Finland’s tallest office building rises over Helsinki

A new landmark is rising in Helsinki’s skyline as The Node office tower takes shape in Keski-Pasila. The 32-storey building will become Finland’s tallest office building, Yle reports.

The tower, being built in front of the Tripla complex, is already visible from Suomenlinna and from Maunula, 3.6 kilometres away. It will reach 130 metres when completed, with more than 20 metres still to be added to the structure currently visible.

“The frame rises by one floor every two weeks,” said Tuomas Kortelainen, a project engineer at Haahtela, which is responsible for project management and the main construction work.

The building is being developed by Varma, a mutual employment pension insurance company. Its main tenant will be telecommunications company Elisa, which will move its headquarters to The Node from nearby.

Complex construction site

The tower is being built on a tightly confined plot bordered by traffic routes, with Teollisuuskatu cutting through the middle. Asmo Jaaksi, the project’s chief architect at JKMM, said the building had to combine headquarters-level quality, a functional working environment and a striking appearance while remaining feasible to construct and keep within budget.

Kortelainen said the location at the Keski-Pasila transport hub had required unusually detailed planning. Simulations have been used to optimise operations. Workers are already using the building’s permanent lifts during construction, while materials are transported outside with conventional construction lifts.

The Node is seeking the second-highest level in the international BREEAM environmental classification. Its environmental measures include material choices, energy efficiency and smart solutions. The windows also feature patterns at bird flight height that birds can distinguish but people cannot.

Ville Häyrinen, Varma’s project manager, said feedback on The Node had been mostly positive, although traffic arrangements had at times made it more difficult to move around the area.

Some people have questioned the building’s dark appearance. Häyrinen said the facades on floors one to five will still be covered with reddish ceramic shaped tiles designed to reflect the appearance and history of Veturitallit.

New connections for Keski-Pasila

Päivi Ahlroos, a project director at the Helsinki City Executive Office, has followed the development of Keski-Pasila for eight years. She described the first skyscraper in Pasila as a bold project by Varma that would create a new kind of cityscape.

The Node will also provide new pedestrian connections between different levels. A staircase between the building and the railway level will connect Pasilan silta with Veturitallit.

“I believe it will change the dynamics of the central area and connect the activities at Veturitallit much better with all customers and with public awareness,” Ahlroos said.

People interviewed at Kansalaistori were generally cautiously positive about The Node and the changes to Helsinki’s skyline.

Construction is scheduled to be completed in spring 2028.