Located in Helsinki, on the southern coast of Finland and its capital, the new Kesko headquarters designed by the JKMM Architects studio rises. The new complex will become the office of around 1800 staff members.

The complex is located in a new area of the city, the Kalastama district, it is close to the Redi shopping centre and the subway station, which is 10 minutes leaves you in the city centre, in addition, the building occupies a whole block, which is a unique opportunity in the city.
JKMM Architects designed a block with brickwork surface s, large windows and the polished white concrete beams, creating a discreet, yet rich facade. The concrete beams give the facade a deep and tectonically interesting structure. The white concrete beams run round the entire building, tying it into a whole.

The eight floors, almost the size of the block, revolve around two atrium-courtyards unified in the last level with a glass-roofed. The main entrance opens to one of them. The building has various workspaces that guarantee that the different needs of the workers will be covered, the work areas have different colour palettes, in this way each space has its atmosphere.

One of the fundamental premises for the design of the building has been energy efficiency, this is achieved thanks to a series of building control systems that control heating, lighting and air conditioning, in this way consumption is much lower, This makes K-Kampus the first office building in Finland to be carbon neutral.
 

Description of project by JKMM Architects

The new Kesko headquarters in Helsinki has completed and are now the offices of some 1800 members of staff who are working for the retail group specialising in groceries as well as the building and technical trade.  The contemporary feel of the office environment is futureproofed for changes in working methods in years to come.  The design of the building also provides a showcase for Kesko’s products and services.

K-Kampus is located in a recent addition to the city: the Kalastama district. It enjoys a prominent position in Kalastama next door to the Redi shopping mall and within a stone’s throw from the metro station which has trains reaching central Helsinki within 10 minutes.  To the west, is the slaughter house area and the fast developing Suvilahti with its many services.  

The K-Kampus is made up an urban block with its own distinct identity. In Helsinki, the possibility to occupy a whole city block in this way is a rare opportunity and it has enabled not only a wholistic vision for the campus but has also resulted a strong architectonic presence.

The building complex embodies important values such as customer care and corporate responsibility. The architecture reaffirms these values through its interpretation of Modernist Scandinavian principles, highlighting durability and authenticity. The architects’ approach also combines the immediacy of clarity of vision with care and attention for details and purposeful design.  

The campus has light brick elevations that have been laid in situ and that alternate with exposed fair-faced concrete as well as large panes of glazing.  From the outside, the warm tones of timber used in the building’s arcades and roof terrace are visible and add another layer to the architecture’s sense of materiality.

The interiors reinforce the language of the building’s exterior.  Architectural detailing combined with a pared-down approach to spaces that are generous and easily legible facilitates way finding throughout the Campus. The material palette has been selected so that it feels natural, for example, with its oak floors and ceilings lined in pinewood.  The interiors all wrap around a glazed atrium where a scaled up staircase is a visual focal point, acting as a meeting point as well as a symbol for communality.  Meeting and presentation rooms are located on the first floor and, when opened up to the atrium staircase, enable the hosting of functions for up to 1000 people.  The atrium stair has been designed so that it is easy on the foot, thereby inviting people in the building to use it rather than choosing to go up and down by lift.

A building that occupies a whole block in this way makes it possible to offer exceptionally spacious and flexible office accommodation on each floor.  This has been important to the client, as Kesko has teams travelling from around the Helsinki area and congregating in the building.  

The variety of workspaces on offer ensures that individual needs and collaboration can be addresses in a convivial way.  The differentiation through colour palettes and the loose furniture selected for the office floors has ensured that each level has its own atmosphere.  Throughout, there is a desire for the best possible acoustic environment which has led the interiors team to opt for specially designed ceilings and textiles to cover the floors.  The result is a calm and serene sequence of workspaces.  The architects also introduced higher than standard ceiling heights for this type of building. This together with the strategic use of glazed surfaces ensures that the K-Kampus interior feels uplifting and well-lit.  In addition to the actual office floors, the K-Kampus restaurant, cafe and other break out spaces are equipped so that these too can be used as both meeting and working areas.

A defining design principle for the project has been energy efficiency. Artificial intelligence has come to play a part in this by monitoring the building control systems for heating, lighting and air conditioning. The objective is to keep energy consumption as low as possible whilst still providing occupants as comfortable an environment as possible.  

Kesko-Kampus will be Finland’s first office building to go carbon neutral in its waste management.  The client and design team will be applying for both BREAAM and Green Office certification for the project.

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Architects
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Design team
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Architectural design.- Juha Mäki-Jyllilä, Eero Kontuniemi, Mikko Lehto, Asmo Jaaksi, Teemu Kurkela, Samuli Miettinen, Anniina Koskela, Mikko Kyläkoski, Kirsti Larja, Jukka Mäkinen, Marko Pulli, Mirja Puoskari, Päivi Puukari, Henri Suorsa, Katariina Takala, Teemu Taskinen, Virve Vuolasvirta, Miina Vuorinen. Interior design.- Elina Niemi, Paula Salonen, Viivi Laine, Sami Laine, Rami Lehtimäki, Katja Rouvinen, Tiiina Rytkönen, Tommi Varis.
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Collaborators
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Project Management.- Haahtela-rakennuttaminen Oy. Structural design.- Ramboll Finland Oy. HVAC engineering.- Sweco Finland Oy. Electrical engineering.- Sweco Finland Oy. Acoustics and sound proofing.- Akukon Ltd. Fire consultant.-  L2 Paloturvallisuus Oy. Interior design (partly).- dSign Vertti Kivi & Co. AV design.- Akukon Ltd.
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Client
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Varma Mutual Pension Insurance Company.
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Area
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Gross Area.- 34,000 m².
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Dates
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Completion.- 2019.
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Location
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Location Työpajankatu 12, Helsinki. Finland.
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Photography
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Mika Huisman, Hannu Rytky, Pauliina Salonen.
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JKMM Architects is a group of architects and designers based in Helsinki, Finland. We started in 1998 with four founding partners – Asmo Jaaksi, Teemu Kurkela, Samuli Miettinen and Juha Mäki-Jyllilä. Today, we are a team of more than 70 people.

The American Architectural Record chosen JKMM as one of the “10 Emerging New Firms in the World”. Our works have been presented in various exhibitions including Venice Biennale, Louisiana Museum of Modern Art and the Museum of Finnish Architecture.

Awards
  • Hurraa! 2016 Award, The New Harald Herlin Learning Centre
  • Finnish Glass Structure Award 2016, OP Financial Group's New Headquarter
  • Rose for Building 2015, OP Financial Group's New Headquarter
  • Steel Structure 2015, OP Financial Group's New Headquarter
  • Tekla Global BIM Awards –award 2014, Total Bim -category, OP Financial Group's New Headquarter
  • Concrete Structure of 2012, Seinäjoki Library
  • Lighting project of the year 2011, exterior, Saunalahden Lastentalo
  • Shanghai Expo 2010, best pavilion design and architecture, kategory B, Kirnu, BIE (Bureau International des Expositions)
  • Finnish State Award of Architecture 2007
  • Steel Structure of 2007, Verkatehdas Cultural Center
  • Glass Structure of 2007, Verkatehdas Cultural Center
  • Forum Aid Prize, Best Nordic Interior 2007, nominee, Verkatehdas Cultural Center
  • Concrete Structure of 2007, Turku City Library
  • Frame The Great Indoors-Award-Nominee 2007, Viikki church
  • Chicago Athenaeum, International Architecture Award, Viikki church, 2006
  • Pietilä Award, 2006

Asmo Jaaksi, Principal Architect, Amos Rex
Architect SAFA, partner

Asmo Jaaksi (born in 1966) studied architecture at Tampere University of Technology graduating 1997. He is a founding part- ner of JKMM Architects and has specialised in designing public buildings. His works reflect the values of inclusiveness and humanity combined with practicality and focus on materiality and details. Asmo Jaaksi’s major works as the principal architect are: Amos Rex art museum; Academy of Fine Arts building in Helsinki; Think Corner in University of Helsinki; OP Financial Group headquarters; Seinäjoki City Library; Turku Main Library; and Joensuu University Aurora building.

Freja Ståhlberg-Aalto, Project Architect, Amos Rex
Architect SAFA

Freja Ståhlberg-Aalto (born in 1973) graduated in Architecture from Helsinki University of Technology in 2001. At JKMM, she has been involved in the design of award winning buildings such Seinäjoki Public Library, Verkatehdas Arts & Congress Cen- tre and Turku New City Library. Since 2014, she has worked as the project architect of Amos Rex. She is now in the final phase of her doctoral research project focusing on the role of aesthet- ics in the care environment. She has held a part time teaching position at the Department of Architecture, Aalto University.

Päivi Meuronen, Architect specialising in Interiors, Amos Rex
Interior Architect SIO

Päivi Meuronen (1967) graduated in Interior Architecture from the University of Art and Design, Helsinki and has been the driving force behind JKMM Architects’ interior designs since 2003. She leads a team of 18 at JKMM specialising in interiors. The team has been successful in creating projects where JKMM’s architecture and interior design form a seamless unity. JKMM’s interior for the recently restored Alvar Aalto designed library in Otaniemi was awarded the Finlandia Prize for Architecture 2017.

Katja Savolainen, Restoration Architect, Amos Rex
Architect SAFA

Katja Savolainen (born in 1969) graduated in Architecture from Helsinki University of Technology in 1999. She has been special- ising in conservation architecture since 2000. In 2004 she joined JKMM where, as part of the Amos Rex project, she has been responsible for the restoration of the Functionalist Lasipalatsi building in addition to a number of other historically significant projects around Finland. Katja has also been teaching and re- searching traditional building methods and their restoration with a particular interest in wooden structures.
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