Nordic Superblocks Fieldbook guides future urban development

The Nordic Superblocks as Decarbonization Catalysts (NSDC) is a Business Finland supported initiative through which Granlund, JIS-Automation, KONE, Skanska, Synocus, Tampere University, and Tietoevry develop new solutions for life cycle management of built urban environments. 

The NSDC initiative has now completed a guide to support the planning, construction, operations, and renewal of sustainable built environments.  

The Nordic Superblocks Fieldbook was co-created by the NSDC partners and is based on in-depth case studies of the Generations Block in Helsinki, the Smart and Sustainable Jyväskylä Kangas initiative, Kotikatu365, and Hiedanranta in Tampere.  

Additionally, international benchmarking has included cases from Spain, Italy, Germany, and Australia. More information about the NSDC initiative can be found at https://www.walcc.org/nsdc/  

The co-creation of the Fieldbook included a webinar organized on November 26th, 2025, read more and watch a recording here. 

The Fieldbook is intended to serve as a practical guide for how to use the Superblocks approach when engaging partners in transformative urban development. The Nordic Superblocks concept is not limited to the development of large greenfield projects but offers a guiding philosophy and a selection of modular elements that can be used in different forms of urban development, including retrofitting and renovation.

If you are interested in learning more about the NSDC concept, you can contact Toni Tuomola of Skanska and Johan Wallin of Synocus who actively continue to develop the NSDC initiative. This may help you to tailor the concept to suit the needs of your next ambitious project! 

Read the Nordic Superblocks Fieldbook here or see this executive summary for an overview of the concept.  

Toni Tuomola

Regional Director, Western Finland

Skanska

Toni.tuomola@skanska.fi

 

Johan Wallin

Managing Partner

Synocus

johan.wallin@synocus.com