Inspiring seaside office blends into nature

Project: OP Financial Group innovation and training centre

Location: Helsinki, Finland

Award: Workspace Interiors: Studios, Co-Working Spaces & Home Offices, Silver, 2023

Workspace Interiors: Communal Areas, Silver, 2023

Design Practice: PES-Architects

Client: OP Financial Group

The new wood-built innovation and training centre for the OP Financial Group in Helsinki forms an inspiring environment for events, training and evolving forms of hybrid and collaborative work. It features ash slat ceilings and parquet flooring, with black window casings and veneer walls that provide a bold contrast to the warm timber hues. Finnish art and design are showcased throughout.

The building’s functional solutions and understated architecture are designed to withstand time both technically and visually. The two-storey building sits on a seaside slope at the end of a narrow, wooded plot. From the street, the upper main level appears as a single-storey, partly transparent structure that blends into the landscape. Large windows and wide terraces opening to the garden or sea introduce abundant natural light and an invigorating view of nature, while the solid timber-clad walls facing the neighbouring lots provide privacy.

Design highlights 

The four innovation spaces can be closed off with movable glass walls for separate events or flexibly combined to create cosy and inspiring environments. The lower level allows for more relaxed get-togethers in the comfortable lounge/meeting room and sauna area, which open to separate, sheltered terraces providing direct access to the shore and sea.

Photo credit: Marc Goodwin, Kari Palsila