Construction consultancy firm IdeaStructura outgrew Werstas in Turku in just over six months. A new, bright office was conveniently found in TriviumCity, which is also owned by Teknologiakiinteistöt.
Although the media is filled with stories about the struggles in the construction industry, there are also bright spots in the field. One of them is IdeaStructura Turku, established just in February, which grew within a few months from two employees to an office employing eight people.
“We established IdeaStructura in Turku in February and rented an office room at Werstas Kalevala in DataCity. By the autumn, we already needed a second office, 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. It operates in eight locations and employs 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 faced by engineering firms that keep expanding into larger entities. We saw IdeaStructura’s flat organization as offering an agile alternative to the big players, which led us to establish the company in Turku,” says Petri Kauhaniemi, who works as a Project Manager at IdeaStructura Turku.
The 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 package with reasonable total costs.”
IdeaStructura provides design, consulting, construction supervision, and various problem-solving services, currently focusing on renovation construction. Builders and property owners face many different challenges, and there is plenty of work in solving them.
“Maintenance costs for properties have already risen to exceed construction costs, so there is a lot to do in the industry regarding the development of maintenance and energy efficiency. Challenges for buildings are also created by climate change and, above all, water, which causes indoor air problems when it gets into the wrong places. For this reason, structures should be designed to be fault-tolerant, meaning that even if the exterior 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 to be the best location for IdeaStructura.
“Werstas was an excellent concept for us. It allowed us to focus on growing the business without having to spend time on developing infrastructure, and it allowed for modular growth at reasonable costs. DataCity has an international atmosphere and great restaurants, of which we frequented especially the Taito restaurant of the vocational institute.”
According to Alonen, the move from one Teknologiakiinteistöt space to another went smoothly, and the new 140-square-meter space was found in TriviumCity, where IdeaStructura Turku moved in early October.
“We were looking for a package with reasonable total costs. Here, parking is right next door and it’s easy to head in different directions. The space supports our employer brand, and it is also a status symbol for the staff to be in such a good location. We have independent roles, and while it is possible to work remotely, people are mainly at the office. That is nice, as being present facilitates communication, and we enjoy being together. We are smiling and happy that we have such good premises,” concludes Kauhaniemi.
