Stora Enso Opens Its New Headquarters, the Largest Mass Timber Building in Finland

On Wednesday, Stora Enso said it has started operations at its new head office, the largest mass timber building in Finland, located in Helsinki.

Stora Enso’s headquarters showcases the company’s wood products and solutions, and the building is a landmark in sustainable architecture and low-carbon construction. The lightweight, prefabricated mass timber elements allowed the multi-story, mixed-use building to be the first project in decades to be constructed in the historic, well-preserved, and culturally significant Helsinki landscape and harbor area.

The building, owned by mutual pension insurance company Varma, was completed on schedule in July. The four-story Katajanokan Laituri houses Stora Enso’s head office and Solo Sokos Hotel Pier 4. The building is also open to the public who now can experience and enjoy the wooden architectural design in its entirety.

In a statement, Stora Enso President and CEO Hans Sohlström said:

“Climate change mitigation is part of Stora Enso’s purpose and a strategic business driver. Wood-based materials offer a viable alternative to non-renewable raw materials. Wood products are one of our core business areas. We want to be a forerunner of sustainable building solutions and showcase the way to modern wood use as part of more climate-friendly urban construction of the future. Katajanokan Laituri is a masterpiece of Finnish timber construction. It provides high quality, sustainable facilities for our head office and staff as well as for others working in and visiting the building.”