News

1 August 2022 EG, a leading Nordic software company, announced the closing of the acquisition of the Norwegian company Ørn Software Holding AS, which also includes Rapal Oy. 

In the 2021 season finale of the Smart Workplace Sessions, we met up with Finland's largest bank, OP Financial Group, to learn more about their workplace evolution from office-based working toward a hybrid work model. We discussed the importance of holistic workplace development, experimentation culture, continuous improvement and data driven decision-making within corporate real estate.

A brand-new ecosystem acceleration & recognition program launched in a joint venture by the Nordic PropTech associations of Denmark, Sweden, Norway, & Finland. The jury comprises industry experts from across the Nordic region, who have been selected jointly by the national associations and are altogether nestors with proven track records in real estate, finance, and tech. And here they are: The jury members and competing finalists have officially been announced, at ReCoTech Finland on November 30th.

The Finnish Tax Administration uses the Optimaze Worksense smart office solution as the workplace management system at its five largest locations. The aim is to improve the usage rates of these activity-based workspaces, as well as help employees visualize free workseats and indoor air quality in various parts of the building in real time. Another important objective is to enable decision making with real-time data to provide shared facilities for partner agencies.

Responsible management of real estate assets, while empowering workers to productively create the best possible public services effectively, was at the heart of the 10th webinar in our Smart Workplace Sessions series, when we spoke with Kasper Fabritius, Head of Solution Sales, Sales and Marketing Manager at Senate Properties. As a recap, see the full webinar recording from November 10th, and get closer look at a case study in workplace strategy in the public sector, and at how multi-faceted objectives all tie into a future workplace - based on flexibility and choice.

On October 27th, 2021, we spoke with Antti Tuomela and George Horhota about the sharing economy in the workplace - this time around office spaces, "anywhere working" and other alternate workplace strategies that can improve employee well-being and productivity - as well as the company bottom line. We discussed how to take action towards building more sustainable societies by creating "15-minute cities" through networks of local, accessible and professional workspaces closer to home.

On September 15th, 2021, we spoke to Melanie Jones and Eeva Terävä about the circular economy and what that means in terms of furniture, for creating and maintaining proper work settings in a sustainable, resilient and economically smart way. The concept of Furniture-as-a-Service (FaaS) is changing the way we think about owning resources, and keeping the workplace relevant for the ever changing needs of organizations.

Kate Lister of Global Workplace Analytics, was the guest speaker in the seventh session of a series of workplace talks, where industry experts discuss the benefits that flexible work and smarter solutions can provide to employers, employees, the environment and society in general. Formulating the business case of providing more choice and flexibility to employees of where, when and how they perform their work - is one of the first steps in creating a sustainable, strategic change. Kate makes a compelling, data-based case - now available as a recording for recap and review.

Ørn Software, has on June 25th 2021 signed an agreement with the owners of Rapal Oy, to acquire the entire stock of the Finnish company. The acquisition is a first step for Ørn Software into Finland, and strengthens Rapal’s position in the Nordic market for SaaS-based solutions. 

The 2021 Spring-term of the Smart Workplace Sessions webinars saw its sixth interview on Wednesday, June 16th, before going on a summer break. In this session, we spoke with psychotherapist and inventor Marco Kärkkäinen of Neurosonic about how workplaces can support employees to restore their energy reserves, pace themselves and monitor their own wellbeing. The series will continue again in the Autumn, with more powerful and compact talks with experts of the real estate, facility and workplace management industry.

On May 26th, a large international audience listened in on a discussion with Industry Professor Piia Sormunen and Docent Suvi Nenonen from Tampere University, who have been heading a new multidisciplinary pre-study research "License to Breathe", on how to mitigate spread of pathogens like Covid-19 in indoor air. 

Innovative solutions and new ways to arrange workplaces are in higher demand than ever before, as organizations prepare a safe and return to offices. Health and wellbeing, and the use of real-time data is now getting more attention - in order to ensure and communicate physical and psychological safety to employees. At the same time, the emerging hybrid way of working sets new demands on both spaces and digital tools, and new expectations on FM.

More than 200 people signed up for the third part in the newly launched "Smart Workplace Sessions" series of webinars, making the new series an instant hit with nearly 700 registered viewers from over 40 countries. As new workplace strategies and discussions around the future of work and the office have accelerated all over the world, Optimaze had the pleasure, on March 31st, 2021, to host the seasoned workplace strategist Karin Ståhl of GoToWork, who shared her vast experience with the audience. 

Dr Peggie Rothe from the workplace analytics firm Leesman joined us on February 17th 2021 for a talk for the second session in our new series of workplace talks. In this session, we discussed what role smart technologies play in making the employee experience better, whether working from home, at the office or somewhere in between.

What are Smart Office Solutions? In the introductory segment of our webinar series Smart Workplace Sessions on February 3, 2021, we discussed how space and workplace software solutions help firms manage their space more efficiently and improve their employees’ workplace experience, while making a positive impact on the environment and society.

Smart Workplace Sessions is a new webinar series, with powerful and compact talks with experts of the real estate, facility and workplace management industry. The spring-term of 2021 will comprise of at least 6 parts, and will continue from there in the autumn. The series is made possible through cooperation with smart office solution provider Optimaze, together with its global and local partners.

The Finnish Tax Administration has selected Optimaze Worksense, the smart office solution by Rapal, as their space management solution for their largest office locations. The system is used for visualizing space use and indoor air quality in real-time, while enabling a more efficient utilization of existing activity-based office spaces.

In the Optimaze Workplace Review 2020 webinar, our workplace experts will walk you through the latest global workplace performance data and how current trends have an impact on office space use. Join the discussion, book your place now at of our webinars on March 31 - or at the Finnish or Swedish webinars on March 30 and April 1, respectively. Webinars have the same content, choose the time and language most convenient for you.

Rapal Oy's Built Environment Economics Student Fund offers a 2000 euro scholarship for Aalto University students of technology. The fund enables Rapal to contribute to the development and growth of the field of built environment economics.

Office users around the world must take drastic action if the buildings and construction sector is to reduce its carbon footprint in keeping with international agreements. It is high time to help office occupiers towards flexible ways of working and towards an efficient zero-space-waste, zero-emission target. A new global workplace study of some 1800 workplaces finds that offices are half-empty even during the busiest work hours, creating a wasteful supply chain with gigantic negative implications.

Rapal and Posti have joined forces to offer municipalities a service that calculates debt related to maintenance of transportation routes, based on real-time, comprehensive data on surface damage to streets and roads. As a result of this cooperation, decision makers in municipalities have easy access to up-to-date information on the condition of the road network, and of future needs for maintenance and financing.

Rapal Oy's Optimaze space management system has been selected by the Counties’ Service Centre for Facilities and Real Estate Management to help manage the real estate needs of Finland's 18 counties. When Finland's reform of social and health care services comes info effect, the Centre will be the largest single facility management organization in Finland.

In the 2019 Optimaze Workplace Review webinar, our workplace experts will walk you through the latest global workplace performance data and how current trends have an impact on office space use. Join the discussion, book your place now at of our webinars on March 4 or March 5. Webinars have the same content, choose time most convenient for you.

In 2015, the Real Estate Center of the City of Vantaa invited companies to tender for the data system with the objective of truly developing its real estate management processes. The comprehensive system ensemble, based on Optimaze software, has been implemented within the target schedule and its first benefits can now be quantified.

Join our webinar and be the first to review and discuss the latest global workplace performance data. Optimaze Workplace Review is based on hundreds of global space utilization measurements.

Over the past several months, our workplace team has been working hard at compiling space utilization and survey data for our yearly benchmark report, to provide readers like yourself with some useful workplace insights. The findings are detailed in a report just released entitled “Optimaze Workplace Review – insights from 2016”

According to the Great Place to Work survey, our strengths are our good team spirit and pride in what we do. Flexible work and trust shown by members of the management were also often present in employee opinions.

On 24th of May, 2016, the “Smart office” Salon organized by Progetto CMR and Rapal was held successfully in Beijing Italian center, in which nearly 30 experts and company representatives of relevant fields have attended.

In 2015, Rapal conducts a study on workplace efficiency in Finland. The study consists of employee surveys and walkthrough measurements conducted in both private companies and governmental organizations. The study results will be available by the end of the year.

In the Great Place to Work 2015 survey, Rapal’s strengths were considered to be management trust, great team spirit, and the friendly atmosphere of the workplace.

Rapal aims at exporting the Optimaze.net software to the Chinese market in co-operation with Glodon, the leading AEC IT company in China.

According to a survey carried out by Rapal in the summer of 2014, most office space in Finland is wasted space as its average utilization rate is only approximately 40 per cent. The results of the campaign were consistent with international studies on space efficiency, indicating that approximately one half of the office space is underutilized.

Optimaze Inc., a subsidiary of Rapal, a Finnish market leader in integrated workplace management systems software, today announced the appointment of Geary Lauraya as Senior Sales Manager reporting to CEO Jyrki Kalavainen.

Optimaze Inc., a subsidiary of Rapal, a Finnish market leader in integrated workplace management systems software, today announced the appointment of John Vasellina as Product Manager, Workplace Development Solutions.

In this year’s traditional Kilometrikisa of cycling, Rapal supports the construction of the new children’s hospital in Helsinki.

In the Great Place to Work survey, Rapal’s strengths were considered to be good team spirit as well as the equality and justice of the work community.

People that are ahead of the majority in adopting and developing innovations in flexible and collaborative work, were invited to a workshop organized by Rapal Oy.

The Optimaze software has been complemented with a large move management tool that enables effortless move planning and management.

The new version release of Optimaze.net Scenario software was developed to respond to the needs of strategic facilities management.

Significant new developments are coming to Optimaze.net Scenario during 2013. The free beta period will end on 30 June 2013, after which Scenario will be available as a free-standing part of the Optimaze product family.

On March 15, 2013, Rapal acquired the intellectual property rights of the Pattern Book created by Co3 Group, a U.S.-based company specialized in work environment development.

The Great Place to Work Institute Finland researches and recognizes the country’s best workplaces each year. This year the list of Finland’s best workplaces was published on February 15th, and Rapal was placed 21st.

The New Ways of Working Network (NewWOW) has announced a new corporate sponsor: Optimaze, a service developed by Rapal, a Finnish company that specializes in work environments that are economically, socially and environmentally sustainable.

Rapal Oy and Co3 Group are cooperating to strengthen their relationship by an acquisition. Rapal aims to acquire Co3 Group during the first quarter of 2013. After the acquisition Co3 Group’s partners will become employees of Rapal’s American subsidiary.

A beta version of Optimaze Scenario has been published. Optimaze Scenario allows you to plan ideal premises for your organization while minimizing costs.

The Green Building Council Finland was established 19th of March 2010. FIGBC is a non-profit organization aimed at promoting sustainable construction – i.e. construction activities that are cost-effective and environmentally-friendly. FIGBC will take part in developing and initializing the procedures, tools and classification systems for sustainable development.

RSA –board has granted Rapal Oy a quality system certificate December 12^th 2009. RSA –quality system is produced by RALA (a registered association for building quality) and is both widely recognized and known quality system evaluation and approval procedure.