Built Environment

We promote the testing and development of new clean and smart solutions in an urban environment. Solutions may relate to, for example, construction, the promotion of energy efficiency, energy production, air quality, as well as the utilisation of new technologies (e.g. IoT, 5G) in an urban environment. Are you interested in co-creating a smarter and more sustainable city environment? Please contact us!

What do the test platform activities offer to businesses?

We offer both companies and RDI actors of different sizes and stages of development the opportunity to develop, experiment, and pilot smart and sustainable solutions in an urban environment together with city experts and residents. The solutions place special emphasis on enabling smooth everyday living, as well as on environmental and climate goals.

In the built urban environment, smart and clean businesses are promoted in several ways. We offer smaller experimentation challenges, as well as with wider scalable solutions through competitions and market dialogue.

Testbeds for the built environment

The City of Helsinki actively promotes smart, energy-efficient, and climate-smart solutions in their renovation and infill construction sites. They are developed and implemented in residential and service construction sites. Both individual buildings as well as at the block level are utilised. The Urban Environment Division, the City of Helsinki Housing Production (ATT), and Helsinki City Housing Company (Heka Oy) are central players in these projects.

In cooperation with various business partners, the City of Helsinki has conducted numerous experiments with smart technologies, related to e.g. 5G and extended reality, to be utilised in the urban environment. The aim is to find solutions that can be scaled elsewhere.

To whom are the solutions developed for?

With the help of new, sustainable and smart solutions, a more functional and enjoyable city is built for Helsinki residents. Companies participating in the test platform activities are able to develop their business. The need-based nature and quality of their products and services improve. 

News

Helsinki at the Smart City Expo: our hopes for the international innovation event

The City of Helsinki will once again participate together with Stockholm and Oslo in the international innovation event held in Barcelona. Eight innovative Finnish companies accompany us on the journey.

Testing the eDNA method: Does the thick-shelled river mussel live in Longinoja, Helsinki?

When it comes to Helsinki' environmental control and land use planning, it is important to map the chemical and ecological quality of surface waters. Can a new innovative method enhance the study of water bodies and support their biodiversity?

Monitoring the condition of Helsinki’s street trees with new technologies

Street trees are an important part of the urban environment. In a new experiment, the condition of street trees is being assessed using innovative methods. The condition assessment pilot supports the vitality of urban nature.

Promising energy savings with hyperlocal weather forecast

30 percent of the used energy is consumed by buildings, largely for heating and cooling. The initial results of our experiment with a hyperlocal weather station aimed at energy savings in buildings are now available.

The collaboration and technology behind a hyperlocal weather forecast for improved energy efficiency

Accurate hyperlocal weather forecasts could be of significant help in reducing the amount of energy that buildings consume. Since autumn 2023, Vaisala's IoT weather sensor has been training itself and making local forecasts in the Testbed Helsinki platform. But how exactly does this promising technology work, and can it be used widely to save energy?

Better sound environment and more verdure with green walls

The green noise barriers delighted city dwellers in downtown Helsinki during the summer of 2023. The goal of the multidisciplinary experiment was, among other things, to improve comfort and reduce noise pollution. The results highlight the many benefits of green walls as part of urban space.

Want to hear more?

  • Mikko Martikka

  • Senior Advisor
    Smart & Clean Solutions
    City of Helsinki
    Business Helsinki, Innovation services
  • Petteri Huuska

  • Innovation Agent
    Smart & Clean Solutions
    City of Helsinki
    Business Helsinki, Innovation services
  • Osmo Mattila

  • Project Manager
    Business cooperation, new services
    City of Helsinki
    Business Helsinki, Innovation services