Welcome to Katajanokan Laituri, the landmark urban redevelopment significantly contributing to Helsinki's net zero future. Sensitively regenerating the historic marine area, the placemaking development provides Finland's capital with new biophilic amenities, including a hotel, event space, open-plan offices, restaurants, cafés, and a rooftop terrace for everyone to enjoy for generations to come.

This is Finland's largest mass timber building and home to Stora Enso's new head office and Solo Sokos Hotel Pier 4. A scheme of this scale and ambition requires bold collaborative vision. Katajanokan Laituri was spearheaded by the investor Varma in partnership with Anttinen Oiva Architects and Stora Enso.

From the outset, there was a commitment to inspire wellbeing and let only resource-efficient methods and materials inform the design. Adapting to the marine climate and accounting for inevitable rising sea levels, the end result is and astounding landscraper in both its visual appeal and engineering.

The sense of wonder and awe Katajanokan Laituri evokes is best experienced in person to fully appreciate the acoustics, sensory touch, and resinous smell of natural wood. After only a few moments of being inside the building, visitors remark on the sense of calm and wellness all around them. The space is nothing short of a modern day tribute to Finland's finest artisans and craftspeople and an ode to what is possible when there is an unwavering commitment to climate-aligned design.

Read more about the architectural design

Low-carbon materials

The structural frame consists of over 7,600 cubic meters (m³) of wood, prefabricated into over 2,000 bespoke load-bearing elements. Each individual piece was manufactured with millimeter precision and delivered as a kit of parts - Sylva™ by Stora Enso.

Even the window fixtures are wooden. The 700 wrap-around windows offering never-seen-before views of Helsinki that bathe occupants in Nordic light are supported entirely by engineered wood components-Effex® Dura.

The structural supports were further processed by specialist, Finnish carpenters, Punkaharjun Puutaito Oy (PPT). Stora Enso manufactured the LVL at their mill in Varkaus and then delivered them to PPT, who cut them to shape and block-glued them to their final dimensions before sanding and treating them with UV and moisture protection for long-term durability.

As you enter the building, you are intuitively invited to rest on a signature circular seating area that encapsulates the concept of the infinite potential of renewable materials. The bench is made entirely from laminated veneer lumber (LVL). As your eyes naturally gaze upwards into the curved central core of the building, you will find yourself immediately reaching for your camera to capture the incredible sculptured curvatures of the cross-laminated timber (CLT). Both of these features were crafted by Finnish timber specialists, Raision Puusepät Oy.

Learn more about the well-being benefits of wooden buildings

Environmental impact

The wood for the structure originated in sustainably managed Nordic forests that use third-party traceability certifications.

While the trees were growing they are estimated to have removed 6,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide (CO₂) from the atmosphere which is now stored in the building itself as carbon for at least the next 100 years. The trees that were harvested to build Katajanokan Laituri have since been replanted and are already growing back in sustainably managed forests across Finland and Sweden.

Learn more about biodiversity management in our forests

Circular design

Given the building is designed to last until at least 2125, it's predictable that its use could change over time. Taking this into consideration, a circular design approach based on a mixed-use concept means that should the hotel or offices need to be converted for another commercial use this option will be available to the owners and will avoid any unnecessary climate-damaging demolition.

Learn more about circular design concepts

Building at scale first-right-time and on-time

From the ground to the finish, including the façade, everything was completed in just seven months and perfectly on schedule. The timber framing started in March 2023 and rooftop height was reached in October 2023. The entire frame schedule was accurate within two days.

The kit of parts was delivered using 171 just-in-time deliveries, which greatly reduced the need for on-site labour and storage and shortened the window of time for the investors to start actualizing their return on investment.

This level of accuracy and speed demonstrates that building with mass timber is a not only a viable alternative to steel and concrete, it's also now one of the best architectural examples in the world that those new to building with mass timber can develop utterly unique and complex structures from a prefabricated and standardized kit of parts and achieve outstanding, first-time-right results.

PUBLICATIONS

Explore how LCA-led design, carbon counting, and rapid on-site assembly shaped this landmark project.

Hear directly from the architects and developers behind the vision. Download the in-depth case study 

AWARDS:

Finlandia Prize for Architecture 2025 Finalist for Finland's most prestigious architectural award. Winner to be announced on October 6, 2025

International Award for Wood Architecture 2025 Recognized globally for excellence in wood architecture

Wood Award 2024 - PuuInfo, Finland Winner for outstanding use of wood in Finnish architecture

RIL Award 2024 Awarded by the Finnish Association of Civil Engineers for engineering excellence

Tekla BIM Awards Suomi 2024 Winner of the Public Vote and received an Honorary Mention for exceptional BIM modeling and collaboration