PRESS RELEASE 20.11.2024
Welcome to the cradle of green chemistry! Starting next fall, a better world will be created in Finnoo. The sustainable development scientific community EriCa begins its operations with Crazy Town, Finland’s most experienced developer of shared workspaces as its operator.
EriCa Green Chemistry Park, a hub for top experts and companies in the green chemistry field, will open its doors in the fall of 2025. In EriCa, ambitious growth companies, experts, and research and educational institutions will create a better world through sustainable solutions. The respected ecosystem developer Crazy Town has been chosen as the operator of EriCa, responsible for launching operations, developing the community, selling the overall concept, and providing everyday services.
Construction of the EriCa project, owned by A. Ahlström Real Estate, the Church Pension Fund, and Aktia Life Insurance, began in the spring of 2023. Construction is progressing on schedule and the project will be completed in the fall of 2025.
“For us owners, it was important to find a partner who can create a completely new community from EriCa. Crazy Town met our criteria and we are very excited about the upcoming collaboration,” says property manager Pia Lindborg from A. Ahlström Real Estate.
World-class facilities combine with a dedicated research and development community in EriCa
Innovative people and a humane, inspiring community form the heart of EriCa. The working and laboratory spaces offer options from coworking and hybrid workspaces to fully equipped offices and shared laboratories. The use of the spaces is based on a monthly fee without long-term commitment, and also allows for project-based use of the facilities.
The main tenant of EriCa is Kemira, whose research and product development activities create a strong foundation for the EriCa community. “In the future, innovation will increasingly be done in collaboration, and the goal is for the EriCa concept to attract interesting partners to us,” comments Jari Tolvanen, director responsible for Kemira’s properties and investments.
In addition to companies in green chemistry and sustainable development, the community is open to business developers, startups offering digital solutions, and investors. Collaboration with educational institutions, universities, and research organizations provides new pathways for skills and development.
âA company can arrange working and meeting spaces for its development teams at EriCa, even if other staff are located elsewhere in Finland or abroad. The use of the spaces can be easily expanded as needed. Product development teams in the chemical sector can utilize EriCa’s shared laboratory spaces without investing in their own infrastructure. The combinations are limitless.â says Mikko Markkanen, pioneer of shared spaces and founder of Crazy Town.
The chalice for a better tomorrow
EriCa is part of the Green Line competence cluster being built along the Western Metro, focusing on green chemistry, circular economy, and clean technology. Neighbors of the area include, among others, Northern Europe’s largest innovation and startup cradle in Otaniemi. EriCa’s anchor user Kemira is placing its research center in the building.
Crazy Town connects EriCa to its national community, which includes over 400 companies from freelancers to startups and publicly traded companies. EriCa members can utilize Crazy Town’s diverse workspaces in five other cities.
The search for the stage of wonders has begun
EriCa’s facilities will open at a later defined moment in the fall of 2025. The application for membership and partnership in the world-improving community has been opened. Spots are available for individual entrepreneurs to teams of dozens, for anyone seeking strength from a like-minded community. The first to join can still influence the space solutions to some extent. Welcome!
CONTACT INFORMATION
EriCa’s website: https://ericagcp.fi/
Mikko Markkanen
mikko.markkanen@crazytown.fi
Tel. +358 40 758 8712
Hele KaunismÀki
hele.kaunismaki@crazytown.fi
Tel. +358 50 559 0374
Pia Lindborg
pia.lindborg@aahlstrom.com
Tel. +358 50 328 8579
Juha MÀkelÀ
juha.makela@aahlstrom.com
Tel. +358 50 544 2494
EriCa is a center of excellence for green chemistry experts and companies located in Finnoo, Espoo, with a mission to change the world. The property is jointly owned by A. Ahlström Kiinteistöt Oy, the Church Pension Fund, and Aktia Life Insurance Ltd.
Crazy Town Oy is a community of hundreds of growth-oriented companies where thousands of experts collaborate and create new things. Crazy Town is one of the oldest operators of community workspaces in Finland and Europe.
A. Ahlström Kiinteistöt Oy manages the real estate and forest assets of A. Ahlström Oy, including the historic mill area in Noormarkku.
Kemira Oyj is the world’s leading company producing sustainable chemical solutions for water-intensive industries. We focus on the pulp and paper industry, water treatment, and the energy sector.
