Helsinki’s protected Pohjola office building left to decay despite restoration promises

The historic Pohjola insurance company office building in Helsinki, protected under strict heritage regulations, has stood vacant and deteriorating for 11 years—despite its owner’s legal obligation to restore it, Yle Uutiset reports.

Construction giant SRV received permission in 2015 to build seven new residential towers on the site, on the condition that it would renovate and repurpose the 1960s-era office building, known as the Pohjola House. While the new apartments have been completed and occupied, the original structure remains abandoned, its windows broken and interiors exposed.

Architect Tapani Mustonen, who conducted a historical assessment of the building in 2013, described the neglect as “shocking.” “The whole thing has been left to rot,” he told Yle, criticising the failure to uphold restoration commitments. The building’s protected A-tower, noted for its architectural significance, was meant to be restored first—yet no work has begun.

SRV has repeatedly cited difficulties in finding a viable use for the building, arguing that its original office function is no longer feasible due to its location. The company told Yle in a statement that the ground floor and basement levels pose “significant challenges” for adaptation, hindering the entire project. Efforts to repurpose the site for commercial, cultural, or residential use have stalled for over a decade.

Helsinki City Museum researcher Anne Salminen accused SRV of prioritising profit from the new constructions while neglecting its heritage obligations. “The financial benefit has been taken, but the responsibility for owning a culturally valuable building has been ignored,” she said. The museum had previously relaxed some protection rules—such as allowing elderly care services in the building—to facilitate its reuse, but no progress has followed.

The city’s 2015 zoning plan explicitly required the A-tower’s restoration as a precondition for the additional building rights granted to SRV. A 2022 application for exemptions to modify parts of the structure, including a former swimming pool area, remains unresolved. Discussions on further adjustments were still ongoing as of early 2024, with no timeline for action.