When the 16-story Clarion Hotel Helsinki opened its doors to the public in October 2016, it gave the Jätkäsaari district of Helsinki a landmark and local residents a new meeting spot. The interiors were finished with Tikkurila paints.
The Clarion Hotel Helsinki is part of the Nordic Choice Hotels chain, which operates 190 hotels in the Nordic and Baltic regions. The Norwegian investor Arthur Buchardt's investment firm, AB Invest AS, has already established several hotels in the Nordic countries, but Clarion on Jätkäsaari is the first in Finland.
The investment company had originally designed a cross-shaped concept hotel for Helsinki's Katajanokka area, but the proposal was rejected by the Helsinki City Council. The company then began designing a tower on Jätkäsaari that would reach a height of over a hundred metres. The project was eventually accepted after the designed height was reduced.
Mixing the old and the new
The Clarion Hotel Helsinki is comprised of two buildings, each measuring 78 and 68.5 metres in height. The higher tower is aligned with Jätkäsaari streets, while the lower tower is aligned with the Boulevard. The project also includes the construction of an exhibition centre within the old harbour warehouse.
The hotel's construction began in spring 2015 and was completed on time in autumn 2016. The new structure is almost 17,000 m2 in size, and the event centre is over 8,000 m2. Due to the tight deadline and the specifications of the secure warehouse building, the project was extremely difficult. The overall cost was estimated to be around EUR 120 million.
The project's main contractor was a Norwegian company that had previously provided service to Buchardt, HENT Ab. The chief architect, Aki Davidsson of Davidsson Tarkela Architects, explains: "Buchardt and the Choice chain have a long-standing cooperation relationship, and Clarion achieved common goals. Buchardt's hotels are all unique."
The body of the high hotel is mostly made of concrete but has been stiffened with strong, vertically-tensioned steel bars.
The frame and elements were planned, manufactured, and installed by the Lithuanian contractor Markuiai. The façades of the new building were comprised of a grid design with glass openings and aluminium panels. White and grey tones were chosen to finish the look
The hotel's 425 rooms are spread across two towers, with the scenic Sky Room bar on the 16th floor of the higher tower open to the public. Partially in view from this level the sauna and rooftop pool, situated On the same floor in the opposite tower complex. Views to the outside can be seen from the glass-walled lift that connects the towers.
Designed by architect Lars Sonck and completed in 1935, the empty warehouse building was transformed into a 1,000-guest event centre that was connected to the hotel towers by a glass corridor.
The Event Centre
When the protected harbour warehouse was converted into an event centre, improvements to the façade and interior were strictly restricted. As a result, the facades remained mostly untouched. The windows were enlarged, and the doors were replaced.
A 450-person restaurant and pub was installed on the first floor. The second and third floors were turned into meeting rooms for conference events. Finally, the fourth floor was converted into building services facilities for the centre.
Two new stairwells and lifts were installed to meet health and safety standards, whilst the existing stairwells were maintained. Any of the original buildings, such as the columns and concrete flooring, were retained to keep the warehouse's spirit intact.
Interior Design
Arthur Buchardt took inspiration from Finnish architect Alvar Aalto throughout the project. The hotel lobby's white reception counters are modelled like Aalto's iconic glass vase. Seating groups of chairs upholstered in the architect's zebra-patterned cloth can be found in the lobby and Sky Room lounge. Zebra-patterned pillows can be found throughout the hotel. Finally, Aalto's "wicker chairs" are in the breakfast room, which also serves as the Kitchen & Table restaurant.
Tikkurila Nova 7 renovation paint was used on the concrete pillars in the spacious lobby and on the 16th floor, while Helmi Furniture paint was used on the lobby steel pillars.
The walls and ceilings in the bedrooms were coated with Nova 20 and Luja 7, respectively.
The corridor walls were also painted with Luja 7, but the impact walls were painted with Nova 20 (in a slightly darker shade)
The old staircase walls and ceilings of the event centre were painted with Nova 20.
On the ground floor walls and in the kitchen, the top layer was painted with Luja 7.
Sky Room Bar
The hotel's scenic bar has become a hit in Tampere. On weekends, the Moro bar in Hotel Torni draws up to a thousand guests.