Facades on extension of Scandic Grand Central Helsinki

The winner of the Concrete Facade of the Year 2021 architectural award is Arkkitehtitoimisto Futudesign Oy with the facades on the extension part of the Scandic Grand Central Helsinki hotel.

The new extension part of the Scandic hotel is integrated into the building complex of the Helsinki Main Railway Station, designed by architect Eliel Saarinen and completed in 1909. The new building has a seamless connection with the main building, but its demure and skilled detail design makes it an honest representative of the architecture of today, the Jury concluded in its remarks.

The colour palette of the precast facade panels follows that of the existing buildings. The dyed concrete on the facade has been precisely adapted to the tone of the plastered surfaces of the adjacent buildings. The reddish cladding units on the plinths with an exposed-aggregate surface match the red granite plinths of the old building.

On the north-facing facade of the extension part, the concrete panels, which have been installed with special precision, have a livelier expression owing to undulating vertical stripes. The tone of colour as well as the expression of the polished and undulating concrete surface appear to become alive with changes in ambient light.

The design process was based on modelling and carried out in close cooperation between the architects, the manufacturer of the concrete panels and artist Topi Äikäs. Instead of a traditional production line, the precast panels were hand-made to a large extent.

Read the entire article in Finnish and see the images >>