Supercell is a Finnish gaming company known for games like Hay Day, Clash of Clans, Boom Beach, Clash Royale and Brawl Stars. I took a stroll around their headquarters construction site in Jätkäsaari, Helsinki.
The office building is made mainly of mass timber. It is part of the Wood City block, an urban development by SRV, a Finnish project developer and contractor, and Stora Enso, a paper and wooden product provider. Once completed, the Wood City block consists of two residential buildings, this office, and a hotel, all having 8 floors.
The architect of the Supercell project is Anttinen Oiva Arkkitehdit and the project management consultant HTJ.
Unlike many other firms, Supercell owns its headquarters. As an owner, they had a lot to say about how the building was designed and constructed. They had specific requirements regarding the HVAC and IT installations and how the spaces are laid out.
200 of their staff will start working here in in January 2021. Supercell wanted to make sure that the floors had enough flexibility to serve the current and future needs of their agile teams.
Timber construction required special attention to humidity control. In previous projects, we’ve seen how timber building parts have grown mold when left to the elements for too long.
The facades of the Supercell office are wooden. The site, Jätkäsaari is an island. It’s interesting to see how they will withstand the sea air, storms, snow, and rain in the coming years. The wooden apartment buildings next door seem to be doing all right so far.
I’m sure that this office and Wood City as a whole will pave the way to a new generation of multi story, mass timber residential, office, and other buildings in Finland.
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