From textile industry to technology companies
The Turku Science Park began with the construction of DataCity in 1988. The underlying idea was to bring high-tech companies in Turku and academic research under one roof. The project began with the idea of a 'computer building' by developer and real estate counsellor Juhani Lunden, which was named DataCity.
The history of the ElectroCity property in the textile industry
The history of the ElectroCity property is linked to the textile industry. In 1928, August Laurén founded Kudos Oy Silo, which operated in the knitwear industry. In the 1930s, Silo established its position as the second-largest knitwear factory in the country. The first factory of its own was built in 1942 in the industrial area between Kupittaa Park and Kupittaa station on Lemminkäisenkatu. The old Silo industrial property was renovated and expanded into premises for high-tech companies in 1989. ElectroCity underwent a major renovation in 2015, which also marked the start of the operations of the coworking space Werstas.
Upon completion, BioCity was the most modern biotechnology center in Finland
Built in the early 1990s as an extension to a three-story spinning mill, BioCity was the most modern biotechnology center in Finland when completed. The starting idea for the new project was to establish a biotechnology center in Turku, as great growth was expected in the bio and pharmaceutical sectors. More laboratory and production space was needed for this purpose. In addition to securing the growth of the bio sector, the basic idea was also to utilize and apply the expertise of universities and research institutes in practice. In addition to bio-industry operators, BioCity houses a meeting and congress center named after the Turku statesman, President Mauno Koivisto, which was inaugurated at the end of 1993 and renovated in 2013.
PharmaCity was completed in 2002
PharmaCity was completed in 2002 at the corner of Lemminkäisenkatu and Itäinen Pitkäkatu, next to BioCity and ElectroCity. The growth of the bio and pharmaceutical sectors created an acute shortage of research and development premises. The goal was to meet this need by building PharmaCity, with laboratory and office spaces designed according to the needs of future users. Two low-rise buildings were demolished from the site: the HK Ruokatalo production facility and old warehouse spaces. The area has been the location of the slaughterhouse of LSO Osuuskunta, the predecessor of HK, with a history dating back to 1913.
The history of the Intelligate office buildings dates back to 1992
The history of the Intelligate office buildings dates back to 1992, when an architectural competition was held for the design of the entire Kupittaa center. The winning design included the Kupittaa railway station, a commercial building, and an office complex. The station building was the first of these to be completed in 1995. The Intelligate complex includes three interconnected office and commercial buildings, the first of which was completed in 2006 and the second in 2013. The third Intelligate was long awaited, until 2020, when Sokos Hotel Kupittaa opened in the property.
In 2006, ICT-City was built on the site of the former Anni Helena grain silo
Information technology education from the University of Turku, Åbo Akademi, and Turku University of Applied Sciences has been centralized in the building. Turku University of Applied Sciences centralized its education to the Science Park (except for the Arts Academy) when the new campus building EduCity was completed in 2020. The top floors are office spaces for companies, and today EduCity is home to companies such as Nordea and Cloetta.