GI 30 years – from a boiler room on Temppelikatu to an old bus factory in Vallila


Gullstén-Inkinen Design & Architecture celebrates their 30th anniversary this autumn.

In 30 years we have grown from a two-person den into a design and architecture agency of over 20 people. During this time we have also seen many projects of different shapes and sizes. We have gone from designing private homes and exhibition stands to larger spaces such as hotels, restaurants and offices for international listed companies as well as adaptive reuse of existing buildings.

We have designed a couple of million square meters of space and are gazing forwards, towards a bright future.  When asked what he thinks of the company reaching the 30-year-milestone, CEO Jari Inkinen responds:

“I bet almost every Finnish adult has worked, studied, slept or at least eaten in premises we have designed. The results of our work have affected a great number of people and their daily lives. Although most of our work has been done in the Helsinki metropolitan area, our designs can be found far from our hometown Helsinki, up to Lapland, Moscow, Oslo, Copenhagen, Stockholm – even Singapore and Shanghai. Still, our hometown is the dearest.”

We celebrate our 30th anniversary by driving around Helsinki in a tram. On the route, we have selected 30 of our design projects from the couple of hundred projects over the years. The list includes e.g. renovation of Cafe Vanha of the Old Student House (1988), Sanoma House (1999), Burger King on the Central Railway Station (2014) and headquarters of Amer Sports in an old storehouse in Vallila, among many others. Many a fun anecdote has originated from these sites, as different kinds of adventures often take place during the consturcion before the project is completed and the customer is satisfied.

GI office has been located on Lemuntie, at a former bus body factory in Vallilan Akseli building. Today, a staff of over twenty architects, interior architects, work environment consultants and other experts in their field, work in these premises. Design projects underway include Telia’s new headquarters in Pasila’s Tripla complex, SOK’s hotel in Kupittaa, Turku, renovation of Hotel Klaus K on Bulevardi and Uusikumpu elementary school in the former Outokumpu headquarters in Espoo. On top of this, we are currently working on approx. 50 other design projects at the moment.