The 18-floor Kone Office Building with the uncluttered block-like tower form is located in Keilaniemi in Espoo. All cantilevered structures, such as the structures of the ventilation system and the façade maintenance systems are built under the eaves level. The basic shape contains certain “relief openings”, for example the two storeys tall lobby and the glass-walled outdoor patio on the 16th floor. The building materials; glass and steel, as well as Finnish wood in its various forms in the interior structures, were selected based on their technical endurance, timelessness and classical nature.
Double
facade to the west.
The main vertical connections, the panorama lifts with southward views, run in a full-height glass shaft. The lift tower, which protects the office facilities also serves as a heat trap to control heat loads on the south elevation. Automatic ventilation hatches at the bottom and top end of the lift tower eliminate excess heat. Visible diagonal stiffeners have been purposefully left out from the frame and the façades to avoid subjects competing with the horizontal landscape on one hand, and the vertical lift theme on the other hand.
Southern
facade composed of the panorama lifts.
2.3 m high continuous windows allow natural light into the workrooms on the east and west sides of the building. The external glass façades on these sides also contribute to the elimination of excessive heat radiation, thanks to their screen printed, patterned glass panes. The double façade also serves as a raincoat, maximising the resistance of the tall, tower-type building’s façades against the increased wind loads and water pressure on higher floors.
The frame of the intermediate floors has been realised in steel-concrete composite construction, with a span of ca. 12.5 m in the primary beams and 8.1 m in the secondary beams. Owing to the long spans, there are only three columns on each office level. The slender steel columns have a fire resistance of 2 hours, achieved by using cast in situ reinforced concrete filling.
View
from the entrance hall.
The steel-concrete composite construction of the intermediate floors was considered the most natural choice for the tall building. The steel structures of the intermediate floor and the sheet metal used as a form could be pre-assembled on the ground into large entities and lifted in place in one go. Steel construction also made it possible to raise the beams so that once the slabs and the frame had settled during the construction period, the intermediate floors were horizontal and no cement topping was needed. The main beams are welded I beams and the secondary beams are IPE 300 profiles.
Completed in summer 2001
Total area: 9 787 m2
Floor area: 8 430 m2
Volume: 42 167 m3
Photographs: Jussi Tiainen