Varma is building Finland’s tallest office building in Helsinki – the 32-floor office building will launch the development of a tower area in central Pasila

The impressive office building, which will alter Pasila’s skyline, will feature 32 floors and reach a height of 130 metres. The new building will house more than 3,000 office workstations.

Upon completion, the building will be Finland’s tallest office building.

“There is a demand for modern office premises. Companies value high-quality premises that offer the best conditions for work. A distinctive feature is the panoramic view that opens up southward over Helsinki’s old city centre all the way to the sea. We are thrilled to be starting a major construction project in the current situation,” says Ville Häyrinen, Construction Manager at Varma.

Elisa as the anchor tenant

Elisa will be the anchor tenant. The name of the building – The Node – is a refence to Pasila as a traffic node, but also to Elisa’s business: in telecommunications, a node is a junction or unit in a network.

“We want to offer Elisa’s team and partners an inspiring work environment that supports collaboration and innovation. The new premises enable flexible working and enhance the personnel’s well-being. The excellent location in Pasila makes the premises easily accessible using all modes of transport”, says Elisa’s EVP for HR, Merja Ranta-aho.

In addition to Elisa’s offices, the leasable premises add up to 18,000 m². The tower building will also house restaurant and café facilities for the tenants and other people in the area.

Construction begins in the autumn. Earthworks and the construction of the foundations will take place until next spring. The framework of the building will be erected gradually to the level of Teollisuuskatu and higher in 2025. The tower building will top out at the start of 2027.

In planning the office building, Varma’s environmental sustainability targets and circular economy guidelines for construction will be taken into account. BREEAM environmental certification, i.e. the BREEAM Excellent rating, will be sought for the building.

Pasila is boosting its standing as an area similar to central Helsinki 

Pasila is a hub not only for Helsinki but also national traffic, and a key location for office construction in Helsinki.

The tower building is part of a more extensive, densely built urban residential and work district consisting of tower blocks (Pasila Central Tower Area) zoned by the City of Helsinki. Pasila is one of the areas where the City of Helsinki has decided that it is possible to build tower buildings. The Node is the first tower building to be erected in the central Pasila area.

The project will boost Pasila’s standing as an office and residential hub similar to central Helsinki. A traffic plan has been drawn up for the area, which would introduce a new pedestrian route from the Veturitallit area to Pasila bridge and its public transport hub.

Varma’s other major office building projects

The central Pasila tower project is one of Varma’s largest office building projects. Other major office building projects are Keilaniemen Portti in Espoo and the recently completed wooden office premises Katajanokan Laituri in Helsinki’s Katajanokka.

Varma’s Pasila Central Tower Area was designed by JKMM Architects. In January 2022, Varma won a design and land transfer competition organised by Senate Properties and the City of Helsinki for the use of the central Pasila plot. The City of Helsinki approved the city plan for the middle part of the Pasila tower area and its amendment in October 2023.

Varma is one of Finland’s largest real estate investors, with a real estate portfolio worth EUR 5.6 billion.