New sfääri for cities
Real estate and construction need to be transformed like never before. We position our partners in the forefront of change.
What is Sfääri?
Cities are the boiling point of the greatest challenges of our times: climate change and growing inequality. In addition, ever increasing density is increasing technical challenges in cities.
Sfääri develops participatory and climate resistant cities that thrive in the 2020’s. We carry full responsibility for planning and developing complex projects in growing cities. To fulfill its promise, Sfääri brings together the best actors in sustainable construction, the most experienced project leaders, and the most innovative visionaries of urban development.
Together we can elevate cities to a new level – to reach sfääri.
Building blocks of sustainability
Cities are made by communities
Cities are tightly-knit communities. Wellbeing in cities requires decreasing inequality between its neighborhoods. Public transportation, resting spots and openness instead of bans are the keys to an inclusive city. Building for the future is building for all citizens.
Cities are built on ecological balance
Cities thrive towards climate neutrality. In urban development, ecological balance is built from the ground floor up: what building materials are chosen, how is energy efficiency prioritized, and how do business models support versatile uses for space.
Cities are supported by new business models
The most sustainable spaces are the ones never built. No material is emission-free, and all space within cities is valuable. In order to find the least environmentally burdening solutions, we need to get more out of the hubs of a growing city.
Sfääri's business areas
Sfääri works flexibly with different types of partners in two business areas. Urban development focuses on developing hybrid blocks near mobility hubs. Sfääri partnership development focuses on residential development in the fastest growing areas of Finland. Sustainability is at the core of our operations in both areas.
Urban development
Partnership development
Sfääri has unique competences in the commercial planning and development of challenging hybrid projects in mobility hubs, eg. adjacent to metro stations. Sfääri offers end-to-end management of the commercial planning process for such development projects. This frees up investor’s capacities and enables especially high quality leadership of urban development projects with multiple involved parties, without sub-optimisation between parties.
Sfääri also partners with public entities as an advisor on developing land value. This can take the form of working on city visions, developing new neighborhoods or focusing on furthering sustainability.
To guarantee top quality, all projects are implemented closely with Sfääri’s partnership network.
Sfääri's partnership development is based on seamless real estate development all the way from zoning to apartment sales. Sfääri actively seeks, researches and proposes possible sites that are ushered through the zoning process together with the construction company. Throughout zoning and planning, Sfääri provides its expertise and experiences to construction companies. Ultimately, this supports in developing fit-for-purpose and well-selling apartments. Taking location-specific aspects into account gives the sales catalogue and marketing material the needed final touch.
Sfääri covers its share of the sales risk by buying apartments on the site with fixed prices. Sfääri partnership development aims at ensuring seamless collaboration with construction companies, that results in good homes in good locations without forgetting economic profitability.
Our services to stakeholders
We are interested in high quality sites. We carry the overall responsibility of site development and collaboration with public authorities and other stakeholders.
Sfääri partnership development supports real estate development all the way from zoning to apartment sales. We carry our share of the sales risk through purchasing units from the project.
We are looking for the best people in the industry. With Sfääri, you have the opportunity to work on interesting projects in prime locations, with sustainability as the bottom line.
We act as advisors that combine the new generation of urban development and a deep understanding of the real estate market.
We work actively in all different areas of real estate development. In addition to new sites, we are constantly in need for agents that sell our properties.
Our model is based on finding the appropriate investment model for each project. Contact us if you are interested in investing in responsible and sustainable urban development.
Meet the team
Sfääri grows and evolves! If you want to join us, be in contact through this form.
Antti Kerppola
Antti Kerppola is Sfääri’s founder and CEO.
Antti has worked in top positions within real estate and sustainable construction for years. Before Sfääri, ANtti acted as CEO of Ylva (2015–2020). During his tenure HYY Yhtymä transformed into Ylva – the size of the operations doubled and net value grew over 100 MEUR. Projects affecting whole Helsinki, such as the development of Kaivopiha and Lyyra in Hakaniemi were initiated – and UniCafe restaurants stopped serving beef.
Antti on yritysaktivisti. Se on ideologia, joka tarkoittaa, että myös yritys tai yrittäjä voi aktiivisuudellaan ja aktivismillaan edistää toimialansa standardien kehitystä.
2015-2020 Ylva, CEO
2020- Member of the Pioneers of Change -network, World Economic Forum
2020- Specialist, Real Estate and Construction Business, Strategic programme to promote a circular economy
2018-2019 Green Building Council Suomi ry, chairman of the board, 2019, vice-chairman 2018
2016-2020 ResQ Club Oy, member of the board
2019-2020 OECD, Business for Inclusive Growth -network, member and founder
2014-2015 Manager, Digital Development, If P&C
2012-2014 Consultant, McKinsey & Company
Selected projects
Herttoniemi metro station development project (Sfääri) 2020-
Antti Kerppola acts as the project manager, Sfääri is the development partner of Destia and a shareholder of the project consortium. The project consists of a complete renovation of the metro station, building an indoor bus terminal and up to 40.000 m2 of new apartments and business space.
Hakaniemi metro station Lyyra -project (2016-2020)
Antti Kerppola acted as the project manager from the start of the project until the start of the construction works. Encompassing over 20.000m2, the project consisted of tearing down two former office buildings to be replaced with a hotel, apartments, offices and business space. The project was the Leed Platinum 2018 scale project in Finland, in which sustainability is a cornerstone across the whole life cycle of the project. The project is linked into metro, bus and tram networks, and has a reservation for the Pisara -line.
Kaivopiha area overhaul 2015-2020
As the CEO of Ylva, Antti Kerppola was in charge of the renovation project and its vision. The project consisted of some 30.000m2 of total space, including major overhauls of Kaivokäytävä and Uusi ylioppilastalo, renovation of Kaivotalo and the renewal of office spaces in Kaivopiha. In 2018 Ylva bought the historical Kaleva -building to be attached to the first Hyatt luxury hotel in the Nordics as a part of Grand Hansa -project.
Aleksi Keijonen
Aleksi Keijonen is responsible for Sfääri partnership development, which has been managed under a different brand from 2017. In order to guarantee a top-notch real estate development process, Aleksi is focused on building a tight and care-free collaboration with Sfääri’s partners. Aleksi is a lawyer by training.
Aleksi’s other passion is at the basketball court. This passionate sports enthusiast has for years coached juniors as a professional coach at the national level. Before Sfääri and AJK Holding, Aleksi acted for several years as the executive manager of basketball team Sykki Ry.
2018- AJK Holding Oy (AJK Kodit), CEO
2013-2018 Sykki ry, executive manager
2015- Sykki ry, professional coach
2013- Various posts at Basketball Finland
Juha Hänninen
Juha is responsible for Sfääri's finance function and internal reporting. Juha brings experience from construction finance and process know-how to the team, ensuring Sfääri's agile and effective cooperation with stakeholders. Juha has an M.Sc. in Economics.
In addition to the studies in Aalto University, Juha has completed a commercial pilot's licence. The finance professional's second office is located in the cockpit of Finnair's Airbus-fleet. Before Sfääri and Finnair Juha worked three years in Lemminkäinen Plc's Group Treasury in different positions
2016- Finnair Plc, A320 co-pilot
2015 Lemminkäinen Plc, Surety Specialist
2012-2014 Lemminkäinen Plc, Treasury Assistant
The world needs corporate activists
The world needs corporate activists. As a part of their Pioneers of Change Summit, World Economic Forum has published an article on corporate activism Sfääri founder Antti Kerppola has written together with Juha Leppänen, CEO of Demos Helsinki on how to become one.
Contact us
We are constantly looking for new projects, partners and team members. Contact us and let's figure out how we could develop the cities of tomorrow together! In addition to the form below, you can contact us personally by e-mail at firstname.lastname@sfaari.fi
Let's lift the city into the new urban sphere!
Sfääri Group Oy (Y-3171509-2)