Tulevaisuuden toimitilamarkkinat : muutosvoimat, niiden vaikutukset ja toimitilatoiveet pääkaupunkiseudulla

The world is changing with accelerating pace. Continuity is replaced with temporality. This affects also the commercial real estate market. Commercial real estates can be seen inflexible in this new environment due to their nature. That is why it is inevitable to see into the future also in the real estate sector. This research is examining the future commercial real estate market. The research aims to find the forces of change that affect the commercial real estate market and also to analyze the possible future effects of those forces on the commercial real estate market, especially in the Helsinki metropolitan area. In addition this research explores the views of actual market actors by investigating their opinions about important future forces and hopes for future commercial real estate. As well as the forces of change, also the preferences of the market actors can be seen important because they all shape the future. The research is conducted by the help of research methods used in the future research field. The forces of change are investigated by a method called Environmental Scanning, while their possible effects are studied by the Futures Wheel method. The future hopes of the market actors are presented by using Images of Future. The study concentrates on office and retail premises. According to the outcome gained it seems that the forces of change forming the future commercial real estate market are diverse by nature and connected to each other in different ways. The forces of change working in the commercial real estate market are much the same as in the rest of society. There are congruities among the possible effects of the forces but partly also contradictions. The market parties' future preferences for commercial real estate, for one, are in line with various forces of change

Constructive conversations on resilient urban futures

This publication is a co-created compilation of various conversations concerning our possibilities and pathways towards resilient urban futures. A series of interviews conducted so far within the Real Estate and Sustainable Crisis Management in Urban Environments (RESCUE) project on several occasions – such as conferences, research visit – have been documented here to give food for thinking and discussions concerning resilience. The questions of the interviews have been tailor-made to address the expertise of each interviewee, while the core of interviews touches upon the topic of urban resilience in its all dimensions as well as the issues of forward-looking thinking and action. Another type of anticipatory method, as a conversational tool we wish to experiment with, is a narrative. The researchers of the RESCUE project chose an actual case area for reviewing its crisis resilience as well as potential for wellbeing of its residents and the preservation of the environment. The related conversations were used to construct a narrative of the area in 2050 and test an imagined pathway towards resilience. The narrative is a work in progress – meant to be used for reflections, elaborations, discussions and further narratives among its readers, stakeholders to the area and the topic at hand as well those interested in designing and constructing resilient urban futures

TOWARDS TWIN TRANSFORMATIONS AND SPACES – Convoluted Conversations on the Green and Digital Futures of Work

This publication is a co-created compilation of various conversations concerning our possibilities and pathways towards futures of work. A series of interviews conducted so far within the T-Winning Spaces 2035 project have been documented here to give food for thinking and discussions concerning transformations of work and spaces. The questions of the interviews were tailor-made to address the expertise of each interviewee, while the core of the interviews touches upon the exuberant topic of futures of work in its all dimensions as well as the issues of forward-looking thinking and action. Within the interviews we also addressed the topics of creeping crises and paradoxes as regards futures of work. Altogether eight interviews were made, many of them during the International Conference organized by Finland Futures Research Centre in Turku in June 2023, plus some interviews conducted after that. The interviews are documented here as entities for readers to grasp the whole interviewing contexts, where-from thematic analyses will follow in the next phases of the project to provide narratives of future work and workspaces

Crises Never Come Alone

Kriiseillä on moninaisia vaikutuksia yhteiskuntaan, kuten koronaviruspandemia on viimeksi osoittanut. Rakennetun ympäristön mukautumiskyky voi auttaa ehkäisemään kriisistä seuraavien toissijaisten kriisien puhkeamista, mikä antaa arkkitehdeille tärkeän roolin kriisien ratkaisijoina.Crises have manifold effects on the society, as the Covid-19 pandemic has recently shown. However, a more resilient built environment can help prevent secondary crises from unfolding, which makes architects part of the solution.publishedVersio

GRINL1A Complex Transcription Unit Containing GCOM1, MYZAP, and POLR2M Genes Associates with Fully Penetrant Recessive Dilated Cardiomyopathy

Background: Familial dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM) is a monogenic disorder typically inherited in an autosomal dominant pattern. We have identified two Finnish families with familial cardiomyopathy that is not explained by a variant in any previously known cardiomyopathy gene. We describe the cardiac phenotype related to homozygous truncating GCOM1 variants.Methods and Results: This study included two probands and their relatives. All the participants are of Finnish ethnicity. Whole-exome sequencing was used to test the probands; bi-directional Sanger sequencing was used to identify the GCOM1 variants in probands' family members. Clinical evaluation was performed, medical records and death certificates were obtained. Immunohistochemical analysis of myocardial samples was conducted. A homozygous GCOM1 variant was identified altogether in six individuals, all considered to be affected. None of the nine heterozygous family members fulfilled any cardiomyopathy criteria. Heart failure was the leading clinical feature, and the patients may have had a tendency for atrial arrhythmias.Conclusions: This study demonstrates the significance of GCOM1 variants as a cause of human cardiomyopathy and highlights the importance of searching for new candidate genes when targeted gene panels do not yield a positive outcome.Peer reviewe

Advancing futures thinking in the real estate field

Publisher Copyright: © 2020, Saija Toivonen. Copyright: Copyright 2021 Elsevier B.V., All rights reserved.Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to study the user experiences of the futures wheel method to investigate its suitability to advance futures thinking in the real estate field. Design/methodology/approach: The user experiences of the futures wheel method are investigated through questionnaire answers of 114 master’s level students and real estate experts taking part in future wheel workshops. Findings: The futures wheel method could enhance future-oriented thinking and decision-making in the real estate field. The respondents see futures thinking as an important skill and recognize several advantages concerning the method. Practical implications: The futures wheel method bears great potential to be used in the real estate sector and it could be a fruitful addition to the curriculums at different education levels in real estate studies. Social implications: Futures thinking is essential when aiming for sustainable decisions in the real estate field which again would benefit the whole surrounding society. Originality/value: This paper is the first published paper concentrating on the user experiences of the future wheel method in the real estate sector. The benefits and the disadvantages of the method are investigated but also the attitudes indicating the potential of the method to be successfully adopted in the field are analyzed.Peer reviewe

Styrning av kommunala energibolag – vilka verktyg använder ägaren?

Kommunallagen ändrades 2017 och efter förändringen fick kommunkoncernens övervakning ännu större roll. I kommunerna förvaltas stora dottersammanhang och bolag utan att de förtroendevalda har direkt kontroll för dem. Kommunfullmäktigen och -styrelsen har endast styrningsroll när det gäller att förvalta aktiebolagen och de behöver organisera styrningen på ett effektivt och flytande sätt. Antal kommunala bolag har ökat rejält under senaste årtionden och därför också ägarstyrningens betydelse är ännu viktigare. För kommunen är det inte likgiltig hur koncernen övervakas och styras utan det kan ha betydliga risker och påverkning också till kommunens ekonomi. Därför är det viktigt att kommunerna satsar på bra ägarstyrning och utvecklar ägarstyrningens processer. I avhandlingen koncentreras till fem olika kommuner Björneborg, Kouvola, Vasa Salo och Riihimäki för att veta, hurdana är de verktyg som kommunerna använder att aktivt styra sina koncernbolag. Energibranschen valdes för dess storlek och viktighet för energin kan tänkas en av de service nödvändiga för moderna samhället. Energibranschen är attraktiv också för privata investerade och skapar betydliga ekonomiska vinster också för kommuner och är därmed intressant objekt för undersökning. Ytterligare till ägarstyrningens verktyg tas reda på hur kommunerna förverkligar den politiska styrningen i bolagen. Sker det genom respektive bolagens styrelser eller har kommuner några andra metoder för det? Avhandlingens data har samlats från de respektive kommuners skriftliga dokument som förvaltningsstadgor, budgeter, koncerndirektiven och strategier. Data har analyserats genom att jämföra kommunernas dokument och de beslut som har fattats inom senaste åren. Vide analysen är varje kommuns position som ägare och maktanvändare placerat på ett fyrfällt som var presenterat i ded teoretiska bakgrunden. För att få veta hur politiska styrningen sker har respektive energibolagens styrelseledamöters bakgrund genomgått från offentliga källor samt tagit titt på vad kommunerna förutsätter från ledamöter. I analysen förekom att kommunerna har mera likheter med än skillnader ägarstyrningen. Detta beror tydligen på att verksamhetsmiljön och lagstiftningen är liknande oberoende på kommunen. Största skillnader förekom vid maktdelegering och målsättning kommunerna bestämmer för koncernbolagen. Alla kommuner har valt politiska ledamöter, som är ofta också åtminstone fullmäktigeledamöter, till bolagens förvaltning som ger politiker i kommuner direkt väg för att styra bolagen. Bara ett fåtal styrelsemedlemmar är vald för sin expertis. I framtiden ska ägarstyrningens roll tydligen växa samtidigt när kommunernas ekonomi och verksamhetsmiljö ändrar. Kommunerna är tvungna att utveckla sin ägarstyrning samt lägga märke till hurdana beslut tas gällande styrelsen och koncernövervakningen

Environmental scanning and futures wheels as tools to analyze the possible future themes of the commercial real estate market

The commercial real estate market is closely linked to the surrounding society, as commercial buildings have several economic, environmental, political, social and cultural influences. Correspondingly, the surrounding society, its actors and the different forces of change appearing in the market environment also have their own influence on the real estate market environment and its future development. However, this connection may be left without the attention it is entitled to and there is a danger that far-reaching decisions concerning commercial real estates will be made without sufficient analysis over possible future development. This paper investigates how the forces of change appearing in the present real estate market environment may affect future commercial real estates and their market environment. The forces of change are identified with an information collection method called environmental scanning known from future studies. After that the possible future influences of the identified forces of change are organized and analyzed with another future studies method called futures wheels. Finally, a holistic synthesis over the mutual future themes of the commercial real estate market is presented: (1) real estate themes: comfort, image, distinctive spaces and elements, technicality, safety and geographical location and transportation connectivity (2) market themes: interaction, demand for services, segregation and need for special knowledge and expertise (3) ideological themes: quality and redefinition of attractiveness, integration of space types, diversified demand and versatility of commercial real estate and owner-occupancy vs. tenancy. The database utilized in the environmental scanning and future wheel processes consists of 400 literary sources and 170 person sources presenting the views of different real estate market actors. Acknowledging the identified future themes is essential when preparing for future development. By being aware, it is possible to carefully study different development paths, their probability, essential factors and above all, the actors' own possibilities to affect future development.Peer reviewe

Forces of change shaping the future commercial real estate market in the Helsinki Metropolitan Area in Finland

The built environment as a part of society is facing fast and constant changes occurring in the surrounding environment. This is a challenging situation for real estates because their character does not inherently support fast changes and constant development. Nevertheless there are many reasons why it is essential that also commercial real estates are able to answer to development goals set to them by different market actors. This can be achieved by analyzing forces of change affecting the market at this moment. Identifying the forces is important because they form the future real estate market and related land use. When market actors are aware of the forces appearing in their action environment, they are able to notice any new phenomena emerging and quickly adapt their actions and even steer the development to the desired direction. This competitive advantage can benefit both public and private sectors. This study presents the different forces of change affecting the commercial real estate market in the Helsinki Metropolitan Area (HMA) in Finland. The forces of change are studied with a future research method called environmental scanning (ES). The identified forces form a complicated network with many interconnections. Different actors working with real estate and land use issues can benefit from this knowledge in far reaching planning over these issues. Actors are able to make better decisions and prepare themselves for the future, if familiar with the forces of change shaping future real estates and their land use. Because of the constant changes happening in the action environment, the need to foresee and evaluate future requirements and demand set to real estates will only increase in the future.Peer reviewe

What the Future Holds – a Study on the Environmental Pressure Affecting the Real Estate Market

Over the past few years, environmental sustainability as a whole has gained significantly more attention globally, and the connection between sustainability and the built environment has been made clear. The built environment is now more widely known to have major implications on both climate change, and resource use. This study draws on a previous study, which identified environmental pressure as one of the key future forces of change in the real estate market. The findings of the earlier study are re-visited to establish which of the expected outcomes have realized, which have proved to be irrelevant, and which might still occur in the future.Future studies employ a number of different tools and methods to forecast the future. This study first utilizes a method called environmental scanning to reveal the forces through which the environmental pressure shapes the current real estate market. Following the environmental scanning, the possible impacts of the forces are identified and their causal relationships are structured with the help of a method called the futures wheel. The futures wheel is a qualitative method based on expert opinions, and resembles structural brainstorming. The results of the future wheels are complemented utilising expert interviews. The results are analysed to verify the potential future impacts of those forces, and to finally arrive to a consensus about the most probable future impacts of the forces as currently foreseen.The study finds that while the future views have developed from the earlier study, few key issues remain. More specifically, the presumed primary sustainability influences are still related to the rise in demand of green buildings, and the existing density paradigm in urban planning. Another important finding is that, not all identified influences derive from environmental pressure, but stem from other major forces of change, such as urbanisation or digitalisation.The study offers insight into potential future pathways in the field of sustainable real estate. Most importantly, the study design enables attaining a holistic view of the possible impacts to the real estate market, as the combined methods reveal the complex relationships and even indirect impacts that could otherwise go unnoticed