork situated in Baana will be moved a few metres to the north.
A new park area, Marianpuisto, will also be built in the middle of the Maria Campus. A few trees will be conserved in the park as reminders of the cultural history of the Maria Hospital garden, and old plant species will be given preference in the greenery. A new access route will run through the park, with new stairs (Marianporras) and a ramp connecting the street of Mechelininkatu with Baana.
Most of the old buildings in the area will be preserved. A 1980s residential building owned by the Auroranlinna property company will be demolished to make room for the new building complex that is planned. A brick building from the 1800s that served as a disinfection facility will also be partially demolished, with parts of it preserved in the lobby of the new building. A former chapel and autopsy building built of wood will be moved next to old wooden maintenance buildings nearby. Two buildings made of wood from the 1800s, a former infectious diseases pavilion and a disinfection guesthouse, will be moved to the Helsinki district of Itä-Pakila for residential use.
New routes for pedestrian and bicycle traffic will cross through the area and new steps will be built for pedestrians to access the area from the Mechelininkatu street.
A tunnel for the Baana pedestrian and cyclist corridor is also being planned for the area running under the Maria Campus. It will extend between the corridor and the Lapinlahdenkatu street. The schedule for the tunnel project will be specified later.
The construction schedule for the projects will be specified later.
Projects on a map
Inquiries
City of Helsinki
Tuomo Sipilä, Project Director (Implementation coordination)
tel. +358 9 310 34249
tuomo.sipila@hel.fi(Link opens default mail program)