Olla » Works » Renovation » Eerikinkatu 4

A rarity in central Helsinki: Olla designed the renovation of a Neo-Renaissance building complex

Eerikinkatu 4

Location: Helsinki, Finland
Area: 2800 m²
Client: Juho Vainio Foundation
Completio year: 2025

Eerikinkatu 4 consists of three buildings of different ages, all of which are nevertheless well over a hundred years old. When Olla was commissioned to design additional construction and attic apartments for the building complex located in the heart of Helsinki, the plot was still governed by a town plan dating back to 1836 and was subject to a building ban. Olla prepared a reference plan for a zoning amendment in collaboration with the Helsinki City Museum and developed a solution that preserves the site’s historic building stock.

The street-facing main building is a Neo-Renaissance stone building designed by Theodor Höijer and completed in 1896. In the renovation project designed by Olla, the valuable and refined building was comprehensively refurbished, and four distinctive apartments were created in the attic. The commercial spaces at street level, as well as the offices on the second and third floors, were renovated to support contemporary business use while respecting the architectural character of the listed building.

The courtyard building originally served as accommodation for domestic staff. Very few buildings of a similar age, once considered modest in nature, have survived in Helsinki.

Located in the inner courtyard is a log-built courtyard building completed in 1875. The warm and distinctive character of the building dates also to the Neo-Renaissance period. This small, characterful structure represents a type of wooden construction that has become rare in Helsinki’s inner city and, as former servants’ quarters, forms part of a secondary building stock that was extensively demolished during the 20th century.

A building survey revealed that recycled materials and reused building components had already been employed in the original construction: none of the remaining original doors or windows are the same size. As part of the renovation, office spaces were created within the courtyard building, respecting its unique spirit and material palette.

The buildings are unified by a shared light beige façade colour, expressed in the rendered façade of the main building and the timber cladding of the wooden structure. Each building also features its own accent colours: in the main building, the reddish-brown window frames and the red granite plinth; in the wooden building, the dark brown window frames and cladding boards, as well as the grey tones of the natural stone plinth and concrete.

Despite the small size of the site, the ensemble displays a rich sense of diversity and layering. The design process sought to preserve the distinctive style and original qualities of each building while striving for a harmonious and cohesive overall result.