Katajanokan Laituri, new building in Helsinki built entirely of solid wood by Anttinen Oiva Architects

Promoting timber construction is one of the key measures to achieve Finland’s ambitious carbon neutrality targets. The Katajanokan Laituri building designed by Anttinen Oiva Architects is the latest example of Finland’s impressive achievements in the field of new-generation large-scale timber architecture.

The building houses the headquarters of Finnish forestry company Stora Enso and the Katajanokka Pier 4 hotel with restaurant and offices in the historic setting of Helsinki’s Market Square. It will soon become a maritime design, art and leisure area that will also include the new Museum of Architecture and Design.

New high point in the historic centre of Finland


Helsinki’s iconic Market Square and its surrounding buildings form one of Finland’s most important historic environments. The area is undergoing a huge transformation as the old harbour functions are partly disappearing and the waterfront is gradually opening up to pedestrians. With the Helsinki Biennial visitors’ pavilion and, later, the New Museum of Architecture and Design, the Kauppatori and Katajanokka area will be the city’s new maritime leisure, art and design area.

The latest addition to the area is its new landmark building: Katajanokan Laituri. Designed by the multi-award winning Anttinen Oiva Architects, the entire building is constructed with solid wood elements. From the beginning of the international competition phase the owner, the insurer Varma, and the main tenant, Stora Enso, emphasised their progressive environmental values and climate objectives with the aim of a long service life, a flexible and adaptable building and an optimal use of renewable resources and materials.

“The aim has been to create a quiet presence in the historic surroundings, but at the same time to have a new interesting environment for Helsinki’s inhabitants and visitors“, says Selina Anttinen, architect and partner at Anttinen Oiva Architects. “With the former Stora Enso headquarters designed by Alvar Aalto, and the iconic buildings of Helsinki’s historic centre designed by Carl Ludvig Engel, this new building forms part of Helsinki’s maritime skyline“. An example of Finnish timber construction of the new generation.

Finland has been actively promoting timber construction since the 1990s, and timber is now one of the key measures in Finland’s ambitious goals to achieve carbon neutrality. Katajanokan Laituri is the latest example of Finnish new-generation timber construction. The four-storey building is constructed from Finnish and Swedish timber and uses pioneering architectural and manufacturing methods combined with traditional, modern and sustainable techniques.

The impressive timber structures and Nordic characteristics were the key starting points for the project. The visible structures are made of cross-laminated timber (CLT) and timber (LVL), from which almost 2,500 timber elements were manufactured. In total, 7600 m3 of timber.

The façade was developed in two layers: the outer layer of glass, metal and natural stone, while the inner layer is dominated by wood. “The double layer was the best solution, given the architecturally and technically challenging maritime context“, explains Anttinen. “The outer protective layer is integrated into the stone environment and is made of glass with vertical sheets of white metal and natural stone. The appearance of the building changes according to the time of day and the light conditions, and adapts to the different scales and motifs of the surrounding buildings from different historical periods“.

Also in the interior of the building, wood is the key material, with a strong sense of Nordic nature.

In the centre of the building, a striking foyer with a round skylight embodies the wooden architecture with a circular wooden bench. In the narrow inner courtyard, visitors are greeted by a cool birch forest. “In Finland we have a long tradition of wooden buildings, but large-scale examples in urban settings are still rare“, says Anttinen. “In Katajanokan Laituri, we had the possibility to work in a demanding context with clients, partners and builders who understood, supported and encouraged not only our design vision, but also our common goals of researching and testing the new type of large-scale timber buildings“.

The Katajanokka pier has been built with the next 100 years in mind. Due to its location by the sea, the building also functions as a flood barrier.

Project: Katajanokan Laituri .
Architecture: Anttinen Oiva Architects.
Location: Helsinki, Finland
ia.
Head Office & lobby: Anttinen Oiva Architects.
Pier 4 hotel: Franz.
Structure: Sweco Rakennetekniikka.
Project management: Haahtela-rakennuttaminen.
Customer: Varma Mutual Pension Insurance Company and Stora Enso, Sokotel.
Fire safety: KK-Palokonsultti.
Landscaping: Nomaji Landscape Architects.
Acoustics: Akukon .
HVAC, EBA, sprinkler, LCA: Granlud Oy.
GEO: Sitowise Oy.
Finished: 2024.
Supericie: 16,400 m2.
Text: Anttinen Oiva Architects.

Anttinen Oiva Architects