Mikonkatu 7 renovation, Helsinki

We repaired and expanded the office space of a listed building in the centre of Helsinki.

We carried out the renovation and extension of a property located at Mikonkatu 7, in the centre of Helsinki, for Ilmarinen Mutual Pension Insurance Company. The renovation project brings modern, high-quality and adaptable head-office-level office premises and new commercial premises to the city centre. The property is centrally located at the corner of Yliopistonkatu and Mikonkatu and offers unique city views towards Ateneum and the Railway Square.

The property at Mikonkatu 7 was originally completed in 1910 and had three floors at that time. Over the years, the building has been altered and raised multiple times. The building is listed and the project plans are drawn up in cooperation with various authorities.

The project comprises the complete renovation of the building. The property has nearly 6,000 square metres of leasable office premises, and the ground floor has 2,000 square metres of commercial premises. The construction began in November 2019 and will be completed partly in spring and partly by the end of the year 2022.

The six-storey building was renovated into a modern office building by demolishing and replacing a large proportion of the old indoor structures and renewing the technical building systems. The project included extensive structural demolitions, such as changing the placement of lifts and staircases and demolishing all internal structures and technical building systems. The roofs were replaced, and a new atrium with a glazed roof was built in the courtyard. The street-side corner was renovated and it makes a new main entrance to the offices. There will be new commercial premises on the first floor, and all the facades have been renovated.

The waste management facilities located in the basement of the property are shared by three different properties, and therefore the facilities had to be available throughout the renovation. The central location requires that the project be implemented without disturbing surrounding operators, such as the adjacent hotel or the traffic passing the site.

“At construction sites such as Mikonkatu 7, logistics must follow a very precise timetable,” says Kalevi Stenman, Vice President, YIT Business Premises Renovation.

YIT has previously carried out several successful projects for Ilmarinen, including the renovation of the property at Mikonkatu 9, which was completed in November 2018.

“Our experiences of previous projects with YIT have proven that they have the necessary competence for complex renovation projects,” says Construction Manager Niina Nurminen from Ilmarinen.

Renovation services