Eteläespa 18

Our design focused on modernizing the 8-storey commercial building, originally completed in 1936 by J.S. Siren, while preserving its historical significance within a culturally and historically significant site on the park streets of Esplanadi boulevard. In collaboration with the Helsinki City Museum, the city planning department and the building control authority, we carefully considered the history of the building, conducting a colour study for the stairwells and restoring the original street-facing windows and terrazzo-rendered facades.

We completely renewed the building systems and constructed a new HVAC machine room on the roof to be compliant with current regulations and allow heat recovery. The building’s original adaptability allowed us to design modern spaces tailored to tenants’ needs and ensure the ease of future modifications. We updated all WC facilities and created new social spaces in the basement, break kitchen areas on each floor, a staff restaurant and a small cafe. Floors 1–6 were connected by a suspended open staircase made of glass and steel, which forms a dramatic visual focal point for the bank occupying these floors.