The Herttoniemi sports park will be renovated in four phases. The recently completed second phase included renovating the large athletics field and its surroundings. The City has received questions about the renovation, regarding the slope of the field and running track, and their suitability for practice.
The Herttoniemi sports park was not designed to be a sports facility which meets the requirements of adult competitive sports activities. Rather, it was intended as a local sports facility for local residents, schools and sports associations.
Experts reviewed several options for levelling the field during the planning of the sports park. The field area already sloped towards one side before the renovation, and the decision was made not to level its sides.
The Herttoniemi sports park is located on a peat and clay-based slope which is extremely challenging for construction. Levelling the field would have significantly increased the costs of construction and required a new retaining wall structure, which was not considered to be appropriate.
Due to the soil conditions, the levelling solution of the surface of the sports field is based on the levelling of the previous field. Therefore, the new running track also slopes, which is not an ideal solution for runners. The renovation and slope solutions of the field and running track have aimed at improving the draining conditions, for example.
The phases of the renovation continue
The drainage, lighting, running tracks, shot-put circle and the long jump and high jump areas were renewed during the second phase of the renovation. The main field was also given an artificial turf, the stands were renewed, and a new exercise area was built next to the field.
The old maintenance building has been demolished and a new one will be built to replace it. The maintenance building is intended to be completed towards the end of this year.
The next phase of the renovation will begin in spring 2027, including the renovation of the tennis fields, laying artificial turf on the small field, and building the functions located to the east of the main field, such as the small playing field area.