OP Financial Group innovation and training centre

The wood-built innovation and training centre for the OP Financial Group in Kuusisaari, Helsinki, is an inspiring, timeless environment for events, workshops and training by the sea. The goal was to replace the existing corporate hospitality premises with up-to-date, multifunctional facilities to support evolving forms of hybrid and collaborative work for the company’s staff and stakeholders. The compact building’s functional solutions, structures, and understated architecture were designed to withstand time both technically and visually. Transparency, openness and connection with nature reflect OP’s values as a responsible Finnish company. The two-storey, wood- and glass-walled building sits on a seaside slope at the end of a narrow, wooded plot that has been left as open and untouched as possible. From the street, the building appears as a single-storey, semi-transparent structure that blends into the landscape. The main entrance is on the upper level, sheltered under the canopy formed by the slightly inwards sloping roof. The overall impression is light, organic and sculptural, like a dragonfly landed in a forest clearing. At front, an urban driveway lined with plantings leads to the entrance; on the shore side, the yard is in a more natural state, with tall pine trees rising from the forest floor. The building widens as it steps down towards the sea. Solid, spruce-clad walls towards the adjacent lots provide privacy, while the exterior walls sandwiched between them are mostly glazed. This allows the rooms and their wide terraces to open to uninterrupted views of the garden or sea, introducing abundant natural light into the interior. The main entrance opens to a view of the bay through the multifunctional lobby/hall that extends the entire length of the building. The hall serves as the break and dining area for the surrounding innovation rooms and the main hospitality space for events. All rooms feature movable glass walls and can be freely combined and flexibly furnished and equipped to create cosy and inspiring spaces adapted to users’ needs, fostering interaction and a sense of community. The spaces can also be separated to host several simultaneous events. The lower level allows for relaxed get-togethers in the lounge cum meeting room and sauna area, which open to separate, sheltered terraces providing direct access to the shore. The sauna steamroom is panelled with charred wood and offers a sea view. Stairs from the washing room terrace lead down to the dock for bathers to take a cooling dip in the sea. The main building material is wood, used in structures as well as exterior and interior surfaces. The facades are clad with spruce panelling and the undersides of the roof are of wood slats. The main interior spaces feature ash slats on the ceilings and ash parquet flooring. The black window casings, pillars and wood veneer surfaces provide a contrast to the warm timber hues. The building employs ground source heating and cooling. Solar panels installed on the roof provide part of the building’s energy.