There is a strong need for affordable housing close to the universities in Vaasa, Finland. Voas CEO, Marko Ylimäki, sees two different reasons for this developement: Students subsidaries are suffering of cutbacks and at the same time costs for living are rising.

„It is very difficult to meet the growth targets of universities. More than 500 applicants were left on the waiting list in the autumn,”
says Marko Ylimäki, Voas CEO

The new student housing projects by Voas will hopefully ease the situation.

Energy-efficient living

In December 2024, the Merikulma student housing building with 28 apartments was completed at the intersection of Wolffintie and Pikitehtaankatu. According to Teppo Rasku, Voas’ real estate manager, the building has energy class A standards. In practice, this means, for example, thick walls, energy-efficient ventilation units and highly isolated windows.

Merikulma is part of an EU project called Prolight, aiming to increase renewable energy in the housing sector and helping to reduce the energy consumption by residents.

„Residents have access to a mobile app which monitors the electricity and heat consumption of the property, and soon also the water consumption and recycling rate of the property“,
explains Rasku.

Merikulma consumes about a third less energy than other similar student housings, which is good news as energy prices are not supposed to go down in the next years.