Stora Enso is partnering with the Finnish pension insurance company Varma in the construction of a new head office in the centre of Helsinki. Stora Enso will lease part of the building, which will showcase world-class modern wooden architecture.
“As the renewable materials company, we at Stora Enso want our new head office to be located in a modern sustainable wooden office building. We are glad to be participating in a building project representing world-class wooden architecture in Helsinki, and also to be providing top-level work spaces for our personnel. This will be a cost-efficient solution for our head office and create savings compared to our current location,” says Seppo Parvi, Stora Enso’s CFO and Country Manager Finland.
The building will be located at Katajanokanlaituri 4, Helsinki. Varma will organise an architecture competition for the design of the building and apply for a LEED Platinum environmental certification for it, as the project aims for the highest levels of sustainability. Built with renewable wooden materials from Stora Enso, it will store carbon during its lifecycle. Wooden spaces are known to contribute to better indoor air quality, increased productivity, less stress, and less sickness.
“Wood is the only construction material suitable for large-scale construction that is both fully recyclable, renewable and reusable. By using wood, we can help cut carbon emissions by up to 75%. I am very excited to put our know-how and experience in wooden construction into use and contribute to creating a new landmark building in Helsinki. I am happy that the City of Helsinki and Varma want to promote sustainable wooden construction,” says Jari Suominen, Head of Stora Enso’s Wood Products division.
Stora Enso has approximately 450 employees located in its current head office in Helsinki, which dates back to 1962, and was designed by architect Alvar Aalto. Due to the floor plans of the building, the working environment is not easily adaptable to the requirements of a modern office. The building is expected to be completed in 2023.
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