Espoo’s €30 Million School Project Shares Learning and Neighbourhood Services

Each bank will provide €15 million in long-term loans to Espoon Koulutaival Oy, the project company wholly owned and managed by infrastructure investor Meridiam.

Children and families in Espoo, Finland, will gain a new shared home for education and neighbourhood services through a €30 million financing agreement between the European Investment Bank (EIB) and Nordic Investment Bank (NIB). The funding will support construction of the Jupperi multipurpose building, bringing a school, daycare, sports facilities, a library and community services into a single complex designed to meet high energy-efficiency standards.

Each bank will provide €15 million in long-term loans to Espoon Koulutaival Oy, the project company wholly owned and managed by infrastructure investor Meridiam. The 7,200-square-metre facility will accommodate approximately 600 pupils, giving Espoo additional education capacity as the city responds to population growth and changes in how schools and public services are used.

A Permanent Home for Services in Temporary Spaces

For Jupperi, the building represents a significant change for services that have been operating from temporary premises, with the school, daycare centre and city library set to share a permanent location. City of Espoo Director Reijo Yrjölä described the centre as special to the city because of Jupperi's rich history, highlighting the importance of finally bringing these services together under one roof.

Combining education with sports, library and community facilities gives the project a role beyond the school day, creating a place that can serve pupils, younger children and other residents. Its design will accommodate evolving educational needs and support efficient public-service delivery over the long term, helping Espoo provide additional capacity through a building that can respond to the community's changing requirements.

Growing School Capacity With Energy Efficiency in Mind

Jupperi forms part of Espoo's "Schools in Shape initiative", which focuses on safe, healthy and accessible facilities for pupils and staff as the city adapts its education infrastructure to a growing population. The project brings those needs together with high energy-efficiency standards, placing the quality of learning spaces and the building's environmental performance within the same investment.

NIB President and Chief Executive Officer André Küüsvek described modern school investment as a way to secure high-quality learning environments for children for years to come in one of Finland's fastest-growing urban areas. The bank's involvement builds on its established financing of municipal infrastructure across the Nordic and Baltic region, including education facilities and energy-efficient public buildings.

European Financing Supports a Local Community Investment

EIB Vice-President Karl Nehammer linked the financing to the wider value of modern schools for children, communities and Europe's future, explaining that the investment will support high-quality learning environments alongside ambitious energy and environmental standards. His remarks highlighted how long-term public financing and private investment can work together to deliver essential social infrastructure, with Meridiam's project company receiving loans from the two development banks.

The EIB loan is backed by InvestEU, the European Union programme designed to mobilise more than €372 billion in additional investment between 2021 and 2027. For Espoo residents, that European support takes a concrete local form: a new centre with room for approximately 600 pupils, a permanent home for services currently in temporary accommodation and shared facilities built to serve the neighbourhood for years ahead.