Kanavaranta 1 is located at the end of the Esplanadi, in the neighbourhood of the Presidential Palace. This office building designed by Alvar Aalto, originally built in 1962 as the headquarters of Enso-Gutzeit, was protected by the Building Protection Act in 2010. The building was renovated and the office floors were converted into open offices over a decade ago. The building became vacant when the company sold it and moved to new premises in 2022.
Now the head quarter has been converted into modern offices for several companies and the rooftop canteen has been transformed into a high-end restaurant. The architectural design has modified the spatial structure and access to meet the requirements of both building protection and usage. The conversion and change of purpose required improving measures such as fire safety, sound insulation and ventilation.
Kanavaranta 1 is a functional, vibrant commercial building. To successfully manage an exceptionally demanding project required in-depth research, careful planning, collaboration between different design disciplines and close dialogue with the museum authorities. This collaboration continued successfully throughout the implementation phase. Ark-byroo designed a functional space concept for each user, taking into account the conservation objectives of the site. The result was a versatile, representative and technically advanced workspace.
The protected lobbies of the office floors are located at the west side of the building, while the office landscape at the east end has been converted to open space in the 2010s. The conversion project protected well-preserved spaces, building elements and surfaces. At the east end, the layout and interior design was designed to match the architectural character of the building.
Ark-byroo produced a detailed inventory model of the building and a building history survey as input for the design phase. The online shared point cloud also facilitated the designers’ work, allowing for agile navigation through the building.
