Unique wooden building opened in Helsinki for millions of tourists – Positive reaction froam architectural critic
The wooden building, named Katajanokan Laituri, was opened in a marine area frequented by tourists in Helsinki. The daily Helsingin Sanomat published an appraisal of the building.
The new Katajanokan Laituri [Katajanokka Quay] is one of the largest wood-framed buildings in Downtown Helsinki. Architectural critic Mika Savela expressed relief in his appraisal of the building, published in Finland’s largest daily, the Helsingin Sanomat.
Laituri, opened for the public in late August, is appraised by Savela as part of the built-up marine environment of Helsinki. He compares the building with Stora Enso’s previous head office, designed of white marble by the world-renowned Finnish architect Alvar Aalto (1898–1976) and nicknamed ’The Sugar Cube’.
’It is actually a relief to be able to say that Katajanokan Laituri complements the city’s main facade without fuss or ostentation,’ writes Mika Savela, architect and Doctor of Philosophy, in the Helsingin Sanomat.
Hotel and restaurants included
Constructed at a pivotal point for tourism in Helsinki, Laituri houses both a hotel, a restaurant, a bar and a café, all open to the public. The principal tenant of the building is the forest company Stora Enso, while the owner is the pension insurance company Varma.
The wooden frame of the building contains 7,600 cubic metres of massive wood, mainly Nordic spruce. The wooden elements are used in place of emissions-heavy steel and concrete and were manufactured by Stora Enso.
The column-and-beam frame and the load-bearing facade structure are made of laminated veneer lumber (LVL). The load-bearing structures in shear walls, lift shafts and staircases, and in the intermediate floors and ceilings are made of cross-laminated timber (CLT).
A corresponding wooden frame in a building is not found anywhere else in the world.
Savela writes that wood is visible in the building interiors ’in both structural elements and finished surfaces: at times, rough and industrial, at others smooth to the touch.’
’Such varied use of wood in a city centre or in public spaces may not be very familiar to us as yet, but it is surprisingly easy to get used to,’ Savela continues.
Massive wood from Stora Enso
The industrial massive wood products by Stora Enso are present everywhere in the building, Savela notes.
’CLT can be seen in load-bearing walls and in stairways, for example. LVL, produced in Varkaus, is used especially for columns and the facade. The well-defined, large daylight openings bring spatial variation to the multi-purpose office facilities and afford plenty of natural light. As I hear, the acoustics of the wooden building also please many of those working there,’ Savela writes in the Helsingin Sanomat.
The Stora Enso Laituri is located in Katajanokka, part of Helsinki’s South Harbour, which is Finland’s largest passenger port. Each year, over six million passengers to and from Stockholm and Tallinn pass through the harbour, which is also visited by cruise ships.
According to Savela, Laituri is one of the largest completely wood-framed buildings in Downtown Helsinki. The only one on the same scale is the Wood City block in Jätkäsaari, close to the West Harbour and its sizeable passenger flows. The Wood City is home to the video game company Supercell and the cyber security company WithSecure.
Throughout its life span, the Laituri building will store as much as 5.865 tonnes of carbon dioxide, which would otherwise contribute to global warming. According to Stora Enso, the figure corresponds to the average annual emissions of about 3,500 passenger cars in Finland. The projected minimum life span of the head office building is one hundred years.
Read more: One of a kind: head office made of wood — 5 ideas
