PRESS RELEASE 20.11.2024
Welcome to the cradle of green chemistry! Starting next autumn, Finnoo in Espoo will be creating a better world. The sustainable development scientific community EriCa will open its doors, with Finland’s most experienced developer of shared coworking spaces, Crazy Town, as its operator.
EriCa – Green Chemistry Park, a hub for top experts and companies in green chemistry, will open its doors in autumn 2025. At EriCa, ambitious growth companies, experts and research and training institutes will create a better world with the help of sustainable solutions. The highly respected ecosystem developer Crazy Town was chosen as EriCa’s operator and will be responsible for launching operations, developing the community, selling the ecosystem and providing daily services.
The construction of the EriCa project, owned by A. Ahlström Real Estate, the Church Pension Fund and Aktia Life Insurance, was begun in spring 2023. Construction has proceeded on schedule and the project will be completed in autumn 2025.
“For us as owners, it was important to find a partner that can shape EriCa into an entirely new kind of community. Crazy Town met our criteria, and we are excited about our newly established partnership,” says Pia Lindborg, Director, Real Estate at A. Ahlström Real Estate.
EriCa combines world-class facilities with a committed research and development community
Innovative people and a humane and inspiring community form the heart of EriCa. The workspaces and lab facilities offer alternatives ranging from coworking and hybrid workspaces to fully equipped offices and shared labs. Use of the spaces is based on a monthly fee, free of long-term commitment, which also allows the spaces to be used on a project basis.
EriCa’s main tenant is Kemira, whose research and development activities form a strong foundation for EriCa’s community.
“In the future, innovation will increasingly take place through co-operation, and the goal is for EriCa, as a concept, to attract interesting partners for us,” says Kemira’s Director, Real Estate and Investments, Jari Tolvanen.
In addition to green chemistry and sustainable development companies, the community is open to business developers, startups offering digital solutions, and investors. Collaboration with educational institutions, universities and research centres offers new paths for competence and development.
“A business can arrange work and meeting spaces in EriCa for development teams, even if the rest of the personnel is located elsewhere in Finland or abroad. Use of the space can easily be expanded as needed. Chemistry industry product development teams can use EriCa’s shared lab spaces, without having to invest in their own infrastructure. There are limitless combinations,” explains Mikko Markkanen, a pioneer in shared spaces and the founder of Crazy Town.
A petri dish for a better tomorrow
EriCa is part of the Green Line competence hub for green chemistry, circular economy, and clean technology, being built along the Helsinki-Espoo metro line. Neighbours in the area include Northern Europe’s largest innovation and startup hub in Otaniemi. EriCa’s anchor tenant Kemira will have its research centre in the building.
Crazy Town will link EriCa to a Finland-wide community that includes more than 400 businesses from freelancers to startups and listed companies. EriCa’s members can utilise Crazy Town’s diverse workspaces in five other cities.
Come join our miracle-makers – applications are now welcome
EriCa’s premises will open in autumn 2025, on a date to be revealed later. You can now apply to be a member and partner in a community that will make the world a better place. Spots are open for single-person entrepreneurs to larger teams, in other words for anyone looking to tap into the power of a like-minded community. The fastest applicants still get a say in how the premises are designed. Welcome!
CONTACT DETAILS
EriCa website: https://ericagcp.fi/
Mikko Markkanen
mikko.markkanen@crazytown.fi
Tel. +358 40 758 8712
Timo Lahti
timo.lahti@crazytown.fi
Tel. +358 10 341 7055
Pia Lindborg
pia.lindborg@aahlstrom.com
Tel. +358 50 328 8579
Juha Mäkelä
juha.makela@aahlstrom.com
Tel. +358 50 544 2494
EriCa, located in the Finnoo district of Espoo, is a hub for top experts and companies in green chemistry whose mission is to change the world. The property is owned jointly by A. Ahlström Real Estate Ltd, Kemira Church Pension Fund and Aktia Life Insurance Ltd.
Crazy Town is a community of hundreds of growth-seeking companies, where thousands of experts collaborate and innovate.
Crazy Town is one of Finland’s and Europe’s oldest community-driven workspace operators.
Ahlström Real Estate Ltd manages A. Ahlström’s real estate and forest holdings, including the historic ironworks in Noormarkku.
Kemira is a global leader in sustainable chemical solutions for water-intensive industries. Our focus is on pulp & paper, water treatment and energy industry.
