Finnish cyber security company WithSecure (former F-Secure) is building its new headquarters in Wood City. Located in Helsinki’s Jätkäsaari, Wood City is a multi-storey wooden block developed by SRV and Stora Enso. Construction kicked off in the spring, and the new facilities will be ready for use in 2024

Wood City already includes two apartment complexes, Supercell’s eight-storey office building, and a three-storey parking garage. The block will be rounded out by WithSecure’s wooden headquarters, which has seven storeys and a basement, totalling roughly 8,700 square metres in area.

The building’s ground floor, basement, elevator shafts and stairwells are made from concrete and floors 1–6 are made with wood. Wood has an impressive presence in various forms in the exterior walls, frame and ceiling structure, and facade cladding. Glulam is used in the frame’s load-bearing columns, while the load-bearing intermediate floor will be made of CLT slab, and the lobby’s sculptural roof will also use CLT in the form of spruce lamellae cladding.

– Wood construction is gradually gaining a foothold in office buildings, as well. From the very start, Wood City sought to change the way business premise construction is approached in Finland. We wanted to create a unique wooden block where impressive design meets sustainable development, says Jouni Forsman, SRV’s Director of Business Premises Construction.

Lifecycle thinking is evident in the choice of materials and energy solutions. Once the complex is complete, the team will apply for an international LEED Platinum environmental certificate. More than 300 square metres of solar panels will be laid out on the roof.

The building was designed in close cooperation with WithSecure. Flexibility for on-site and remote work, employee well-being, and environmental sustainability were all important factors in the design.

Wood City’s main contractor is SRV. Wood City was designed by Anttinen Oiva Architects, whose proposal ”Stories” won the architectural competition for the site. Sweco is in charge of the electrical and structural design. Initially, there were plans to build a hotel at the location, but the ongoing pandemic led to delays that eventually convinced SRV to go with an office building instead.

Read the article in Finnish: Wood Cityn puukortteli täydentyy WithSecuren uudella puutoimistolla