The Kera Challenge by S Group

Transcription

1 : Espoo, Finland circular economy solutions supporting Kera s industrial area to a

2 2 1. INTRODUCTION Nordic Built Cities Challenge in Espoo, Finland: Kera Challenge Description of the urban space 4 2. COMPETITION FORMAT Competition stages Prizes Jury Competition schedule Competition rules Competition assessment criteria Competition language Insurance of competition entries Announcement of results, final resolution and publication Competition entries use and publication rights 9 3. COMPETITION OUTLINE Competition documentation Visit to the site, Stage Nordic matchmaking event, Stage Inspirational day, Stage Questions concerning the competition Required competition documents Submission of entries 11

3 3 1. INTRODUCTION The background for the Nordic Built Cities Challenge is an unprecedented urbanization that characterizes the 21st century. Resource scarcity and climate change pose challenges to the cities, as does the population increase and a growing demand for liveability and sustainability. The situation creates a global market for innovative solutions for our urban environment. Liveable, smart and sustainable are known categories defining qualities connected to environmental challenges such as population growth and climate change, as well as solutions that make people and businesses thrive. The Nordic Built Cities Challenge that consists of six local competitions, in Denmark, Faroe Islands, Finland, Iceland, Norway and Sweden. Each of these competitions have challenges related to an urban space as the centrepiece of the competition. The competitions offer a challenge to interpret, define and qualify liveable, smart and sustainable urban solutions. The local competition in Finland is called Kera Challenge. It is organized by the S Group to identify creative circular economy solutions that support the transformation of Kera from an industrial area to a. S Group bears the sole responsibility for Kera Challenge, consequently Nordic Innovation bears no responsibility for this competition. Nordic Innovation will in addition organize a Nordic prize in accordance to the rules pertaining to this organization. The Nordic Built Cities Challenge Awards are not a part of any of the local competitions. Nordic Innovation is an international institution under the Nordic Council of Ministers working to promote cross-border trade and innovation in the Nordic region. The finalists from the local competitions may register for the Nordic Built Cities Challenge Awards if they so wish. Nordic Innovation bears the sole responsibility for the Nordic prize, consequently S Group bears no responsibility for that prize. For more information about the Nordic Built Cities Challenge Awards, please visit:

4 4 1.1 Nordic Built Cities Challenge in Espoo, Finland: Kera Challenge Kera Challenge is an open, needs-driven innovation competition. The focus of the competition is the challenge of identifying creative circular economy solutions that support the transformation of Kera from an. Kilon logistiikkakeskus, the urban space that is the centrepiece of Kera Challenge, is an industrial area in Kera, located in the city of Espoo, Finland. The site currently serves as the logistics centre for the grocery and consumer goods chain of S Group, a Finnish retailing cooperative. The logistics centre is operated by Inex Partners, hence many people also know the site as Inex. S Group has decided that its logistics operations will be relocated in The whole industrial area including also several neighbouring sites will be transformed into a residential area. As Kera is located only 20 minutes away from downtown Helsinki by train, it is a prime location for urban development. S Group, the landowners of neighbouring sites, and the city of Espoo share the vision of turning Kera into an attractive, where having a private car is unnecessary. All the services in the area need to be accessible in 20 minutes by foot. Other parts of Espoo as well as downtown Helsinki can be reached in max 20 minutes by public transportation or by bike. Kera Challenge focuses on the transformation process of the industrial area during the next 2-6 years. The most important questions are how to get significant progress and make the area as liveable and attractive as possible already during this time, as the construction process will take years. It is important to note that Kera Challenge is not a conventional architect design competition or a city planning competition. Instead, the focus is in developing pragmatic solutions and services that are based on viable business models. The winning solutions should consider two aspects: 1) circular economy solutions to deal with the waste materials when the old industrial buildings are demolished and/or their reuse, and 2) smart urban solutions that support the 20 minute neighbourhood vision, e.g. services that make living in the area attractive and convenient also without a private car. These solutions will have immediate business potential in Kera as well as similar sites around the world. The focus of the proposal should be on the transformation of Kera: How to make the area as attractive and liveable as possible already during the construction process? How to get significant progress already within the next 2-6 years? In practise, this could mean anything from focusing on the demolishment and reuse of old materials to sharing economy solutions related to the use of temporary spaces, e.g. container-based services or housing or reuse of existing buildings. The solutions could be for example new service designs, business models, or space use innovations. Ideally, the proposals result into new start-ups and/or significant new business potential for established companies. The proposed solutions should be human-centric, and they should make Kera smarter and more sustainable and liveable. Among other things, liveability requires that the solutions have a social component that supports an overall community development strategy. It is strongly encouraged that the solutions help to create a community feel among the residents of Kera.

5 5 The solutions should be applicable already during the development phase of Kera in the timeframe of 2-6 years. Solutions that both can be ramped up quickly and provide long-term benefits are most interesting. Furthermore, scalability and export potential of the solutions should also be described in the proposals. Kera Challenge has two stages: a qualification stage (Stage 1) and a development stage (Stage 2). Up to four finalists will be selected for the development stage based on the qualification stage. Each of them receives a grant for developing their ideas further in collaboration with S Group and competing for the victory of Kera Challenge. In addition, after the development phase of Kera Challenge, there is a separate Nordic Built Cities Challenge Awards run by Nordic Innovation. This is a prize competition that all the finalist teams can register for. 1.2 Description of the urban space Description of the competition area and surroundings The urban space that is in the focus of Kera Challenge is located at Karantie 2, Espoo, Finland. The size of the site owned is 22 hectares. Currently, the site is fully occupied by a massive logistics centre, in other words by old warehouse and office buildings and related infrastructure. The area is flattened, with asphalt, concrete, and buildings covering it almost entirely. The site is located south of the Kera train station at the immediate proximity of the station. The south and east borders connect to residential areas. West and north of the site there are industrial sites owned by other landowners. These sites will go through the same industrial to a residential area. Currently, the massive industrial park is fenced off due to safety and security reasons, and hence it separates the current residential areas and the train station. The building of the Kera industrial area started in 1960s. It has since served as a logistics centre for S Group operations. S Group itself is a Finnish retailing cooperative organisation founded in It consists of 22 regional cooperatives operating all around Finland in the markets for groceries, consumer durables, service stations, hotel and restaurant services, agricultural supplies, and car sales in a cooperative spirit to fulfil daily people s needs. Starting points and instructions for development Kera is a unique urban development project with its close location to the entire Helsinki metropolitan area. The location on a node of the metropolitan train network makes the site a prime location. There are very few as underdeveloped areas in the region with similar development potential. Consequently, the city of Espoo has ambitious development plans for Kera. The area is likely to attract significant attention from different parties, such independent urban planning groups, current and future residents of the area, corporate partners, and construction companies. The development of Kera aims at residents and jobs. The industrial park naturally doesn t have any current residents, but there are old residential areas south of the industrial area. The industrial area is located right in between the area of Leppävaara and the city of Kauniainen and close to many other popular areas in Espoo. People living and working in these areas are only a few minutes away from Kera by train, so they add to the business potential of services offered in Kera in the future. Significant amount of work has already been done in creating the vision for Kera by the city of Espoo and S Group together with the other landowners in the area. Currently the city is working on the component master plan. The estimate is that the construction can start by Also the site owned will be empty by 2018 when all of the logistics centre operations have been relocated.

6 6 2. COMPETITION FORMAT 2.1 Competition stages Stage 1 is an open innovation competition. The local jury will select a maximum of four entries and teams that are judged the best and/or with the highest potential for further development according to competition goals. In the selection of teams for Stage 2, the local jury may invite competitors to combine proposals from more than one team where proposals from non-finalist teams have a promising development potential and could be adapted to a different team s entry. In Stage 2, the up to 4 finalists will further develop their competition entries focusing in particular on the business models as well as partnerships. The goal is that at the end of Stage 2, all finalist teams have a solution that can be implemented immediately and turned into a viable business. At the end of Stage 2 the local jury will select a winner among the up to 4 finalists. All four finalists may register for the Nordic Built Cities Challenge Awards. This will be done separately according to the guidance rules provided by Nordic Innovation during Prizes Each of the teams selected to participate in Stage 2 will be awarded NOK 1. Half of this amount will be paid after Stage 1 of the competition. The other half will be paid after Stage 2, on the condition that the teams have submitted a proposal in accordance with the competition brief and the specific development guidelines and criteria and thus are approved by the jury. As part of the benefits, the following shall also be offered to the finalists: Guidance in developing the solutions according to the competition criteria. Promotion and communication in Finland by the S Group. Opportunity to register for the Nordic Built Cities Challenge Awards. Prizes and team grants will be awarded at the discretion of the Nordic Jury, according to the rules provided by Nordic Innovation separately from Kera Challenge. See 1 The co-funder of the competition, Nordic Innovation, is located in Oslo, hence awards in NOK.

7 7 2.3 Jury The jury of Kera Challenge consists of the following persons and roles: Project Owner: Raija Rinta-Erkkilä Project Leader, Kera Development, S Group Jury members (in addition to the Project Owner): Tuula Antola Director for Economic and Business Development, City of Espoo Torsti Hokkanen Head of City Planning, City of Espoo Tuuli Kaskinen CEO, Demos Helsinki (an independent Nordic think tank) Virpi Mikkonen Programme Manager, Witty City, TEKES (the Finnish Funding Agency for Innovation) Pokko Lemminkäinen Architect and Executive Director of Elävät Kaupunkikeskustat ry (Association of Living City Centers in Finland) Lea Rankinen Director, Corporate Responsibility, S Group Janne Rytkönen Vice President, Real Estate, S Group The jury has the right to use external experts when assessing the proposals. External experts do not participate in decision-making. External expert: Larry Beasley, Professor and Former Co-Director of Planning for the City of Vancouver, Canada Observer: Nordic Innovation/Nordic Built Cities programme representative: Kristina Mårtensson Jury secretary: Johanna Lampinen, Director of Product Development and Sales, Demos Effect Serving the Project Owner in organising the jury s work, and editing the jury s pronouncement Competition secretary: Risto Lätti, Business Analyst, Demos Effect Receiving the entries and questions from the participants. 2.4 Competition schedule Competition period for Stage 1 Oct 7 Dec 17, 2015 Announcement of 4 entries to Stage 2 Feb 3, 2016 Competition period for Stage 2 Feb 3 May 23, 2016 Announcement of winners of Kera Challenge June 17, 2016 Possible registration for the Nordic Built Cities Challenge Awards Summer 2016

8 8 2.5 Competition rules Kera Challenge follows national law and the present competition programme. In possible contentious situations, the order of applying the rules shall be as follows: 1. Finnish law. 2. The present competition programme. Any disputes arising in connection with this Competition Programme shall be settled by Helsinki District Court, unless otherwise agreed between the parties. 2.6 Competition assessment criteria A basic assessment criterion for Kera Challenge is how well the proposed solution addresses the challenge problem described in this Competition Programme). In addition, following criteria regarding innovation, export potential, and urban qualities and design are used for assessing the competition entries. Innovation Solutions should be innovative: Solutions should be innovative. They could be products or services or a mixture of both. Solutions should focus on scalability and applicability. Solutions should be possible to realise in 2 to 6 years, that is, they should be tangible and not on a research level. Entry solutions must show inventiveness and innovative qualities or potential in technological and industrial design solutions. Export potential Export potentials of the solutions lie at the core of the competition: Solutions should have market and export potential for the specific innovative solution proposals, including market competitiveness. Solutions should, preferably, show a variety big enough to inhabit a given urban space and have potential beyond what a simple gadget might, however inventive and attractive. Investment costs should be scalable so that the proposals are easily adaptable to a variety of situations. Urban Qualities and Design Functional solutions, including urbanism and urban design, must at least show very strong potential with regard to these criteria: Solutions should offer new service design models and/or apply service design thinking. Solutions should offer designs of exceptional quality and/or potential, add significantly to the standing of the specific site, and thus to the quality of the city, the immediate urban surroundings, and/or the urban context of the site. Solutions should have the capacity to attract the attention of inhabitants as well as visitors, and the particularly interested as well as the general urban space users.

9 9 2.7 Competition language The competition language is English. This applies for all entry materials and all questions posed to the Jury. 2.8 Insurance of competition entries Neither S Group nor Nordic Innovation will be responsible for lost or damaged competition entries. 2.9 Announcement of results, Stages 1 and 2, final resolution and publication Kera Challenge The teams of the entries selected for Stage 2 will be informed. The competition entries, at least those selected for further development in Stage 2, will be published on the Nordic Built Cities Challenge website. The result of the Stage 2 of the competition will be immediately conveyed to the team of the winning entry by the Project Owner. Other competitors in Stage 2 will be individually notified, when the competition has been resolved by the Project Owner. The Project Owner intends to announce the winner with the entry s name and the team behind it immediately after the resolution. Nordic Built Cities Challenge on the Nordic level The finalist teams have the possibility to register for the Nordic Built Cities Challenge Awards. This will be done separately from Kera Challenge Competition entries use and publication rights The IPRs will remain at its owner. The Project Owner will have the right to publish a brief description of the competition proposals selected for Stage 2. In connection with the publication of the material (after the announcement of the results), the main author/s of the proposals in question will always be mentioned by company/-ies or individual names.

10 10 3. COMPETITION OUTLINE 3.1 Competition documentation The documentation comprises this competition programme plus the following appendices, made available for the benefit of participants and aimed at documenting the background: Description of the Challenge, what problems the solutions should solve, as well as background and information of the urban development project Maps of the area Information on the existing buildings on the area Site photos 3.2 Visit to the site, Stage 1 The Project Owner invites all interested competing teams to visit the site on 27th of October 2015 at Kilon Logistiikkakeskus, Kera, Espoo. There will be a briefing, a walking tour around Kera, and a workshop. The walking tour will cover both the site owned as well as its surroundings, including neighbouring sites and existing infrastructure, such as the Kera train station. 3.3 Nordic matchmaking event, Stage 1 A Nordic matchmaking event will be organised by Nordic Innovation the 5th of November 2015 in Arlanda, Stockholm. The purpose of the event is to inform competitors of the challenges and urban spaces and facilitate cross border collaboration, partnering and the formation of Nordic multidisciplinary teams. Competing businesses, organisations, students and other interested stakeholders are invited to get more detailed information of each of the six challenges and urban spaces directly from the Project Owners and find partners in other Nordic countries adding skills and knowledge to the competing teams. 3.4 Inspirational day, Stage 2 The Project Owner invites the finalist teams to visit the site again. The inspirational day will feature the opportunity to workshop with the Project Owner(s), local end users, and/or other relevant stakeholders, and get inspiration from local and international experts. 3.5 Questions concerning the competition Competitors can forward questions regarding the competition via to the competition secretary. The secretary is Risto Lätti (risto.latti@demoseffect.fi). The organizer has the right to compile questions of similar content/character and answer them in groups.

11 Required competition documents Stage 1 The first stage will feature limited digitally submitted proposals in order to keep the barrier to participate low. The competition entries shall be submitted to the competition secretary through an online form. The entries consist of the following elements: A summary of maximum 500 words Explain the basic concept, solutions or idea. Answer how the proposal offers a solution to the challenge. Answer how the proposal addresses Sustainability, Smart City and Liveability. A presentation (in pdf format) consisting of maximum of 15 pages Describe the solution in more detail elaborating on the content covered in the summary. Highlight the business potential of the solution in Kera as well as export potential. Introduce the team and demonstrate that it is multidisciplinary and leverages Nordic collaboration. Entries that exceed the limit or in other ways do not adhere to the rules explained here will be automatically disqualified and will not be evaluated. Stage 2 In Stage 2, teams are expected to leverage the grant they have received in developing their ideas to concrete solutions that can be implemented immediately and turned into a viable business. Focus will be in developing the business models as well as partnerships. More detailed presentation of requirements will be specified after the Stage 1 is completed. 3.7 Submission of entries Stage 1 The competition entries should be sent in through an online form. The competition entries must be submitted no later than 17th of December, 2015, at 23:59 hours at CET (Central European Time). Stage 2 The competition entries should be sent in through an online form. The competition entries must be submitted no later than 23rd of May, 2016, at 23:59 hours at CET (Central European Time).

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