Minerva Ahokanto, Reconstruction
Renovating buildings is the best form of sustainable development and building conservation.
I am Minerva Ahokanto, an architect. I have always been fascinated by the stories of buildings.
As a reconstruction architect, I am fortunate to have had the opportunity to design and study many different buildings from different eras. The oldest buildings date from the 19th century and the newest from the 1990s. I have worked on several demanding renovation projects as a principal designer and architect in charge. The most recent and at the same time exceptionally demanding of my completed projects was the Scandic Grand Central Hotel, built in the administration building of the Helsinki Central Station.
Particularly interesting renovation projects have been the changes of use and renovation of protected buildings. In protected sites, I have been able to learn about the history of the building, and I have also carried out building history surveys and inventories, which have also helped me in my design work. Hidden layers often reveal old original surfaces underneath; for example, during the renovation of the office space at Mikonkatu 19, a magnificent ceiling painting from the 1920s was revealed under the suspended ceilings of the restaurant space.
The change of use of the Central Station’s administration building to a hotel required special skills and a willingness to overcome the challenges of a demanding site from all parties involved in the project. The site, which is of historical and urban significance, is located in the busy centre of Helsinki, on the railway platform area of the Central Station. For this reason, an important objective in the design of the hotel rooms was their quietness. The building’s original windows were retained and modified to suit their individual locations. Acoustic measurements were taken to determine which windows required new inner glass and which only needed to be renovated and sealed.
In line with the building’s conservation criteria, 373 different types of rooms were created in the hotel. The hotel rooms and bathrooms varied in size and shape, which imposed fire, sound and building services engineering constraints on both design and construction. Cooperation, communication and coordination are particularly important in the implementation of large sites. Therefore, the Finnish Heritage Agency, among other authorities, was regularly consulted on various solutions.
The building has now been renovated both inside and out, but the change is not visible to the naked eye. This was the goal for such an important protected site. A special mention must be made of the fact that the architects of the site were nominated for the Rakentamisen Ruusu award in 2021.Renovating buildings is the best form of sustainable development and building conservation. A building that is kept in use and in good condition is best preserved. Even more efficient systems for recycling building components are needed. Tiles removed from one site may be necessary for the renovation of another site. Interpreting the current regulations in the context of changes of use requires good cooperation with the authorities.
In this age of technology, I would like to remind you that construction is always the result of cooperation between people.
Minerva Ahokanto
Senior Architect SAFA
