Social Mobility

Contemplating life after the IMD business school in Switzerland in 2007, Stéphane Doutriaux realised that his classmates were a valuable networking resource, but while many of them were slaves to Facebook, LinkedIn.com or MySpace, he recognised that most business and social connections still occur in the real world. However, sharing a digital file can be fraught: you might whip out an iPhone; your potential client may be carrying a BlackBerry. What Doutriaux wanted was a sort of digital business card that could be touched against another to swap contact information over radio-frequency identification (RFID). “I searched the web for existing products and found nothing, only bits and pieces of solutions that were, too techie, not commercially viable,” says Doutriaux.

So Doutriaux tapped Elmar Mock, the inventor of the Swatch, to design what would become the Poken, which as well as being a data swapper, doubles as a USB stick. Doutriaux, 33, now has 23 employees and offices in Lausanne, Switzerland, and San Francisco. There are two Poken models: the original is like a trade-show tchotchke, which comes in a wide array of colors and styles. The successor, the Poken Pulse, is more business-oriented but still eye-catching. They both cost around $20 (€13). Fans include well-regarded blogger Robert Scoble — who calls it a “social object” — and Michael Gartenberg, a noted tech analyst. “Poken is an interesting concept that takes social networking to the next level,” says Gartenberg. Some people are skeptical. “If everyone had a Poken, it would be great,” says Josh Bernoff , an analyst at Forrester Research. “Trade shows are a great environment but it’s going to have a rough time catching on.”

Interestingly, the idea for a digital business card has failed to catch on with other start-ups. A few iPhone apps, such as Bump (www.bumptechnologies.com), do exist, but smartphone makers have not figured out how to exchange cross-platform data. They are as siloed as a Windows and Mac computer, with loyalists in each camp. Then there is the MingleStick (mingle360.com) popular at trade shows. The main differentiator with Poken, though, is once you swap contact info, you can use the device later on your computer to see the contact database and “friend” your contacts. Doutriaux says there is potential for trend analysis — who did you meet, where, and what leads were generated. He envisions a hub or dome device where trade show attendees, restaurant visitors, or the mass public can quickly tap a Poken to register or even to sign up for events.

Green Sea Thinking

Climate change is rapidly becoming the number one topic of conversation in many business and shipping is no different. All of the world's shipping lines are under increasing pressure to introduce ‘greener’ ships and Japanese carrier NYK Lines has revealed its own concepts for a low-emission container freight vessel that the company states it wishes to have in service by 2030. The NYK Super Eco Ship 2030, which is being designed in cooperation with the Monohakobi Technology Institute, Finnish marine consultant Elomatic and ship designer Garroni Progetti of Italy, will produce 70% less CO2 emissions than current vessels, NYK says, thanks to some very innovative design. The vessel will be powered by liquified natural gas fuel cells, which produce 30% less CO2 than comparable marine diesels, while the 2030 will also have 31,000m2 of solar panels plus retractable sails. The design also features a bow-mounted bubble projector to reduce friction as the ship moves through the water and it is proposed that the vessel will actually break into segments in port so as to facilitate freight handling and thus aid efficiency. NYK states that its fleet will produce zero emissions by 2050.

Jätkäsaari, Helsinki

Once a cargo port, this windy corner is now reinventing itself to become the Finnish capital’s hippest destination. Scott Berman reports

Trust Madonna to visit a country for the first time and be seen in the most happening place. When the Material Girl drew 85,000 fans to an open-air concert at Jätkäsaari last August — her first ever visit to Finland — she also drew intense attention to a spot that might become Helsinki’s most buzzing district.

Jätkäsaari, which translates as Logger Island, figures highly in ambitious city plans for this increasingly metropolitan Baltic hub. Just to the south-west of Helsinki’s inner city, the 86ha site (a further 14ha will be reclaimed) was freed up when Helsinki moved its cargo port from Jätkäsaari’s Western Harbour to Vuosaari, a few kilometres to the north-east, in November 2008. On the drawing board for the area surrounding Jätkäsaari’s ferry and cruise terminal are high-density, energy-efficient apartments for 14,500 eventual inhabitants, office space for 6,000, retail units, street cafés, a park with ocean views, and public beaches and promenades — all served by three tram lines. Officials now envision at least 600,000m² of residential floor space and another 300,000m² for workplaces. Car parking will be underground, and public transport encouraged throughout. Kirsi Rantama, an architect on the city’s project team, says the first construction, on a student housing complex, will begin in March.

Low-rise residential buildings, mostly five to seven storeys, and with some enclosed courtyards to block winds, fill out the plan. A few landmarks are envisaged: two high-rises, about 16 storeys, for hotels, offices or housing; a shopping centre; and a 40,000m² sports arena built from a renovated port warehouse. Various approvals are still pending, but add in the neighbourhood’s maritime terminal and its increasing traffic — plus plenty of students, residents, and visitors — and Jätkäsaari is anticipating a massive investment windfall.

The city has budgeted €470m to develop the district’s infrastructure through to its expected completion in about 2023, according to city project manager Timo Laitinen. He estimates that private investments will eventually be roughly six to seven times that amount. In an arrangement typical for Helsinki, the city will retain ownership of most of the land, 60%—70% in this case, and lease its use to developers, Laitinen explains. Some big players have become involved: Skanska has a €10m contract to build a 143m bridge that will link Helsinki’s Ruoholahti quarter with Jäkäsaari; and Marriott has an option on a plot, according to Laitinen, who is hopeful that things could be finalised with the hotel chain in 2010.

All this is just as well, as the area is just one of at least six new districts being planned in the city. Construction at nearby Kalasatama, slated to start within months, will bulldoze power station property to make way for flats and offices. Across the bay to the east, Kruunuvuorenranta, a marina residential area, is set to start in 2010. Additionally, city planners are neck-deep in planning Hernesaari, another waterfront residential site next to Jätäsaari.

While the Jätkäsaari project is exciting, the makeover project revisits challenges faced by another transformed district, Arabianranta, now almost completed after a decade. Here initial construction costs were high because pollutants from a large ceramics factory had to be removed from the soft, marshy ground. Much of the ground at Jätkäsaari, which was greatly expanded with landfills about a century ago, will have to be similarly fortified, according to the city officials; workers are already moving some contaminated soil, Rantama says. She reports that most of that soil will be isolated beneath a green belt that will wind its way through Jätkäsaari.

All these developments make sense in terms of strategic land use, says Hannu Penttilä, Helsinki’s deputy mayor for city planning and real estate. He says Helsinki officials aim to develop existing areas in or near the core, and Jätkäsaari’s prime waterfront location fits right into the broad scheme. Laitinen agrees that this particular spot, especially because of its proximity to the centre, is generating a lot of attention. City officials expect that interest to intensify, and this time it won’t take a Madonna appearance to make it happen.