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Architects: JKMM Architects
- Area: 130000 m²
- Year: 2015
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Manufacturers: Wallenium OÜ
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Interior Design: JKMM Architects, Paula Salonen, Viivi Laine, Tiina Rytkönen, Elina Niemi
Text description provided by the architects. Erratic Boulders
The construction of new builds to replace the buildings along Teollisuuskatu as well as the northern corner house on the Päijänteentie side constitutes the most extensive change to the cityscape around the quarter. As these new buildings closely match their predecessors in height, the scale of the quarter has remained unchanged. The quarter will be completed in 2017, when new buildings are set to rise on the eastern corner of Teollisuuskatu.
The interaction between the inside and outside of the large quarter was at the heart of the architectural concept: The inside should be visible to outside observers, thus creating vistas of openness and transparency. In turn, those inside require visual contact with the outside world. This vision was brought to life through tall openings designed between the building materials, which punctuate the long façades and open up a view of the inside.
The design process has aimed to eschew rectangular designs in favour of a strong and memorable visual identity: the sculptural, massive quality of the new buildings recalls the imposing solidity of erratic boulders. The presence of the latter as an architectonic and design theme carries connotations of durability, permanence and Finnishness.
The Premises
The “gallery”, a circular indoor path under a glazed roof, serves as the quarter’s hub, connecting various functional units and providing a meeting space. When considered vertically, three discrete functional zones emerge: the basements (parking, machine rooms, storage rooms and maintenance facilities), the ground level (foyers, restaurants, conference centre, welfare services) and the upper levels (offices).
The design of the premises takes its cues from a new work environment concept, in which solutions seek to enable various modes of working, from quiet concentration to active interaction and teamwork. The themes of openness, flexibility and functional communality take centre stage in the new multi-space work environment.
The Materials
The frame of the new buildings consists mainly of concrete, but steel has also played a large role in the realisation of a diversity of structures. Interior surfaces and furniture feature natural materials, stone and wood.
With the inner city’s stone buildings and urban environments in mind, the façades’ surface materials have been chosen to emanate durability and permanence. The new buildings’ façades are mainly plaster, Finnish granite and glass.
