Contract for second stage of EKE Group’s Sundsberg Kartanonranta housing development agreed

 

Finnforest will supply 119 modern wood-built homes for the new residential area on the Finnish coast at Sundsberg, about 25 km west of Helsinki

The Finnish EKE Group has placed Finland’s biggest single order for wood-built family houses to date, as part of its Sundsberg residential development project. Finnforest will supply the buildings, and Finnforest’s modular building business unit at Hartola will produce the 119 new homes in a total of five different designs. The floor areas of the individual homes vary from 85 to 147 square metres. The agreement that has now been concluded is for about half of the total number of houses to be built in the second stage of the Sundsberg project. The new residential area will be constructed in 2005-2006 on the south part of Sundsberg’s Kartanonranta estate, which is owned by EKE Group.

The new agreement concerns the second stage of the Sundsberg Kartanonranta development. The first stage has almost been completed and it will comprise 224 homes. Some 600 people are already living in the new community, very much “satisfied residents” according to the latest survey of their opinions. Most of those who have moved to the area are people with young families who are rising in their chosen careers. There is a lively community spirit with resident families’ get-togethers and theme days, and even a local wine club.

At the beginning of October Finland’s Minister of the Environment, Jan-Erik Enestam, opened the bridges for light traffic that were built by EKE Group to provide direct road links to the nearby Masala residential area and the railway station. At the official opening, Mr Enestam remarked that the new development well fulfilled the requirements set out for new residential areas in the greater Helsinki region. He particularly praised the way that the type of housing construction involved also supported industries outside the metropolitan region. The houses are delivered to the area in the form of modular room elements that are almost completely ready for rapid erection.

Finnforest manufactures the room modules to EKE Group designs at the new modular building factory at Hartola, and puts them together as houses that are ready for occupancy. Finnforest won the order on the basis of quality and other competitive factors. The whole order represents a significant part of the Hartola plant’s order book for 2005, and producing it plays a important role in the factory’s run-up to full production. EKE Group is already carrying out foundation work on the site and has the area infrastructure well in hand.

The Sundsberg Kartanonranta development plan involves the construction of homes to accommodate a total of some 2,600 residents. The site is located close to the municipal border between the towns of Espoo and Kirkkonummi, on the shores of the Gulf of Finland. EKE Group owns an area of 420 hectares there and it has proved very attractive to home-seekers who appreciate the location and surroundings as well as the other advantages it offers. Through the Sundsberg project, the town of Kirkkonummi has been a pioneer in the greater Helsinki area with regard to agreements for the use of land whereby municipalities reduce the burden of inputs required from them and at the same time meet the growing challenges of the demand for housing. The project also meets the government’s desire for increased efforts and investments to develop residential urban areas of modern wood-built family houses in Finland.

Further information:
Tea Ekengren-Saurén, Director, Marketing and Communications, EKE Group, phone: +358 (0) 400 607 670
Oiva Makkonen, Director, Construction, EKE Group,
phone +358 (0) 40 534 3710
Heikki Pietiläinen, Director, Modular Buildings, Finnforest Corporation,
phone: +358 (0) 50 381 9369

Pictures of the press conference announcing the agreement: www.universal.fi/eke

EKE Group is a well-funded family-owned group of companies whose main activities centre on construction and development, railway transportation and the timber business. Founded in 1961, the Group has been active in large-scale international construction almost continually throughout its history. The Sundsberg development at Kirkkonummi is its main project at the moment. EKE Group also has construction projects in Vantaa and Estonia under development.
Further information: www.sundsberg.com and www.eke.fi

Finnforest is the biggest wood products industry corporation in Europe. It has an annual turnover of 1.9 billion euros and employs 8 000 people. Finnforest is one of the core businesses of the Metsäliitto Group and operates in over 20 countries. Finnforest’s subsidiary, Moelven, is responsible for operations in Norway, Sweden and Denmark. Finnforest supplies wood building materials and wood-based products, systems and services to customers in the construction, industrial, and distribution and retail sectors.
Further information: www.finnforest.com.