Housing | A prestigious building in Helsinki became a luxury apartment building: This kind of housing is offered to the rich

Helsinki luxury apartments have been completed in the historic 19th-century building in the center.

HS visited the luxury apartment building and the pictures show the history of the building as well as the new, luxurious amenities.

The apartment building located in Yrjönkatu 2 has previously served the Söderström publishing house and several ministries.

At first, the premises housed a spa offering medical treatments and rental apartments, the last of which were converted into offices in the 1970s.

Now the building has been returned to its original purpose. It has built luxury apartments and luxurious services for residents, for example its own spa.

The house is more like a fine hotel than an apartment building. Architect Vesa Laukkanen according to the building, an effort has been made to preserve the old spirit and combine it with modern conveniences.

Apartments there are almost 40. More than half of them have already been sold. The sizes of the apartments vary from a studio of less than 30 square meters to a six-room apartment of more than 200 square meters. Room height is at best more than three meters.

The building differs from the usual mass production of housing construction in many ways. Almost all apartments, for example, differ from each other. Builder Raimo Sarajärvi describes the apartments as “unique”.

“The residents here do not have the same apartments as their neighbors.”

Housing are also different in size than usual: the average size in Yrjönkatu is about one hundred square meters. The average surface area of ​​apartment buildings in Helsinki was less than 60 square meters the other year.

You can see the difference in the loft-style apartment on the fourth floor, which has a spiral staircase in the middle. The circular bathroom, on the other hand, is made in the former maid's staircase and technical equipment shaft.

Another apartment in the same room has a circular sauna.

In the biggest ones the apartments have separate bathrooms in the master bedrooms. Water lines and other technology are hidden under surfaces for aesthetic reasons.

The equipment lock in the kitchens is also different from usual. Coffee machines and wine cabinets are built into the furniture.

For maintenance, there is a special hatch above the front door, from which you can access the technology. The purpose is that employees do not have to adjust devices in the living space.

The two of you and the six-month construction project cost 54 million euros. Inside, the building was almost completely demolished and rebuilt to meet modern living needs.

The stairwells and facade of the building are protected.

Each stairwell is a work of art in its own way, as they have had different master painters at one time. Now the conservators have scraped the original outfit from under the layers of paint of decades, to which the stairwells have been restored.

“It wasn't just a day's work,” says Sarajärvi.

“I don't think ten thousand hours is enough,” adds Laukkanen.

The stairwell there are worn spots from the faded painting left on the walls. The museum authorities are said to have visited the construction site a dozen times for inspection and negotiation.

Traces of craftsmanship can also be seen outside in the wooden window frames. When you look at them carefully, you will notice the brush marks.

It is also rare for prestigious buildings in the city center that glazed balconies have been built in the courtyard.

Target is among the most expensive in Helsinki.

The prices per square meter of apartments range from 15,000 to 20,000 euros. More than three million euros are being asked briskly for the penthouse.

“Unfortunately, even at these prices, this is still not a tough business,” Sarajärvi claims.

He describes the spa, where we go down next by elevator, as a real business nightmare.

There are many square meters that cannot be sold and turned into money, but their purpose is to attract residents. Converting a space into a spa is also more difficult than building a traditional cage storage.

In the elevator on the way to the spa, passengers are entertained by a digital screen that flashes images of the world's metropolises. In addition, it tells you the date, time and weather forecast.

There is still time to get an umbrella or fur hat from home.

An approximately ten-meter swimming pool equipped with a countercurrent device has been excavated in the basement.

After the sauna, you can also take a dip in the six-degree cold water pool or sit on the heated divan under glare-free lamps.

In addition to the apartments, the building has business premises for rent. A celebrity chef opened in Kivijalka in November Hans Välimäki gastropub The Rook.

Finally we visit the living room in the attic used by the residents. There is also a gigantic roof terrace.

“Here you can bake peppers and serve mulled wine to your friends,” describes Sarajärvi.

Even though the construction industry and the housing market are coughing, Sarajärvi is confident that the remaining apartments will still sell.

“You have to stand out with quality. Location and quality are always in demand. Selling such an object is not so dependent on interest rates.”

The building historical survey of Ratakatu 3 (Senaatti-kinteistöt and Arkkitehtoimisto Ark-byroo, 2014) has also been used as a source for the article.