KONE Building

A basic block-like shape was sought for the 18-storey tower building

All protruding structures, such as the ventilation and maintenance systems of the facades were placed under the eaves. ‘Breathing spaces’ have been created within the basic volume in the form of the two-storey entrance vestibule, as well as the 16th floor outdoor terrace delineated by glass walls. The main building materials are glass and steel, with Finnish wood used in the interior in different forms, all of these materials being technically durable as well as timeless and classic, and immune to fashion trends.

The main vertical connections in the building, the south facing panoramic lifts, run along a lift-shaft extending the whole height of the building. This lift-shaft acts as a heat valve for the offices, controlling the heat gains from the glazed south facade. The base and the top of the lift-shaft have automatic ventilation hatches through which excess heat can be removed. In designing the facade, visible diagonal bracing has been avoided, so that there are no motifs competing against either the horizontal landscape or the vertical lift theme.

On the east and west sides of the building natural light is supplied to the offices through a window strip 2.3 m tall. These facades also have an outer secondary glazed facade which with its silk-screened laminated glass prevents excessive heat from penetrating the office spaces. Furthermore, the double facade ‘raincoat’ guarantees maximal durability, for instance, against the increased wind and water pressure higher up in the tall tower-like building. The frame was realized as a steel-concrete composite structure with long structural spans and floor levels with three pillars only as a result.