The main tenants of the building are Stora Enso and S Group’s Solo Sokos Hotel Pier 4 hotel. The ground floor of the building will also house other functions – restaurants, cafés, congress rooms and other services.
"Our goal has been to build a high-quality commercial building in Katajanokka, one of Helsinki's most prominent areas in terms of cityscape and landscape, that also fulfils the principles of sustainable construction in accordance with Varma's environmental values. We are delighted that we have been able to carry out this unique construction project in a good cooperation together with our partners, and that our long-term tenants can now move into the new premises," says Sampsa Ratia, Investment Director responsible for real estate and infrastructure investments at Varma.
The office space has approximately 16,000 square metres of leasable space, and it was designed by Anttinen Oiva Architects Oy, which became the winner of the architectural competition. The main implementer of the project and the party responsible for project management was Haahtela.
The vicinity of the Market Square is developing into a hub of design and art
Katajanokan Laituri is a masterpiece of Finnish wood construction and an exceptional wooden building due to its size and location. The above-ground part of the building is predominantly made of wood.
The building is located in Helsinki's significant historical environment, near the historic city centre designed by C.L. Engel and as part of Helsinki's maritime national landscape. The waterfront area near the Market Square is developing into a new kind of hub of art and design for the use of city residents and tourists – a new architecture and design museum will be built on the other side of the bay in the future as part of the renewal of Makasiiniranta.
Varma is one of Finland's largest real estate investors with a real estate investment portfolio of EUR 5.6 billion.
"The wooden commercial building fits well with our investment portfolio, strategy and environmental values. It is great that we have been able to implement such a significant project for Varma," Ratia says.