Meridiam has reached financial close with the City of Espoo for a sustainable education infrastructure project in Espoo, Finland.

The project involves the development of an integrated educational complex featuring primary school facilities, daycare, sports amenities, a public library and community spaces. The new facility is expected to modernise Espoo’s educational infrastructure, ease capacity pressures and accommodate evolving teaching and learning needs. It forms part of the city’s “Schools in Shape” initiative, which seeks to create high-quality, safe, healthy and accessible learning environments for pupils and school staff. Upon completion, the building will be leased to the municipality for a period of 20 years and will provide educational facilities for approximately 600 pupils.

The building is designed to achieve the highest five-star rating under Finland’s Rakennustieto Environmental Classification (RTYL). Spanning a gross floor area of 7,200 m², the multipurpose facility will feature solar panels, with on-site renewable energy generation expected to meet around 15–20% of its electricity demand. The remaining electricity will be sourced from low-carbon supplies, while the extensive use of timber in structural components and low-carbon concrete will further minimise its environmental impact. Overall, the buildings’ lifecycle carbon footprint is expected to be approximately 40% lower than that of comparable reference buildings.

Meridiam was appointed as the project developer to collaborate with the City of Espoo from the early stages, jointly establishing the project’s key requirements and overseeing the selection of the construction contractor.

The sustainable education infrastructure project reflects Meridiam’s strategy of investing in essential infrastructure to enhance the long-term resilience and sustainability of cities and communities. Financed through The Urban Resilient Fund (TURF), the investment builds on the company’s experience in delivering social infrastructure projects in partnership with Finnish municipalities. This includes the Espoo Schools public-private partnership (PPP), Finland’s first social infrastructure PPP, which reached financial close in 2020 under a 22-year concession running until summer 2042. Also part of the city’s “Schools in Shape” initiative, the project addresses approximately 15% of the identified need for healthy and functional school and daycare premises in Espoo. It covers the design, construction, financing and maintenance of five schools and three daycare centres, all of which are now operational and serve more than 4,000 pupils.