Katajanokan Laituri wins 2024 Wood Award
Kalle Kouhia
The winner of this year's Wood Award – an office, hotel and commercial building designed by Anttinen Oiva Architects in Helsinki's harbour – is an impressive example of the quality of Finnish timber construction.
Laureate of the 2024 Wood Award, Katajanokan Laituri leads the way to a future where wood is used as part of sustainable urban construction. From its inception, the project sought to minimise climate impacts during its entire life cycle by extending its service life as far as possible, enabling conversions and a diverse range of uses, and being low carbon and energy efficient. Thanks to its structural system and interior dimensions, the inside of the building can be modified as needs change.
Designed by Anttinen Oiva Architects and completed this year, the building is based on the winning entry in a high-level international architectural competition. The Award was presented on 6 November 2024 at the annual Puupäivä (Wood Day) event.
Jury praised the winner to be successful in all areas
The office, hotel and commercial building has four floors above ground and a communal roof-top terrace. Technical facilities and parking are in the basement.
The ground floor of Finland's largest massive timber building hosts services that complement the surrounding urban spaces, such as a restaurant, café, and event facilities. The office facilities and hotel rooms are in upper floors. The various occupants, visitors, and city residents come together in the shared lobby with an open view towards the sea.
Wooden buildings have traditionally been seen as incompatible with dense urban environments, but Katajanokan Laituri challenges this perception by successfully fitting in with its prestigious, historical surroundings, thereby setting high standards for future construction projects.
Wood is omnipresent in the building’s structures, cladding, and interior decoration. The sheer abundance of visible solid wood is delightful, and the different wood types come together to create a warm and welcoming atmosphere.
The use of prefabricated wooden components enabled an inventive design and expedited construction, resulting in a building that is both visually intriguing and functionally smart. In addition, the project succeeded in delivering an adaptable building with a small carbon footprint.
The jury was amazed how the building seems to be successful in all areas – sustainability, wood architecture innovation, the integration of various wood products into a whole, the quality and details of the construction work, rational construction and project management, and user satisfaction.
The People's Choice Award went to Maatulli School in Helsinki, the design of which was based on the winning entry in an open, two-phase architectural competition by Fors Arkitekter and Blomqvist Arkitektur from Copenhagen, Denmark. The project's Finnish partner was Talli Architecture and Design, who carried out the implementation phase design work. The building was completed in August 2024.
Read more about the Wood Award here.
