Elias Rainio, Property Development Group Manager

Interpreter between buyer and planner

I act as an interpreter between our clients and the planning official. I enjoy collaborating with professionals from different fields and developing old sites for new uses – switching the lights back on in properties where they have been turned off for some time.

What particularly interests you in your job?

I get to work with interesting construction projects that are part of our national wealth and Finnish history. They are often in prime locations in cities and well built.

Because government work has changed, many buildings may have been too underused to stay in good condition. It is nice to develop these areas for new use. It’s as if I get to turn on the lights again in places where they have already gone out at times.

In my job, I look at Finland more and more as a whole. In the Helsinki Metropolitan Area, it’s often thought that all development ends at Ring Road III. In my job, I can see in concrete terms how many active regions there are in Finland. For example, cities with a university and central hospital attract growth.

Who do you work with?

I work with an extensive network in different cities. My network covers four groups: our buyer clients, municipal land use planning experts, consulting companies in various fields and Senate’s multi-skilled community.

In my current job, the financial side is particularly emphasised, and we strongly aim to make things happen. We involve future client in design and often also in the process of amending the local detail plan at the earliest possible stage. Our clients are a very important group because they have crucial expertise in the development of sites.

In urban land use planning, it’s interesting to see how the same tasks can be carried out in different ways. In my job, I get to learn these best practices and, if necessary, pass on knowledge to others.

Which project has particularly stuck in your mind?

Most of my projects are usually related to land use planning and are very long-term projects. One inspiring project is Hylkysaari in Helsinki, which used to house the Finnish Maritime Museum. We sold the property and now the new owner is developing a use for this approximately four-hectare island with more than a dozen old buildings.

3 principles that guide your work?

• Focus on the essentials and do one thing at a time. When there is a lot of information available, it’s worth finding out for yourself what is the most essential thing at any given time. After this, it’s easier to start building a continuation around the core issue.
• Be open to discussion, then utilise the skills of others. It’s too easy to fall in love with your own ideas. When you have the courage to let others plump up your ideas at an early stage, they are developed and not stuck in just one point of view.
• Be aware that only change is permanent. It’s possible to control the design, but only partially. This means you need to leave space for later ideas and not be confined to too small things already in the early stages. You must also be ready to update your own skills and tasks all the time.

About me

I joined Senate as a Property Development Manager in the summer 2017. I graduated with a Master of Architecture from Helsinki University of Technology in 2001.

At the start of my career, I worked for 12 years as a designer in an architectural firm and the following 7 years I was an urban planner at Helsinki City Planning Department.