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Entwurf • Design Fyra, FI-Helsinki
Bauherr • Client Cobbleyard Real Estate, FI-Helsinki
Standort • Location Eerikinkatu 32-36, FI-Helsinki
Nutzfläche • Floor space 6000 m 2
Fotos • Photos Riikka Kantinkoski, FI-Helsinki
Mehr Infos auf Seite • More info on page 150
KONELABRA OFFICE
IN HELSINKI
„Ziel war es, das Potenzial des Gebäudes mit seiner In the heart of the Finnish capital, an old brick building
has recently been given a modern makeover, now being
100-jährigen Geschichte in die Realität umzusetzen, able to offer ample office- and showroom space for
indem funktionale und inspirierende Büro- und appreciative as well as creative tenants. But thanks to a
sensitive conversion concept, the building has fortunately
Ausstellungsräume geschaffen wurden.“ retained its charm at the same time. Even today, a touch
of nostalgia still wafts through the venerable walls.
Fyra
C onversion and reuse instead of demolition are the order of the day
when it comes to dealing with old buildings. And when it comes to
a historically significant brick building like this one – now called Konela-
bra – that goes without saying. The elongated building with a machine
workshop and laboratory rooms was designed by Finnish architect Onni
Tarjanne (1864–1946) for the Helsinki University of Technology and built
between 1925 and 1933. However, the listed building had been standing
empty for several years before it was decided to convert it into modern
office- and exhibition space as part of a property development project.
Close dialogue with the Helsinki City Museum and the Helsinki Building
Authorities shaped the design process as the building is protected and
the character of the building was to be preserved, of course. For example,
original tile floors, wooden doors and technical relics bear witness to its
past. However, in order to transform the rooms into the here and now,
they were supplemented with new windows and the necessary infrastruc-
ture. The design concept was developed by the local interior-design firm
Fyra in collaboration with ARK Helsinki. The renovation work was com-
pleted at the beginning of this year and the building, with a total area of
6,000 square metres, was ready for occupancy. It now houses, among
other things, the new showroom of tile supplier ABL-Laatat, the office of
Finnish furniture manufacturer Made by Choice and the LaBra restaurant.
The Fyra team itself has also set up its office here. The spacious premi-
ses clearly demonstrate what the new Konelabra – which, incidentally,
means machine workshop in Finnish – is all about: successfully bridging
the gap between what is old and what is new. For example, an old bridge
crane with a chain hoist can be seen on the ceiling, and nostalgic-looking
switchboards can be found on the gallery. The high, open room structure
has been divided into zones with curtains, behind which Fyra’s material
library is located. Room-structuring interventions such as these, as well as
other structural measures, can be dismantled if necessary without dama-
ging the old building fabric – which was also an important concern in the
Axonometrie • Axonometry redesign of the historic building.
AIT 10.2025 • 117
