Architects Herzog & de Meuron have designed Helsinki Waterfront Hotel, a cross-shaped 5 star hotel on Helsinki’s waterfront.
The hotel is due to open in 2010.
Here’s some info from Herzog & de Meuron:
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No. 311
Helsinki Waterfront Hotel
Helsinki, Finland
2007 –, planned completion 2010
Helsinki’s greatest natural asset is its water. It is the reason for the city’s location and has sustained its economy. The picturesque waterfront remains a favorite natural place to walk and relax.
Another specific feature of Helsinki is its historic center. It contains the city’s famous monuments and remains the most popular urban destination for residents and visitors. The regular street grid of the center was the great modern feature of the 19th century city and still defines its character and growth.
The Helsinki Waterfront Hotel combines these strong assets to form a new prominent destination. Located at the edge of Katajanokka and the city center, at the point where the Esplanadi opens onto the South Harbour, the new building continues the central public space further along the waterfront. Standing at the water, in a reflective glass wrap, the new hotel belongs to the city center and the harbour water alike.
The form of the building is a direct response to the classicist grid and at the same time an efficient translation of the program: a 5 star hotel with 200 guest rooms. A cross layout on the ground level contains the four main public parts and services. A second cross, hovering above, accommodates the guest units. The cross on the ground is oriented to the local street grid and harbour bank at Katajanokka, relating the hotel to its neighbours on the street level.
The hovering cross above is rotated to the grid of the historic city, bringing the strong features of the center to the peninsula. The different orientations of the two crosses create a dynamic presence: they anchor the building to its site and, at the same time, detach it from its immediate surroundings, linking it to the city center.
The area around the hotel is transformed by reclaiming back water. The proposed pool continues the necklace of basins where the city center meets the South Harbour. A new pier extends the walk from the Esplanadi deep into the harbour, allowing a spectacular view from the water back to the historic city.
Herzog & de Meuron, 2008
Project Number: 311
Project Name: Helsinki Waterfront Hotel
Address: Katajanokanlaituri 2, 00160 Helsinki, Finland
Project Phases
Concept Design: May 2007 - October 2007
Planned completion: 2010
Project Team
Partner: Jacques Herzog, Pierre de Meuron, Ascan Mergenthaler
Project Architect: Tomislav Dushanov (Associate), Kivi-Mikael Keller (Project Manager)
Project Team: Eetu Arponen, Michael Bär, Hauke Jungjohann, Sara Secci, Iva Smrke
Client: Arthur Buchardt, AB Invest A/S, Norway
PLANNING
Architect Planning: Herzog & de Meuron, Basel, Switzerland
Construction Management: Skanska, Helsinki, Finland
CONTRACTORS
Industrial Sector: Skanska, Helsinki, Finland
BUILDING DATA
Site Area: approx. 20 000m2
Building Footprint: approx. 2 450 m2
Building Dimensions
Length: aprox. 76m
Width: aprox. 76m
Height: 24,70m
Gross Volume (GV): approx. 54 500m3 (above ground)
Gross Floor Area (GF): approx. 14 800m2 (above ground)
Facade Surface: approx. 6 700m2
Number of Levels: 6 (excluding basement)
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Posted by Marcus Fairs
April 7th, 2008 at 4:38 pm
they’re placing the swiss flag in finland!
April 7th, 2008 at 4:59 pm
Do they have photos taken from London?
J
the link between the city and the building sounds great though
April 8th, 2008 at 7:14 am
hotel or a hospital? LOL
April 8th, 2008 at 9:22 am
Isn’t that the former location of Aalto??? What happend to Aalto’s building???
April 8th, 2008 at 11:34 am
no, aalto is the white block next to it (see image 3)
April 9th, 2008 at 4:18 am
could i see another aerial?
April 9th, 2008 at 10:25 pm
imposing and totally insensitive to it’s context. Recreational Architecture should make a contribution to public space. it screams corporate.
April 10th, 2008 at 12:20 pm
yet another example of architects focusing 100% on designing a building and forgetting the spaces surrounding it. 30 years from now it will be seen as a big beast from an era of architectural experiments. has that possibly happened before…
April 10th, 2008 at 4:48 pm
I have never seen things like in.
April 11th, 2008 at 9:52 am
it just looks like a big block from ground level, you dont appreciate the cross at all unless you’re flying
April 16th, 2008 at 2:26 pm
It’s two floors too high, otherwise, fantastic.
April 17th, 2008 at 3:18 pm
..suppose a cross is as good form as any to slap in, but the spaces in the triangular courtyards are probably going to be drab and uninhabitable.
Shade, snow and the rest.. Hopefully the night club will be decent..
November 21st, 2008 at 3:46 pm
I’ve heard the architect didn’t even visit Helsinki before the plan was published. The scenes on this page don’t show the view from the sea and from the direction of the famous 18 century sea bastion island Suomenlinna in front of Helsinki. It’s obvious this building would distroy the national heritage landscape of this white empire city opening from the sea with beautiful profile and unique empire city blocks. The plan is simply too dominant, it’s in a wrong place!
December 5th, 2008 at 10:22 pm
It seems to be just a big glass box, I mean a big glass Swiss cross just in middle of the most historical Empire center of Helsinki, one of the national heritage landscapes in Finland. Hmh. As a building, it is not so bad, but the location is totally unsuitable. 1 km north, for example, would be just a good place for this.
March 5th, 2009 at 1:02 pm
This seems to be big joke from Herzog&de Meuron. It does not communicate with the city or culture, they are just willing to show that they are so big stars that they can assembly swiss flag to the one of the best places in Helsinki. But that will not happen, we would be happy to see H&M in Helsinki but they need to work litle bit more for that.