Aki Hyrkkönen buys former Hatanpään Kartano laundromat for €735,900

Aki Hyrkkönen has won the online auction for the old laundromat at Hatanpään Kartano, paying €735,900 in August.

Tampere's housing and real estate committee approved the sale to his family company, Kiinteistö Oy Pihkanokka, on Thursday, but the decision is not yet legally final.

Hyrkkönen says the protected building could house a sauna, café, event and meeting spaces or even small concerts. The lot’s zoning allows commercial, service, production and hobby uses; housing is limited to 45 percent of the 890-square-metre total area. He said the project will rely on outside operators rather than being run by his company.

He bought the site after a heated online auction that saw the price jump from €100,000 to €735,900 during the final hour, with 325 bids in total. The sale followed the auction that pushed the price to €735,900 after 325 bids and earlier reporting that the city's housing and property committee would decide on the transfer. He told Tamperelainen he had prepared with two machines and a backup internet connection and had pre-set a maximum bid. The buyer already owns several nearby properties, and while city-level appeals are possible because the seller is the municipality, Hyrkkönen said any delays would only postpone renovations and the aim is to put the spaces to use promptly.