Spektri Business Park, managed by Trevian Asset Management, has been the headquarters of the Finnish technology company Dispelix since 2019. As the company’s need for space has grown, Spektri has adapted to the need: over the years, Dispelix has expanded its premises within Spektri four times. The essential requirements for the choice of premises have been flexibility, good transport connections, and a location that enables close university cooperation along with workspace solutions that support the sense of community.

Dispelix is a VTT spin-off founded by three research scientists in 2015. It develops waveguides, transparent glass display components similar to eyeglass lenses, for AR (augmented reality) devices. With the help of waveguides, the virtual information content is brought into the user’s field of vision for the user to see the virtual content simultaneously with the surrounding reality. Dispelix wants to enable the natural integration of virtual content into the real world through its innovation, with devices not too different from ordinary glasses. The image transmitted to the field of vision through the display component is formed in a micro-projector the size of a sugar cube placed in the temple of the smart glasses.

Dispelix has moved to Spektri in the early stages of the company’s operations and, with growth, expanded its premises within the same business park. The company’s number of employees has multiplied over the past few years: four years ago, the company had approximately 25 employees; today, the number has increased to 140, of which up to 60 were recruited during 2022. Dispelix started its Spektri era in the Duo building, moving to Kvartti in 2019. The office in Kvartti has already been expanded four times in 2021, 2022, and 2023. Currently, the company occupies an entire floor. Although Dispelix has offices in China and the United States, growth has been focused on Finland, with Espoo and Joensuu serving as the company’s operational bases.

– A considerable increase in the personnel count required fast flexibility from the offices. Expansion requirements were not limited to enlarging the number of workstations only, but it was important to maintain a sense of community and to create a working environment that enables constructive discussion, a feeling of comfort, and employees’ well-being, says Dispelix’s HR Business Partner Nina Nystén-Forth.

An office expansion was essential for Dispelix with the growth of headcount. Spektri’s location in the proximity of the Otaniemi campus area is significant for the operations: Dispelix actively uses the cleanrooms of Micronova, located in Otaniemi, in its research and product development work. Micronova is Finland’s national research infrastructure in micro- and nanotechnology, jointly owned by VTT and Aalto University. Cooperation with the University is important for Dispelix, hence the company’s second location in Joensuu is also close to the local university.

Apart from Otaniemi, Dispelix conducts laboratory work on quality control in its premises in Spektri. Part of the office has been converted into suitable laboratory space. The additional technical requirements implemented by Spektri have been, for example, the customization of access control to meet each employee’s individual access needs in different parts of the company’s premises.

Office Manager Maria Oreshenkova has been responsible for the company’s office expansions in Kvartti in 2022 and 2023. The expansion work arranged by Spektri was carried out considerately of the tenant’s business operations and left them undisrupted, which is one of the fundamental principles of the Spektri Business Park.

– Modifications were carried out piece by piece, also during non-active office hours, enabling the business to continue as usual. Everything was considered. The merging of previously separate premises was excellent – the whole space was created to promote a sense of community. Connecting the kitchens and creating a unified living area has increased laughter and interaction and the silent exchange of information at the workplace, Oreshenkova describes.

Dispelix’s premises consist of open spaces with 10–12 workstations, group workspaces for 2–6 people, and areas dedicated to quiet use. In addition, the company has a game and an activity room, where one can find exercise balls, wall bars, and a PlayStation for active breaks or relaxed gatherings. The facilities also include two terraces with a grill, where employees can spend time together and, for example, have team celebrations.

What concerns Spektri’s common spaces, Dispelix uses larger meeting rooms and the auditorium for internal events and external presentations. The company’s employees also diligently use the gym, yoga studio, and Spektri’s two lunch restaurants. Functional transport connections, a lockable bike park, and charging stations for electric cars also support the staff’s needs.

– Accessibility is the biggest strength of Spektri’s location: public transport can be used regardless of the direction of arrival, and at the same time, there is enough parking space. All in all, the cooperation with Spektri has been positive, flexible, and effortless – we have been able to take more space into use from Spektri as our company’s headcount has grown and the need for additional space has arisen, says Dispelix’s Head of Marketing Heini Haartti-Mäkinen.

---

Trevian Asset Management is a Finnish real estate investment and asset management company focused on commercial and residential real estate, owned by its key personnel. We offer full-service asset management and structured investment services throughout the whole investment lifecycle. The services are focused especially for institutional real estate investors, banks, and other professional investors. Trevian’s assets under management is 1.2B€. www.trevian.fi/en

Interested in Spektri as your office location? Browse Spektri’s vacant spaces here.