Solo Sokos Hotel Helsinki opened its doors after the interior renovation work and now stands out in its new facade lighting. The renewed lighting also communicates the renovations made inside the building.
Located on the corner of Kluuvikatu and Yliopistonkatu, Hotel Helsinki opened for the first time in 1930 in the Suomalainen Säästöpankki business building. When the hotel was completed, it was Finland’s first large hotel. The classicist building was originally designed by architect Pauli E. Blomstedt.
- Type Facade lighting
- Location Helsinki
- Completion year 2022
- Customer Sokotel
During the day, the hotel’s architecture stands out with the beautiful details of the attic floor and the dark, warm-toned terrace surface of the facade, the recesses of the windows, and the awnings on the street. During the dark time, the hotel almost drowned in the surrounding light noise. The cool-toned facade fixtures stood out strongly as furniture and as a factor shaping the view, forming intense light and shadow formations on the wall surfaces, while the decoration of the top floor remained dark.
The customer already knew Valoa through previous successful projects and contacted us. The client wanted to make the new lighting more inviting and distinctive but still relatively light and simple. The goal was to make the street level brighter because it was perceived as dark in the evenings.
“A fairly moderate and style-appropriate lighting solution was made for Hotel Helsinki. The lighting softly brings out the terrace surface of the building and naturally emphasizes verticality and tall window lines. The light also brings out the decorative details of the roof layer. They go unnoticed by many even during the day,” comments lighting designer Antti Hiltunen.
Lighting solutions were visualized as hand sketches and with the help of images compiled from test lighting. Based on the client’s wishes, the necessary negotiations and permit issues with the Building Control Services were reviewed with the architect Eero Mustonen. The lighting was modeled on the 3D model still in use, making it easy to discuss lighting solutions and options. The model was also utilized for producing a fixture map.
The new lighting has a warm tone, and the fixtures are unnoticeable in the dark. By highlighting the entrances to the street space, the front of the hotel no longer feels dark. The light at the main entrance was fixed during the renovation, and the warm accent lighting on the surfaces brings an inviting feel to the entrance.
The hotel is in a challenging location in terms of views, in a somewhat tight corner, where it is easily overlooked. Now the street level is lit, the building and its drowned details stand out, and the environment has also received more light. The hotel invites you in to admire the renovations.
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