Tampere Deck district – best location in Finland’s most attractive growth centre

The new and unique Tampere Deck district is being built in the heart of Tampere, next to Finland’s main railway line. For companies, it will be an operational environment for all their future needs, with the major customer flows of a modern traffic hub.

Tampere is one of the fastest growing city regions in Finland. The City of Tampere is investing in the future, and the Tampere Deck district is the most prominent of the current projects. The district combines leisure activities, services, jobs and housing in a manner that’s truly ambitious and one of a kind even on a global scale. 

During the last ten years, hotels and business parks have already been built in the area. The construction period extends to year 2035 including more residential towers, offices, a park and a travel centre. The new landmark of the district is Europe’s first downtown arena, UROS LIVE Arena, opening for business in December 2021. 

– For companies the Deck district offers the best location in Finland’s most attractive growth centre – or a site where your company should at least be visible and make use of the various services available, says Tero Tenhunen, Project Director at the City of Tampere.

What makes the best location?

Being situated by (and above!) the main railway line and in an important traffic intersection, plus excellent connections, remarkable new customer flows and business premises that meet the companies’ changing needs. On top of that, there are also all the services of Tampere city centre right next door, as well as hotels, art and culture, university, amusement park and relaxing nature spots.

– The Deck district is easily accessible from the Helsinki metropolitan area or anywhere else in Finland, and even long-distance commuting is smooth. This makes the location really competitive, and in the future Finland Railway project will further improve the connections, Tenhunen says.

The attractiveness of Tampere is well known and surveyed. The population keeps on growing every year, as does the number of global companies that have established their (often R&D) sites in Tampere. The region is especially renowned for expertise in the fields of ICT, intelligent machines, imaging, circular economy and creative business. (For more information, see the Business Environment website.)

The latest survey is by market research company Taloustutkimus, published in December 2020. They asked business leaders’ opinions on communities in Finland, and the City of Tampere and its neighbours did well. 

– Transportation networks, good employee availability, cooperation with educational institutions and support for innovation were especially acknowledged, says Harri Airaksinen, CEO of Business Tampere.

Centre of traffic and customers flows

It is a global trend to develop station areas into versatile environments and housing areas that are integral parts of city centres. When traffic hubs are comfortable, interesting and practical, they tend to be attractive locations for both companies and residents.

– The annual customer flow in the Deck district will be 20 million people. UROS LIVE Arena will add a new element to the flow, attracting over 1 million visitors per year, says Tenhunen.

– We are certainly going global in our marketing, bringing significant amounts of new demand and new customer segments to the Deck district, says Airaksinen.

There is already a major event in sight. City of Tampere is the main venue for the 2022 IIHF Ice Hockey World Championship. UROS LIVE Arena will offer an outstanding setting for the event.

Meeting the changing needs

Coronavirus pandemic shifted many employees to teleworking and this will change the need for business premises in the future, too. Tenhunen predicts that facilities will concentrate in areas like the Tampere Deck district. Even if it is possible to work entirely from home, human interaction will still be important. People need to meet each other.

– Modern and flexible office space is already available in the Deck district, for example in Technopolis Asemakeskus. The Deck district itself is an ecosystem where companies will find partnerships, customers, employees and services, says Tenhunen.

Remote participation will transform meetings and conferences, too. People may expect some added value to attend them in person. The Deck district will offer just that – world-class concerts or games, for example.

Tampere is a smart city and thus the new district will serve as a platform where companies and research institutions may test and develop their new smart city technologies, products and service solutions.

Vitalising the city centre

The Deck district is an important project as such and a symbol of Tampere’s change from heavy industry to smart technology. Further to that, the strengthening connections and increasing customer flows will vitalise the entire city centre and the city region.

With the new district, Tampere city centre gains a reasonable amount of new residents, up to 6000 urban-oriented inhabitants.

– The Tampere Deck will be a vibrant hub round the clock, with interesting attractions. Our aim is to build a pleasant and safe district that inspires people to stay, says Tenhunen.

Author: Päivi Stenroos