Helander (Catan´s House)

Renovation of a Listed Building and Integration into Hotel Kämp

Helander House is a residential and commercial building, designed by architect Theodor Höijer and completed in 1890, representing the Neo-Renaissance style. The café Catan, which once operated on the ground floor, has given the building its alternative name. From the 1930s onwards, the residential floors from the second floor upwards were gradually converted to office use, and by the 1960s, the entire building was used for offices and commercial premises.

The renovation and change-of-use project initiated in 2022 was based on the neighbouring Hotel Kämp’s need for additional space. Floors 2–5 of Helander House were refurbished into hotel rooms and suites, and the previously unheated street-level passage was converted into a warm corridor.

During the project, the building’s façades, which have remained almost original, were restored, and the decoratively painted main staircase was conserved. The preserved basic structure of the house, including the load-bearing brick exterior walls, the double wall in the centre, and original building elements such as wooden windows, tiled stoves, and old wooden panelled doors, were retained. The original wooden intermediate floors had to be replaced with reinforced concrete floors to dampen street vibration in the areas converted for hotel use. The City of Helsinki also contributed to vibration reduction by refurbishing the surface structures of Pohjoisesplanadi street in 2024. The renovation of Helander House was completed in spring 2025, and the new hotel rooms were connected to Hotel Kämp through a new internal passageway.

Helander House is protected with an sr-1 designation in the 1997 town plan and is part of the nationally significant built cultural environment of Esplanadi – Bulevardi streets. A conservation management plan was prepared for the building as part of the renovation project.

Sarc + Sigge Architects were responsible for the main and architectural design of the extensive renovation project. Construction and alteration works were carried out in collaboration with the Helsinki City Museum.