FROM INDUSTRIAL BUILDING TO SHOWROOM

1968 constructed office building in East Helsinki near the metro line and Itäväylä required a facelift and a more energy efficient facade for its new client. The client hoped that the new facade would represent their company values of timeless and well detailed design.

The facade consists of small 510 x 510mm brushed stainless steel coffers which all encase a curved opal glass. The steel coffers are attached to the frame structure which are bolted to the maintenance bridge girders. All of the steel coffers are replaceable and can be manufactured in two ways. Drawing the coffers from sheet metal is cost-effective compared to die casting. The small gaps between every coffer enhance the effect of repetition. The curved opal glasses bring softness to the facade and create changing shadows day and night.

I started my design project with a SWOT-analysis about the client, location and the existing building. The Analysis helped to find problems which had to be solved before the project could begin. Located between two office buildings from the 1960’s the facade had to be small scaled but still interesting enough to catch the eye of passing people from moving vehicles. The whole concept of timeless design had to be evaluated as it was the key feature the client was hoping for. A certain style of disciplined repetition has always spoken to me with its timeless figure but a problem with it is that in large scale the image might turn to a military-like building. I began to investigate what are the features in Renzo Piano’s Maison de Hermes, Pierre Chareau’s and Bernard Bijovet’s Maison de Verre and Barozzi Veiga’s Bündner Kunstmuseum Churs to achieve a certain softness. By understanding the common features of these masterpieces I had the vision to achieve the timeless design requested by the client.