Originally designed by Finnish-American architect Eliel Saarinen in 1909, the Helsinki Central Railway Station has been revived by locally based Soini & Horto Architects to serve as a new hotel. The Scandic Grand Central—now one of the largest hotels in Finland—honors its Art Nouveau roots through an adaptive reuse and contemporary additions crafted by Finnish firm Futudesign and an interior design scheme spearheaded by Puroplan.
“The vision of the new design is to create a contemporary hotel experience while taking care of one of the most highly valued pieces of architecture” says Futudesign partner and architect Aleksi Niemeläinen. “By interpreting Eliel Saarinen’s architecture boldly from a totally new perspective, the idea was to create contemporary architecture that makes both the old and the new elements interesting.”
The layout adheres to Saarinen’s original indented façade principle, while original plans, like arch windows, are applied to new features in the project. A mix of concrete and red granite establishes uniformity between the exterior and interior to produce a seamless restorative vision.
In addition to the Brasserie Grand and Bar G, a glass terrace in the courtyard accommodates up to 70 guests, while a 500-person ballroom serves as the main event space. A total of 491 guestrooms are spread across both the original structure and the extension as well.
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