Innogreen’s green stops

The Helsinki Innovation Districts project collaborates with companies and residents to test new services that contribute to the pleasantness, functionality and sustainability of urban living. Green stops and modular green hangout spots are new services that help to not only increase the pleasantness of the urban environment in a sustainable manner, but also support improving the living conditions of pollinators and managing stormwater and heat islands in the suburban regeneration areas of Helsinki.

Back in the Smart Kalasatama project, Innogreen built one of the first outdoor green walls suitable for Nordic conditions in Kalasatama’s school yeard. In the subsequent Helsinki Innovation Districts project, Innogreen piloted modular green stops in Malminkartano. 

Innogreen’s stylish green stops feature a low-carbon, arched wooden design that can be adapted for a variety of uses and spaces. The green stops function as both resting and hangout spots for residents and as green structures. They have plants for pollinating insects at the top of the structure and a variety of edible plants at the bottom, which even include shiitake mushrooms. 

The green stops can also be connected to an irrigation system powered by solar panels. In addition to this, they can be outfitted with various sensors for collecting valuable data on the environment and its well-being, for example.

Innogreen’s green stops were actively visited by residents in Malminkartano, who also recognised their possibilities, including their benefits to insects. The green stops also garnered praise for their appearance. Innogreen’s green stops are one of the responses to requests for more green walls and roofs, which have been expressed by many Helsinki residents, serving as a quick, yet sustainable solution to this need. 

Many of the area’s residents were concerned that the green stops would end up being destroyed or vandalised. Yet despite these fears, the stops remained undisturbed for the duration of the season. Their maintenance was handled by Innogreen.“Residents made the stops their own and took care of them. Many found it fun to observe the insects on them, for example. A number of residents also submitted ideas for further development,” says Mikko Sonninen from Innogreen.

Photos: Innogreen