The expected user base of the Jätkäsaari swimming and sports centre consists of clients such as residents of South and West Helsinki, clubs, associations and local schools, which have roughly 1,400 pupils. The starting point for the planning is an annual total of 700,000 visits.
The Jätkäsaari swimming and sports hall will have the capacity to serve as a local meeting place that will also provide a setting for communal activities. I believe that the centre will attract visitors from further away as well.
The new hall will be a significant addition to the local exercise services
The new and awaited sports hall will cater to increasing service needs and increase physical activity among people of all ages. The planned modern and diverse sports facilities will be the most significant addition to the exercise facility selection of Helsinki in recent decades.
The features planned for the building include:
- For water exercise: A main pool (50 m), a wading and children’s pool, a diving tower and cold pools, and a teaching pool with adjustable depth. The plan also includes a wellbeing pool with massage stations, a jacuzzi, a water play area and a water slide, which has been requested by residents.
- For indoor sports: Ball game halls, group exercise facilities, a skill and motor skill training hall, a gym and several other exercise facilities. More than ten different exercise facilities in total.
- For outdoor sports: The preliminary plan includes features such as a running track for warming up and outdoor gym equipment on the roof of the swimming hall.
- Dressing rooms: Several accessible dressing and washing rooms, including gender-neutral facilities with separate dressing and shower booths. The pool area will feature access to joint saunas and their showers. The swimming hall will also feature ordinary saunas and washing facilities for men and women.
The project will pay special attention to energy conservation and recycling
The building will recover heat from exhaust air and utilise other energy-efficient solutions. The roof will feature a solar power system that will cover roughly 10 per cent of the building’s electricity needs. Space will also be reserved for expanding the system.
The facade materials will be selected in accordance with the principles of circular economy where possible. The wood-framed upper floor will feature a facade made from recycled aluminium. The possibility of using bricks from the nearby harbour building to be demolished in the facade of the ground floor is being surveyed.
The swimming and sports centre to be commissioned in 2029
The City Council will decide on the project plan in 2025. The matter will first be presented to the Buildings and Public Areas Sub-committee of the Urban Environment Committee on 20 March 2025. The Culture and Leisure Committee will process the plan on Tuesday 15 April 2025.
Further development of the project is about to begin and a tendering process for the contractor has started. Construction is expected to begin in the summer of 2026, lasting roughly three years. The aim is to have the facilities ready for use in late 2029.
With the technical facilities included, the total area of the swimming and sports centre will be roughly 21,040 square metres. The construction process is estimated to cost more than 113 million euros. The price will be specified further with further planning and after the tendering process.
