SRV GROUP PLC PRESS RELEASE 2 JULY 2024 at 11:00 EEST
WithSecure headquarters completed in Wood City, Jätkäsaari – a net zero-emission building with a positive carbon handprint
The new headquarters for cybersecurity company WithSecure have been completed in Jätkäsaari, Helsinki. The mainly timber-framed building has a large carbon handprint and is one of the first projects in Finland to comply with the new EU taxonomy. The owner is Union Investment, a German real estate investment and asset management company. The lifecycle-wise building is part of Wood City, a unique wooden quarter that has been developed by SRV.
“The completion of WithSecure’s office also marks the successful completion of the Wood City wooden quarter. This is both a unique construction project and a flagship for Finnish wood construction that we’ve been developing for a decade. The quarter has also attracted plenty of interest internationally, and it’s been a delight to add more lifecycle-wise buildings to our city”, says Mira Alatalo, the Director of SRV’s Business Premises unit in the Helsinki Metropolitan Area.
“We were able to make full use of our lifecycle-wise expertise in the construction of WithSecure’s office. This net zero-emission building will act as a carbon sink and provide energy-efficient premises for its users”, says Mira Alatalo.
The building also has a large carbon handprint of 6 kilograms of carbon dioxide equivalent per square metre per year compared to a typical handprint of around 1–2 kg. A total of about 600 tons of wood have been used in the building’s construction, which will bind a total of approximately 250 tons of carbon dioxide. The office has been designed to be extremely energy efficient and will both optimise energy consumption and recycle energy during occupancy. Over 200 square metres of solar panels have been installed on the office building’s roof. SRV will be applying for an international LEED Platinum environmental certificate for the building, which has an energy class of A.
“We warmly welcome WithSecure in its new headquarters. We are also pleased that this net-zero emissions building was completed on time and thank SRV for the good cooperation. Back in 2018, we set ourselves the goal of achieving climate neutrality with our global real estate portfolio by 2050. WithSecure’s new headquarter in Wood City fits perfectly with this strategy”, says Martin Schellein, Head of Investment Management Europe, Union Investment.
Modern premises to meet WithSecure’s needs
The building was designed in close cooperation with WithSecure on the basis of the company’s needs. SRV proactively asked about and listened to the user’s wishes. Cooperation with the user’s partners and expert consultants also played a major role in the process. The aim was to create a working environment to suit the company’s culture and operations, and to provide employees with pleasant and comfortable surroundings both now and in the future. WithSecure will move into its new energy-efficient premises in late 2024.
“The completion of our Wood City office is a major milestone for WithSecure. As a software and service company, our personnel are our most important asset and Wood City will play a major role in increasing wellbeing”, says Charlotte Guillou, WithSecure’s Chief People Officer. “The new premises will provide the best possible environment for boosting creativity and interaction in pleasant and comfortable surroundings. In Wood City, we’re building a more sustainable society.”
The office building consists of seven above-ground storeys and a basement and has a total floor area of about 8,700 square metres. The quarter is designed by Anttinen Oiva Architects Ltd.
Solid wood cross-laminated timber and Glulam pillars
WithSecure’s office is mainly built of wood. Its construction began with excavation work in summer 2022. The installation of the building’s timber frame started in March 2023 and took twelve weeks. Installation of the wooden façade began in June 2023. About 100 people were working on the site when construction was at its peak, and a total of about 1,300 employees received site onboarding.
Wood has been used in many forms with spectacular results – as a material for exterior walls, the timber frame, the attic floor and façade cladding. 197 Glulam pillars were installed as load-bearing structures for the timber frame. The load-bearing intermediate floor used a total of 313 cross-laminated timber (CLT) slabs. As with the other buildings in the wooden quarter, the façade cladding was made of Accoya wood panels – of which almost a kilometre was installed. Accoya acquires a beautiful grey tone after a couple of years.
The sculptural decoration on the lobby’s suspended ceiling was created using spruce cross-laminated timber and required 46 cubic metres of raw CLT panels.
Additional information:
Mira Alatalo, Unit Director, Business Premises, Helsinki Metropolitan Area, SRV, tel. +358 (0)40 511 8959, mira.alatalo@srv.fi
Heidi Tetteh, Communications Manager, SRV, tel. +358 (0)40 662 3220, heidi.tetteh@srv.fi
Inari Anttila, Comms & PR Manager, WithSecure, tel. +358 (0)43 824 0090, inari.anttila@withsecure.com
Image used in the bulletin: SRV
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SRV in brief
SRV is a Finnish developer and innovator in the construction industry. We are building a more sustainable and responsible urban environment that fosters economic value and takes the well-being of both the environment and people into consideration. We call this approach life-cycle wisdom. Our genuine engagement and enthusiasm for our work comes across in every encounter – and listening is one of our most important ways of working. We believe that the only way to change the world is through discussion.
Our company, established in 1987, is listed on the Helsinki Stock Exchange. We operate in growth centres in Finland. In 2023, our revenue totalled EUR 610 million. In addition to approximately 800 in-house staff, we have a network of around 3,300 partners.
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