The new Lippulaiva shopping centre has retail shops, a library, a day-care centre, a bus station and a connection to the new Espoonlahti metro station, as well as eight blocks of flats and a parking facility.
Opened in Espoo in March 2022, Lippulaiva is a smart and energy-efficient urban centre of 150,000 square metres with a newly opened shopping centre at its heart.
Lippulaiva values carbon neutrality goals. In addition to a carbon-neutral energy system, Lippulaiva is designed with easy accessibility and environmentally friendly transport in mind. In addition to the shopping centre, eight apartment blocks will be built in the same urban centre.
The two entrances to the Espoonlahti metro station and the Espoonlahti bus terminal under construction are integrated into the shopping centre. At the top level of the shopping gallery, there is a private health clinic, a public library, a sports centre and a private day-care centre. Underneath the shopping centre is a 500-metre-long parking facility, designed on two levels on top of the Länsimetro platforms.
High-quality materials have been used throughout the project, and the city has also invested in them in the street area. As a detail, the brick elements have been turned in the depth direction. In other words, the windows and doors are in recesses and the brick cladding has been turned inwards by the length of the brick. This created a high-quality and massive brick wall effect. Four different shades of brick have been used with unique perforated panels to match each shade.
The entrance areas and building elements connected to the metro were separated in the façade with Corten finish, as were the cycle shelters at the entrances. The street façade was extended in the inner corridors of the shopping centre with the same materials. The same variation in materials continues indoors, which helps customers orientate themselves inside the building. Inside, the aim has been to make the aisles as clear to navigate as possible; straight lines and entrances in logical positions at the ends and in the middle of the aisles.
In the lower ceilings of the lobbies, the technical building services are painted black and have a grille underneath. The large pendant luminaires on the main level form their own lighting level. The starting point for the design was an industrial, slightly rough look. The concrete structures made by Sierak in the early stages were so well-finished that they were left as they were. Only large graphics were added to the concrete surfaces in places.
