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.

A scheme of this scale and ambition requires bold collaborative vision. Katajanokan Laituri was spearheaded by the investors, Varma in partnership with award-winning Anttinen Oiva Architects and Stora Enso.

The landscaper is now Finland's largest mass timber building and home to Stora Enso's new head office and Solo Soko's Pier 4 Hotel.

Architectural vision

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

The sense of wonder and awe Katajanokan Laituri evokes needs to be experienced in person to fully appreciate the acoustics, touch, resinous smell of natural wood and biophilic effects. After only a few moments of being inside the building, visitors start to 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.

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 you in Nordic light are supported entirely by wooden 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 and encourages. 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 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. That climate heating gas is now stored in the building itself as carbon for at least the next 100 years. This is impressive, particularly when we consider that this is the same amount of emissions the building will produce through operational activities like heating and cooling the space over the next 50 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 reality 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 and do develop utterly unique and complex structures from a prefabricated and standardized kit of parts and achieve outstanding, first-time-right results.

Learn more about the advantages of mass timber construction

Awards 
Katajanokan Laituri - Tekla BIM Awards Suomi 2024