Article 10.10.2024
Amerikka’s 20-Year Journey: Adapting and Growing with Market Needs
“Creating a bold concept isn’t necessarily difficult, but making it feasible requires broad expertise. Amerikka’s working model is based on testing hypotheses and active learning,” says Design Director Sami Maukonen.
Reacting to market needs, Amerikka has evolved into a customer-focused design partner. Architects Sami Maukonen and Teemu Nojonen gathered a skilled team, and today the company employs about twenty professionals in design and concept development.
“Our architectural thinking starts from large entities down to small details,” Maukonen continues.
“When working on big concepts, we combine business development with technical building knowledge. We also have practical insight into everyday business operations — for example, how kitchens function,” adds Teemu Nojonen, Amerikka’s Creative Director.
Experience and Research Create Insight
Amerikka deeply understands each project’s entirety, which is why many of their concepts reach implementation. The impact lies in the content and business effect, not the project size.
“Our clients are professionals seeking skilled partners. They usually have clear goals, such as developing the value of their properties. In shopping center development, understanding different target groups and tenant businesses is crucial. City zoning data helps us forecast urban and population growth around the site. Traffic data and entrance measurements allow us to evaluate customer flows,” Maukonen highlights the importance of data.
“We also use customer surveys and consumer research. For workplaces, we’ve studied how to encourage people to return from remote work after the pandemic,” Nojonen reminds.
“We explore motivations in workshops held at workplaces, which often reveal root causes and individual drivers,” Maukonen clarifies.
“Amid all research, data, and tools, it always comes down to people. We want to understand our clients, end-users, and their customers to develop human-centered, approachable solutions,” Nojonen summarizes.
Challenging Times Demand Well-Founded Decisions
Early on, Amerikka’s founders received valuable advice from a close partner: ‘Hire people smarter than yourselves.’ With the growth of expertise and market development, Amerikka has focused on commercial properties — from individual sites to entire districts. Their expertise extends to campus and neighborhood projects as well.
“Converting plans into projects has been more challenging lately. With investments partly on hold and financing difficult, a backlog of future needs has built up,” says CEO Heidi Lilja.
“Horeca and work sectors are also in transition, with changing user expectations and needs. Luckily, our long experience across sectors combined with curiosity helps us tailor solutions to each client,” Lilja continues.
Amerikka’s fields include workplaces & commercial properties, shopping centers & retail, restaurants & hotels, and urban environments. Ultimately, it’s about designing spaces that create vitality and value for tenants and owners. That’s the dream Amerikka lives and breathes!
We are grateful to all clients, partners, and current and former employees who have been part of Amerikka’s journey!
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Does your space need development? Don’t hesitate to reach out—no matter the size of your project, we’ll work together to find the best solution for your specific needs!
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