Construction consulting firm IdeaStructura outgrew Werstas in Turku in just over half a year. A new, bright office was conveniently found in TriviumCity, which is also owned by Teknologiakiinteistöt.
Although newspapers are full of stories about the construction industry's distress, there are also bright spots in the sector. One of them is IdeaStructura Turku, established just in February, which grew within a few months from an office of two to employing eight people.
“We founded IdeaStructura in Turku in February and rented an office room at Werstas Kalevala in DataCity. By autumn, we already needed a second office room, which was arranged next to the first one,” says Jyrki Alonen, Managing Director of IdeaStructura Turku.
IdeaStructura Oy is a company founded in 2011 that provides renovation and new construction services, operating in eight locations and employing a total of 115 people. IdeaStructura Turku was born from an idea shared by former colleagues.
“Jyrki and I had worked together at Vahanen and Afry and noticed the challenges of engineering firms growing into ever-larger entities. We saw IdeaStructura’s flat organization offering an agile alternative to the big players, which prompted us to establish the company in Turku,” says Petri Kauhaniemi, who works as a Project Manager at IdeaStructura Turku.
A light organizational structure and extensive networks have indeed provided IdeaStructura Turku with a fast-paced start and a competitive advantage during challenging times.
“IdeaStructura’s culture includes avoiding unnecessary bureaucracy, which allows our experts to utilize their skills to their full potential. We are also able to quickly address issues and change our operating models when necessary,” Alonen describes.
“We were looking for a solution that was reasonable in terms of total costs.”
IdeaStructura performs design, consulting, construction supervision, and various types of problem-solving, currently with an emphasis on renovation. Builders and property owners face many different challenges, and there is plenty of work in solving them.
“Property maintenance costs have already risen to exceed construction costs, so there is plenty to do in the industry regarding the development of maintenance and energy efficiency. Climate change also creates challenges for buildings, and above all, water, which when entering the wrong places, causes indoor air problems. For this reason, structures should be designed to be fault-tolerant, meaning even if the surface leaks, the structures must be able to dry,” says Alonen, who is responsible for structural design at IdeaStructura Turku.
Alonen and Kauhaniemi consider the Science Park the best location for IdeaStructura.
“Werstas was an excellent concept for us. There, we could focus on growing our business and didn't have to spend time developing the infrastructure, and it allowed for modular growth at reasonable costs. DataCity has an international atmosphere and great restaurants, of which we frequently visited especially the Taito restaurant of the vocational institute.”
The move from one Teknologiakiinteistöt space to another went smoothly according to Alonen, and the new 140-square-meter premises were found in TriviumCity, where IdeaStructura Turku moved in early October.
“We were looking for a solution that was reasonable in terms of total costs. Here, there is parking right next door, and it is easy to head in different directions. The space supports the employer image, and for the staff, it’s also a status symbol to be in such a good location. Our work is independent, and it is possible to work remotely, but mainly people are at the office. That is nice, because presence still facilitates communication and we enjoy being together. We are smiling and happy that we have such good facilities,” Kauhaniemi concludes.
