MTV's new, sustainable Pöllölaakso center: a result of close collaboration with NCC
A new era dawned for Finnish media company MTV Oy when it opened its new Pöllölaakso center in the Konepaja area of Helsinki's Vallila district. The unique new site was developed in collaboration with NCC, both parties learning a great deal from each other in the process. Sustainability served as a guiding theme, and it has already borne concrete results.
The long history of MTV can be traced back to an office building constructed in 1967 in the Ilmala district of Helsinki, which acquired the nickname Pöllölaakso ("owl valley" in Finnish) after the owl that had emerged as the company's emblem. Over the years, Pöllölaakso grew from one building to four, and became an icon of its time and industry. Then, a few years ago, a new chapter in its history began.
"After 50 years of service, the old Pöllölaakso had reached the end of the road. Its long-term lease was due to expire, and the area had been zoned for residential construction. With this in mind, we dove into a rather large project by our standards: finding Pöllölaakso a new home,” MTV's CTO Risto Koivula explains.
The move from the old Pöllölaakso site to the new one became Koivula's responsibility. Core considerations in this project included MTV's role as a content house, the need for a central location and good accessibility, and the moving date as determined by the larger schedule: it was known that excavators would be arriving in Ilmala in late January, 2023.
"We rolled up our sleeves and began converting our thoughts into action. We examined several different candidate areas, producing extensive drawings and plans for each. On the basis of the given criteria, we ended up choosing the Konepaja area in Vallila. We were drawn in by the area's long history and gritty industrial background. We looked at its developmental plans and already highly developed zones, and saw a role for ourselves there as well."
Take a look at MTV’s premises, and hear what goals did NCC's Elina Salo have in developing the area and what MTV’s Risto Koivula and Suvi Aherto have to say about the new premises
"A shared spark and vigor propelled the work forward"
The selection of the Konepaja area led in turn to a collaboration with NCC. NCC had developed the Fredriksberg office complex consisting of four interconnected buildings, of which the finished building D was chosen as Pöllölaakso's new landing site.
"The collaboration was a fruitful one, and NCC proved to be a great partner. Our wishes were taken into account from the very start. We did a great deal together and learned a lot – such extensive studio construction is unusual even by general European standards. Our mode of working had its own exciting aspect as well, since we had to start working via Teams meetings as a result of Covid", Koivula recalls.
"Getting things done required a lot of scrambling and adjustments, but professionalism was a constant throughout. Our teams fused together really well – a shared spark and vigor propelled the work forward. Without this, and without NCC's reliable competence, the new Pöllölaakso could not have become a reality."
"The new premises have led to an increased communality, and new forms of collaboration"
The new building was delivered on schedule in June 2022, leaving MTV about six additional months to build its production technology at the site. Broadcasts from the new Pöllölaakso started ten days before the excavators descended upon the previous site.
"The move was a major event. We felt wistful, but at the same time enthusiastic: we don't want to live in a museum. The move served as a driver of change. The Konepaja area has been like a research trip for us. The new premises have led to an increased communality, and brought about new forms of collaboration", Koivula says.
MTV's workforce moved to a building that was already familiar to them from the design stage ‒ the staff had been involved in the process from the beginning, since the discussions about the site location. In addition to content production, the media building houses many other areas of competence, such as design, interior furnishing and technology.
"We asked our employees what they wanted. And it was all achieved, apart from perhaps the most extreme proposals. Though the move brought a bit of wistfulness, it was a desired and functional solution”, Suvi Aherto, MTV’s Head of Corporate Communications and Responsibility, remarks with a smile.
”90% lower energy demands – 90% lower emissions”
Sustainability is an important value for MTV, rooted in their everyday practice and many other factors.
"We are a large employer and a supporter of domestic labor, and this is no less manifest in the new Pöllölaakso. MTV is the beloved workplace of the Pöllölaakso crew, and we want to take good care of our workforce. The new Pöllölaakso wouldn't be here if the entirety of them had not taken part in creating it.”
The Fredriksberg complex was built to a level of "Excellent" under the international BREEAM environmental certification system. The new Pöllölaakso site features sustainable innovations in such areas as utilization of waste heat, which is already bearing concrete dividends.
"When the stats from the new Pöllölaakso are compared to those from the old one, it can be seen that the new facility's energy demands are up to 90% lower, which implies 90% lower emissions even with equivalent forms of energy production. This is a large and extremely impactful step in regards to our carbon footprint", Aherto exclaims.
"The new Pöllölaakso is quite unique"
From NCC Project Manager Elina Salo's perspective, the collaboration with MTV has been fruitful and inspiring. The new Pöllölaakso is a one-of-a-kind site project, quite unique from a technical standpoint. The design process required a great deal of coordination between MTV's own technological needs and the engineering required by the premises itself.
"Our designers collaborated closely and actively with MTV's project team. We met on an almost weekly basis to ensure that everything was progressing in the desired manner", Salo describes.
"We aim to deliver facilities and projects that support our customers' business activity and produce added value for site users, cities, and the sites' immediate surroundings. In contributing to the development of the Konepaja area, we also wanted to respect the area's long history and preserve its distinct character. Konepaja is an interesting and natural mix of work, residential and leisure-time spaces, which makes it a vibrant place around the clock."
See more of NCC's recent office premises projects here.