What is the meaning of office spaces in the future? This question was thoroughly discussed between our founder and CEO Jari Inkinen and construction company Hartela’s hankekehitysjohtaja Ilmari Hämäläinen.
Go and read, watch or listen the interesting discussion available in finnish at Hartela H-studio.
Rendering: Hartela Ilmala Corner, ARCO.
Worklife has undergone significant changes in recent years, and this transformation continues. According to an article in Helsingin Sanomat on June 6, 2023, more than half of international corporations plan to downsize their office spaces. The reduction is driven by the increase in remote work and changing office space needs. Nearly 60% of companies follow a hybrid work policy, with approximately 10% predominantly or completely working remotely. Work can be done almost anywhere, creating constant pressure for changes in the work environment. GI helps its clients find suitable solutions for future ways of working.
We conduct workspace assessments for our clients, aiming to determine whether they should stay in their current premises and adapt them to the present, or if it would be better to move to completely different spaces.
Well-designed office spaces eliminate unnecessary areas, utilizing square footage efficiently. A good office space, which is adaptable, sustainable, and timeless, is an investment that helps save money. A well-designed workspace enhances employees’ well-being, supports various work practices such as remote work and in-person interactions, and increases knowledge sharing and communication.
During the assessment, we create a workspace vision through a workshop. The workshop aims to determine the best possible work environment for your company. Based on the workspace vision document, we can either develop your current spaces or start searching for new ones. We also provide a cost-benefit analysis, which outlines a preliminary schedule and budget for potential workspace changes. The analysis demonstrates cost savings, as well as the benefits to productivity and well-being.
Are you interested? Get in touch, and let’s discuss whether conducting a workspace assessment would be relevant for your company!
The association has been operating in the building on Uudenmaankatu for years, which was completed in 1925. However, the space no onger met the needs of our clients, which is why a comprehensive update to the premises became necessary. The aim was to modernize the office to better support collaboration and interaction.
The color scheme, style, and design language were influenced by the desire to preserve the spirit of the 1920s building. The colors specified in the association’s brand guidelines were strongly present, and the colors were adjusted to fit the interior design. The association’s committee actively participated in the project, and the design process began with a workspace survey and vision workshop in collaboration with them. These steps helped identify the client’s needs and define the project’s guidelines.
The association’s premises span two floors in the building. A lighter surface renovation was carried out in the meeting and training floor spaces, while the office floor was stripped down to the raw surface. Therefore, everything from building services onward was renewed. From the perspective of renovation, the biggest challenge was that the space lacked mechanical ventilation and instead had traditional pressure ventilation typical of apartment buildings. The ventilation was converted to mechanical, and a small machinery room was built for this purpose. On the inner courtyard side, a fresh air grille was installed, which, in addition to the exhaust air duct, was seamlessly integrated into the surroundings of the old building. “These are essential elements that are designed in such a way that no one notices them,” explains architect Rauli Lehtinen from GI.
The project also took into account that the building had residential apartments, so the construction work could not interfere with living conditions.
The association operates in office spaces, so the design considered the overall layout of workrooms and common areas. The office’s floor area did not increase, but functionality was significantly improved. The number of rooms was increased, and common areas were incorporated into the entrance to create an impressive first impression. Despite having many rooms, the overall space is very bright and spacious. The rooms have glass walls, allowing light to pass through to the corridors. By optimizing the use of space, the total floor area was reduced, and some areas were designed as residential apartments.
Gullstén-Inkinen created the layout plans that defined the types of apartments that could be accommodated in the spaces. Reducing the used square footage through more efficient use of space is one way in which Gullstén-Inkinen helps its clients reduce office space costs.
“I believe we succeeded in creating excellent-looking spaces. Although everything is new, they fit perfectly with the desired 1920s atmosphere,” says Rauli. The premises feature many unique solutions designed specifically for the client. Due to the limited square footage, we were able to design many details. For example, symbolism familiar from jurisprudence can be seen in the space’s details. There is also no white surface in the rooms, and the stunning black doors were custom-made and painted on-site. Storage solutions for the offices were designed and drawn specifically for the client to fit seamlessly into the new, spacious, glass-walled offices. “The same furniture may not necessarily be transferable to another office, so we succeeded in creating solutions that perfectly suit this particular client,” explains Lottastiina Hämäläinen from GI.
Pictures: Juho Kuva
Text: Mira Kivivuori
GI has been involved in the journey of the new Pöllökaaso since 2020. The project began with space planning, designing customer, production, and office areas within the office building. GI provided input as needed during the construction phase andsupported the client throughout the building process.
The vision was formed with the client from the early stages of the project. Once the vision was decided and thoroughly thought out, relying on it ensured the desired end result.
The spaces were designed to reflect and support the company’s image. The work environment and the company itself are colorful, joyful, and vibrant, with red being a strong brand color. However, functionality was the most important consideration.
Extensive background work was done to understand the needs of the spaces and their proper placement.
“Our task was to create the best framework for operations. We prioritized MTV’s production and activities in the design,” says Jari Kinnunen from GI. The design also took into account the roughness of Vallila Konepaja area to ensure that the spaces fit well with the environment.
Once the vision was clarified with the management team, the design process continued with a working group consisting of over 30 employees from various teams. They discussed and broke down what the vision practically meant for the lobby, lounge, work spaces, and coffee area. The staff has been actively involved in the design of their work environment. Employees are the best experts in their own work, so it is beneficial to incorporate their views and preferences into the design.
“The involvement of the project team was rewarding. This became a collectively designed entity, where the staff genuinely had the opportunity to influence,” says Kia Koponen from GI.
The design process began with modeling to visualize and present to the client. The employees had the opportunity to influence and vote on elements such as furniture selection.
A carefully thought-out customer journey and memorable visitor experience were key factors in the customer-centric approach. The show image was desired to be maintained throughout the visit, and different functions were prominently displayed. The lobby was designed with impressive red stairs to create a wow effect. As visitors ascend the stairs, they may encounter a news anchor or a studio guest, and upon reaching the top, they can peek behind the scenes with a weather station on one side and a news studio on the other.
“The new facility, where all functions are under the same roof, provided MTV with an opportunity for operational change due to unprecedented openness and visibility,” says Kia.
Moving to new premises was also a significant change for the employees. In the old premises, the operations were spread across different buildings, but now everything is brought together under one roof. Belonging to the same team is emphasized when office workers can see the lounge and studios daily.
Sustainability is an important aspect for both MTV and GI. When it comes to furnishings, recycling was maximized whenever possible.
“We believe furniture should never be discarded just because it’s the wrong color. We prioritize the use of existing good furniture and find the best possible purpose for them instead of buying new ones,” says Jari.
An inventory was made of the old furniture, and approximately 20-30% of the old pieces were utilized in the new spaces. Used electric desks were also purchased for workstations. “The old furniture was seamlessly integrated into the interior design, and it gains a new value in a different context,” says Kia.
GI designs spaces that stand the test of time. Brands evolve, so the spaces need to consider both timelessness and relevance. The design also allows for interchangeable elements, such as illuminated logo signs.
Communication in the project worked excellently, and the spirit of the Pöllölaakso was successfully transferred to Vallila. Throughout the building, everything looks like it the same MTV. Each space has its functional features while maintaining a cohesive visual appearance. The versatile, impressive, and open spaces support the company’s values of collaboration, boldness, and customer focus, and serve as an attraction to support the brand image.
Once again, in collaboration with Reforest Finland Ltd., we have calculated our carbon footprint for the year 2022.
Our carbon footprint is small, but we still want to offset the emissions. The GI designers headed to North Karelia for the weekend, where they planted 300 pine seedlings in the Salokylä landscapes. It was an amazing weekend, doing good for the environment while spending time with our fantastic colleagues!
As part of our interior design services, we offer our clients the opportunity to utilize our developed interior design carbon footprint calculator. This tool provides an estimate of the carbon emissions generated by a new interior design. Designers can use this tool to help minimize the carbon footprint in their design work. If you are interested in learning more about the carbon footprint calculator, we are happy to tell you more about! Our contact info is found here
It is very important for us to take the environment into account in all our activities. Interior Architects Gullstén & Inkinen Oy was Finland’s first design office in 2010, which was accepted into WWF’s Green Office network. We have been carbon neutral since 2019. For our part, we want to slow down climate change and strive to do so by creating visually and physically sustainable spaces, favoring environmentally friendly manufacturers and suppliers, and developing space efficiency and taking into account the life cycle of materials.
Sustainable development has been central to our company’s operations since its inception. Our carbon footprint for the calendar year 2021 has been calculated in cooperation with Reforest Finland Oy. The calculation is based on the international GHG Protocol standard, which allows companies to determine the greenhouse gas emissions of their operations.
Most of our emissions are caused by the heating of our premises. This makes up about 41% of total emissions. The next largest source of emissions was about 26% of workers’ journeys between home and work. Travel to and from work were minimal due to the corona pandemic. From the comparison year 2019, emissions have been reduced by less than half. The total carbon footprint has dropped from 26.4 CO2e tonnes to 10.8 CO2e tonnes. Our results are really small compared to other companies with the same number of employees that do not have production operations.
According to the final report, Gullstén-Inkinen Design & Architecture operates with very low emissions and large reduction measures are not very easy to implement. Emission reductions have been made significantly compared to the previous calculation. Despite the fact that our carbon footprint is already small, we want to offset emissions. We will be planting new pine seedlings in Finland this year during their planting season, after which we can say that we are again a carbon-neutral company.
We have also developed our own calculation tool “Interior Carbon Footprint Calculator” for our customer projects, which can be used in design work to minimize the carbon footprint. The designer can evaluate the material and other choices he / she has made in the design work from the point of view of carbon load. Gaia Consulting has assisted in the development and auditing of the tool. Business Finland.
We offer our customers the opportunity to utilize this tool as part of interior design to integrate carbon load minimization into the design right from the start. The end result of using the tool is a carbon load calculation of how much carbon the new interior will produce for nature.
In addition to various interior design projects, we are avid building renovators. Here are a few ongoing or completed projects that our team of architects have been involved with.
Orion Corporation’s head office
Our largest ongoing renovation project is the renovation of Orion Corporation’s head office, originally designed by architect Juhani Katainen. We work there as chief and architectural designers in addition to interior design. The building’s exterior windows and building technology will be renovated, and the interiors will be almost completely renovated. The construction site is already underway and should be ready by spring 2023. Below is a picture of the construction site.
KOy FMO Tapiola
We are the customer’s designer in the office space change on the 4th floor of KOy FMO Tapiola. The building was originally designed by architect Pekka Helin. At the request of the property owner, we were responsible for transferring the space concept prepared by the customer to implementation plans. The facilities were completed in early February.
Hämeentie 19 ja Käenkuja 3
In the spring of 2020, the repair of the protected windows of the oldest part, the high part of Hämeentie 19, was started. Next is the renovation and replacement of the windows in Käenkuja 3. This is an interesting job, because the windows of this well-built house can be partially repaired at a reasonable cost, without the need to replace them.
Great news! Gullstén-Inkinen Design & Architecture has been awarded in International Property Awards. The award came in Office Interior -category with the Nokia One project, which was implemented in the Nokia Espoo campus in 2019.
The assignment was to transfer Nokia’s head office operations from one building in the Nokia Campus area, Espoo, Finland to another (owned by Nokia) office building built in 2008. The architectural and interior design task included reception and lobby area, restaurant, conference center and office space. The main idea of the visually impressive lobby was to create a groundbreaking concept and an interesting window to the world of Nokia.
The starting point for the restaurant area was to create a multifunctional space and make the restaurant services more effective so that they serve the whole Nokia campus. The plan was to make this area an essential and important part of Nokia’s co-working space.
The International Property Awards are open to residential and commercial property professionals around the globe. They celebrate the highest levels of achievement by companies operating in all sectors of the property and real estate industry. An international Property Award is a world-renowned mark of excellence. That is why we can proudly congratulate the whole design team on a wonderfully accomplished project.
The level of our Award will be revealed on Friday 11th December at the Red Carpet Virtual Event. We raise our glasses in advance for the success – cheers!
At the beginning of the summer we were pleased to be informed that Hanna Gullstén and Jari Inkinen were shortlisted for the 2020 Ornamo Award. Since 2015 has the Ornamo design award been a prestigious collegial recognition for the successful pioneers in their fields.
Hanna and Jari were shortlisted for their decades of experience of design work. Gullstén-Inkinen Design & Architecture has been running successfully over more than 30 years. In that time there have been total 145 employees working in the agency both in domestic and international creative projects. Since the beginning of their career, Hanna and Jari have been driven by values of sustainable development. The pioneer work in the field took a step forward in 2020 when GI became Finland’s first carbon neutral design agency. Today we can offer our clients a valuation of their carbon footprint as a new service. The winner of 2020 Ornamo award is selected in September by Ornamo board’s appointed external expert. Rosa Liksom will select the winner this year.
The Stockholm Furniture Fair 2020 was held again in February. Our designers were delighted to attend the fair, experience the top trends for the year and return to Helsinki with great new inspiration. Here are top three themes to observe for the year 2020, selected by our designers.
Colors
Pantone announced the timeless and elegant Classic Blue as the Color of the Year 2020.
The color Classic Blue was well displayed at the fair stands. In addition to the color of the year, both the exhibition stands and the furniture displayed a diverse color palette. Pastel hues were turned into more muted 70s shades and as a contrast to the muted tones, there were also deep and bright colors at the stands.
Forms
Playfulness was a key word in the forms of furniture. Pieces of furniture were designed to have round shapes and fun details, creating relaxed overall look. Those fun curved shapes were also part of the interior at many fair stands. Edgy graphic design was featured especially on large floor and wall surfaces.
Ecology and Design
A strong theme at this year’s fair was the ecological design which reflected at the fairs stands of several manufacturer. Many products were developed from recycled materials or there were no new products released for the year 2020. In addition to recycled materials, different wood types were commonly used.
Thank you for the inspiration Stockholm, we are already looking forward the next year!
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