Siltavuorenpenger 5

Customer: University of Helsinki Property Services Ltd. (HY247)
Location: Siltavuorenpenger 5, Helsinki
Completed: 2022
Area: 4600 brm2

Located on the campus of University of Helsinki, the old Minerva building at Siltavuorenpenger 5 was designed by architect Gustaf Nyström. This National Romantic building was completed in 1905 for research and instruction use by the University of Helsinki Department of Physiology. The building extension was completed in 1966 and a comprehensive renovation of the facility was carried out in 2002. This protected university building has stood empty for the past several years.

As the first building to be constructed on this quarter, the physiology department building is architecturally distinct. Indeed, its design was not intended to blend into its surroundings like other university buildings designed by Nyström. The building consists of two very different parts. The actual department facilities is a rational whole, in which laboratories are located around a central corridor.

The attached, mansion-like building has an entirely different character and originally served as the residence of the Professor of Physiology. The rooms of the old professor’s residence are naturally more refined than the classrooms of the old department of physiology, and this hierarchy was maintained in the renovation work done, such as in the choice of surface materials.

The project repair and alteration work included improvements to, among others, interior functionality, indoor air quality and accessibility. At the same time, the intended purpose of the interior spaces was changed from classrooms to university offices, which were redesigned in accordance with the multi-space office concept. Workspaces, quiet zones, meeting rooms and break rooms formed an entity of different types of spaces for working.

The building’s interior surfaces are primarily stone, so improving the acoustic properties of office spaces was a key design objective in the project. Major changes were also made to building ventilation and lighting. New toilet and kitchen facilities were built in easily accessible locations within the complex.

Repairs were also made to the beautiful façade details.