Southern Helsinki has grown a lot in recent years, and the residents’ wish for a versatile exercise centre in Jätkäsaari is about to be fulfilled.
– There will be more facilities for swimming, ball games, martial arts, dance exercise and gym training. The new facilities will also serve the two schools of the area, comments Sports Director Tarja Loikkanen from the City of Helsinki.
The plans for Helsinki’s most modern swimming hall include features such as an eight-lane 50-metre pool, a teaching and therapy pool, a children’s pool and a cold pool.
During the planning process, a gym, group exercise facilities and facilities for three basketball courts, volleyball courts, floorball and futsal will be dimensioned to be built into the large sports hall.
The facilities of the swimming and exercise centre will be used by nearby schools, sports clubs and associations and independent exercisers alike.
The planning of the building is in progress
The Jätkäsaari swimming and exercise centre is currently in the project planning phase. The project plan is expected to be submitted to the City Council for approval in the spring of 2025. After that, the plans for the site will be specified further and a building permit will be applied for.
In the project planning phase, the main and architectural design of the building is being carried out by PES-Arkkitehdit Oy.
According to a preliminary assessment, construction can begin in 2026 at the earliest. The centre will take roughly 2.5 years to build.
Demolition work on the indoor facilities of the Bunker building located on the exercise centre plot began in the spring, and heavy demolition work will begin this summer. In this phase, two thirds of the building will be demolished. The plan is to demolish the remaining parts once the plans for the new swimming and exercise centre have been completed.
The original plan was to build the exercise facilities inside the Bunker building. However, the project had a major setback late last year as SRV, the construction company selected to build the exercise facilities, pulled out of the project due to the poor market situation and not having an investment partner. The builder of the new swimming and exercise centre currently being planned will be selected later.
Housing construction is being planned next to the exercise facilities, which requires a change to the detailed plan. The change work will begin later.