Finlandia Hall to serve customers during the renovation – decision to be made on the project plan for the temporary facilities called Little Finlandia

“We want to make Little Finlandia a comfortable living room open to all in the Töölönlahti Bay area. The facilities will consist of multi-purpose spaces of different sizes, which can be combined and used for congresses, parties and other events. The kitchen serves both events and the café and restaurant operating in the premises. The space will also contain a Design & Deli Shop and the Galleria Pikku-Finlandia gallery, where art exhibitions can be held. We will be building an inviting terrace outside to create an urban party and festival area for the developing Töölönlahti Bay area,” says Johanna Tolonen, CEO of Finlandia Hall Ltd.

Thanks to the temporary facilities, the duration of the renovation can be shortened by roughly 1.5 years, which reduces the nuisance caused by the renovation to the other users of the Töölönlahti area. This also means that Finlandia Hall is able to serve its customers throughout the renovation project, even though, in their smallest form, the facilities only account for roughly a quarter of the space normally available to customers.

Political decision to be made on the plans for Little Finlandia

The Buildings and Public Areas Sub-committee of the City of Helsinki Urban Environment Committee shall discuss the project plan for Little Finlandia on 23 January 2020. The final approval for the project plan will come from the City Board.

Little Finlandia is built on the Karamzininranta street plaza, which is located between Finlandia Hall and Töölönlahti Park. The pavilion will be integrated into the landscape, representing the essence of Finnish architecture.

The design of the temporary facilities was developed in cooperation with students and teachers at the Department of Architecture at Aalto University as a two-phase studio assignment. The purpose of the temporary facilities is to implement the wooden construction and circular economy goals of the City so that, going forward, sections of the building can be moved and altered for further use as temporary facilities by schools and daycare centres, for example. The estimated service life of the building is over 20 years.

In 2019, the City of Helsinki commissioned 20 new temporary pavilion buildings for the use of schools and daycare centres. A total of approximately 50 temporary buildings are used by the City.

The gross area of the building is 2,750 square metres. Its price cap is at 9.9 million euros. The construction of Little Finlandia will start in early summer 2021, and the project will be finished towards the end of the year. The building will be opened to the public in early 2022.

The renovation of Finlandia Hall will start in the beginning of 2022. The work will be completed and the building taken into use in two phases: the conference wing in spring 2023, and the main building in 2024.

The temporary traffic arrangements around Finlandia Hall and Töölönlahti Park are planned so that moving in the area is safe, streamlined and pleasant for the residents.