Smart Kalasatama initiative enters a new phase

Helsinki’s Kalasatama area is being built into a worldclass model district of smart urban development. The area is developed through agile piloting, and the use of ICT technology and data.

 

Smart Kalasatama grows from the collaboration between the city, companies and residents. The aim is to inspire residential participation and create new business and innovations. Companies and the city bring their projects to the mix; the ideas are being developed, tested and composed together with the inhabitants and those working in the area.

 

Kalasatama forms a Living Lab that houses approximately 2000 residents in 2015. A collaborative working space will be opened in autumn 2015 to support different development activities such as workshops, hackathons and seminars. Kalasatama Developers Club will be launched to support the smart development of the area and further support connections between different actors on the area. Small sums (1000–8000 euros) will be available for entrepreneurs to support product development and agile testing.

First residents have moved to smart homes in Kalasatama

Thanks to new technology, Kalasatama residents are able to monitor the water and electricity consumption of their homes in rel time. Awareness of consumption enables directing consumption to cheaper rate hours, as well as encoureages frugality in the use of electrivity and water.
 

The first residents moved to Fiskari apartment block in Kalasatama district in the end of February and in April the Fregatti block received its first residents. All of the nearly hundred apartments in the clocks use home automation systems, delivered by Helen and ABB.

Model district of smart energy systems

Kalasatama is Finland’s first model district of smart energy systems. Helen, ABB, Helen Sähköverkko and Fingrid are carrying out technology co-operation with the goal of building a globally significant district by combining the latest energy and ICT technology, as well as with the use of data.

During 2015-2017 Smart Kalasatama is part of a 6Aika spearhead project of the City of Helsinki. It is coordinated by Forum Virium Helsinki. The funding comes partly from the Six City Strategy – Open and smart services (ERDF/Helsinki-Uusimaa Regional Council), whic is a joint strategy carried out by the largest six cities in Finland (Helsinki, Espoo, Vantaa, Tampere, Oulu and Turku). Part of the financing of the initiative comes form the City of Helsinki and also from the Ministry for Employment and the Economy. The budget for three years is approximately 900 000 euros.

 

During 2013–2014 Fiksu Kalasatama was prepared as a part of Tekes (Finnish Funding Agency for Technology and Innovation) Witty City programme. The unit in charge in 2013-2014 was the Urban Development Economic and Planning Centre of the City of Helsinki.
 

 

Read more: The test lab of a smart city