Ramboll selected as structural designer for the construction of the new Helsinki Central Library

The new Helsinki Central Library is one of the most demanding construction engineering projects Finland has seen. The building will be an eco-efficient masterpiece of structures made of steel and glass.

Copenhagen, Denmark, 8-4-2014 — /EuropaWire/ — The new Helsinki Central Library in Finland will be a unique meeting place for all city residents, where library users are not only consumers of culture but also active participants of society. In terms of structural engineering, this multi-form and impressive library will be one of the most demanding projects carried out in Finland.

Ramboll has been selected as the structural designer of the Central Library. Ramboll’s Finnish experts have joined forces with the company’s best structural engineering competence in Denmark and Great Britain.

“The Central Library will be one of the most prominent buildings in Helsinki thanks to its central location by Töölönlahti bay as well as its – by Finnish standards – progressive and unique architecture. The project comes with construction engineering challenges, such as a bridge structure that forms the framework of the over 90-metre-long library building. Therefore, it would be fair to say that the building is among the most demanding construction engineering projects Finland has seen,” says Buildings Director Juha Valtari of Ramboll.

The library building will be a masterpiece of structures made of steel and glass and also meet energy efficiency requirements. It will be a nearly zero-energy building with a gross area of 16,000 m2. Its demanding framework combines steel and concrete, and the façade is an impressive symphony of glass and wood.

A high-quality, eco-efficient and timeless building

The building will be an energy-efficient, nearly zero-energy building. In the choice of materials and structural solutions the aim is for material efficiency.

The new library will be a modern and exuberant addition to the Töölönlahti bay’s cultural hub and provide city residents with a cultural living room and a multimedia centre hosting a variety of events. The Central Library will bring together citizens’ knowledge, skills and stories in workshops, discussions, studies and hobbies.

The library is estimated to be to some extent ready for Finland’s 100 year celebration in 2017, and it will open for public in 2018.

Contact

Tapio Aho
Director, Design Services
Phone +358 50 553 9290
E-mail tapio.aho@ramboll.fi
Website www.ramboll.fi

Juha Valtari
Director, Buildings
Phone +358 400 908 817
E-mail juha.valtari@ramboll.fi
Website www.ramboll.fi

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Ramboll selected as structural designer for the construction of the new Helsinki Central Library