Mehiläinen

The spatial design was based on a project aimed at clarifying the shared objective of Mehiläinen with regard to future spatial solutions. Based on the needs assessment, the team decided to combine premises at several different addresses to create encounters and synergies between different functions. Mehiläinen’s iconic building in Töölö continues to house the medical centre and hospital.

The next step after the needs assessment was to select and design the office property. “During the project, we questioned the familiar ways of doing things and genuinely thought about how people will work in the future and what kind of an office supports their work. The aim was to create an attractive, high-quality office that promotes a sense of community,” explain Sini Ala-Nikula and Jenny Soldan, Design Strategists for the project.

• Encounters between Mehiläinen employees and with other stakeholders. The new office is a cosy working environment that brings people together, supporting collaboration and allowing employees to see what others are doing.
• Hotel atmosphere and different Mehiläinen employees. Creating a hotel-like atmosphere, especially in meeting rooms. Facilities solutions support Mehiläinen’s agile corporate culture and different ways of working. The services work seamlessly together and support daily work and well-being.
• Flexible and versatile use between and within different locations. Spaces can be reserved as needed instead of owning them, and tribal areas and different types of space support innovation and recovery.

Rune & Berg Design carried out a needs assessment, spatial adaptations and an assessment of the spatial requirements to support Mehiläinen’s decision on the premises and designed a new office on the 6th and 7th floors of the Arkadia building. The design process covered the interior design and graphic look of the space, as well as project coordination during their implementation. The premises on the sixth floor were already leased by Mehiläinen and had been re-designed quite recently, so as few changes as possible were made to them and the work was concentrated on the top floor. “We created a floor plan for the sixth floor to update the functionalities and create a uniform look that connects the two floors. In general, we reused and repaired everything we could in the property. For example, existing ceilings and lighting rails were used in most of the premises,” says Kaisa Sinisalo, Interior Architect.

Mehiläinen’s new premises have fewer square metres than before, but the use of the premises is even more flexible. The office spans two floors and offers a wide range of spaces for focused work, joint brainstorming and hybrid meetings, for example. The heart of the office is the working cafe on the top floor, which also has a terrace over the Kamppi roofs. There are team workspaces on both sides of the cafe and on the lower floor, and they are divided into spaces for silent and loud work and based on different ways of working. The use of the spaces is based on team days, flexibility and each team’s own areas, which make it easier to find the closest colleagues. “The spaces are really nice and comfortable, they offer an excellent setting for work and also support Teams meetings well. The atmosphere of the premises reflects Mehiläinen’s status as an international company. It’s great that we now have such an elegant setting for welcoming guests to our premises,” Mariia says.

Read Mehiläinen’s press release on the centralised head office.