Scheduled to be completed by the summer of 2024, Stora Enso’s new head office in Helsinki is being constructed of massive wood.
Stora Enso’s new head office, named Katajanokan Laituri, will be completed by the summer of next year. The new wooden building is situated in the Katajanokka area in Helsinki, familiar to passengers of cruise ships. The building owner is the Finnish pensions company Varma.
Katajanokan Laituri embodies at least the following five ideas:
1. Building made of wood
Stora Enso’s new head office will mainly be constructed of massive-wood elements. The column-and-beam frame and the load-bearing components of the facade will be of laminated veneer lumber (LVL).
The load-bearing structures of the bracing internal walls, elevator shafts, staircase openings, stairs, as well as intermediate floors and roof ceilings, will be made of cross-laminated timber (CLT). The facade will be made of glass.
“The wooden structures are a key element of the building’s architecture and its identity. A corresponding wooden frame doesn’t exist anywhere else in the world. Katajanokan Laituri is an important landmark and forerunner for the range of possibilities of timber construction in urban environments. Through unique projects like this we can strengthen our customer offering as well as our leading position within renewable construction materials,” says Antto Kauhanen, Development Manager at Stora Enso, in the company’s media release.
2. Top-of-the-line architecture for all to see
The Stora Enso head office is being constructed in Katajanokka, next to one of the terminals of Finland’s busiest passenger harbour. The South Harbour annually manages over six million passengers to Tallinn and Stockholm, in addition to cruise ships.
Travellers interested in architecture will be able to view a masterpiece of Finnish wood construction. The new head office will be accessible to company employees, but the building will also house a hotel as well as restaurant and conference facilities.
Travellers interested in architecture will be able to view a masterpiece of Finnish wood construction. The new head office will be accessible to company employees, but the building will also house a hotel as well as restaurant and conference facilities.
3. Wood makes a carbon storage
The construction project is designed to minimize the building’s climate impact throughout its life cycle. The wooden frame will incorporate 7,600 cubic metres of massive wood. Of this, about 6,000 cubic meters consist of cross-laminated timber (CLT) and 1,600 cubic metres of laminated veneer lumber (LVL).
Through its life cycle, the building will sequester up to 5,865 metric tons of carbon dioxide, which would otherwise contribute to global warming. According to Stora Enso, this corresponds to the average annual emissions of about 3,500 passenger cars in Finland. The minimum planned life cycle of the head office is one hundred years.
4. Less use of concrete
The use of massive wood reduces the need for high-emission materials, such as steel and concrete. According to Stora Enso, every cubic metre of wood that replaces non-renewable materials, brings an average reduction of 1.5 tons of carbon dioxide emissions. In wood construction, the emissions may be decreased by up to 70 percent.
5. Speed in construction
Stora Enso has developed a massive-wood construction kit, consisting of made-to-measure prefabricated construction elements. The elements arrive on site just on time, which speeds up the construction, reduces cost, and improves the use of raw material. Ready to use, the elements are safer to install, and there will be less waste, dust and noise on site.
