The Helsinki Central Railway Station is one of Finland’s masterpiece. The building was  completed in 1919, has been listed amongst the most beautiful railway stations in the world. From a cultural heritage it was turned into to a world class heritage hotel.

Scandic Grand Central Helsinki is located in the old administrative buildings of the Helsinki Central railway station. It has 500 rooms with meeting and banquet facilities, Scandic Grand Central is among the largest hotels in Finland and true to its its late Art Nouveau roots. The project consisted of the restoration and adaptive reuse of administrative buildings and the contemporary addition that completes the stations north.

The hotel has 491 rooms (373 in the original building and 118 in the new extension), a Brasserie Grand and Bar G 400 seats,  Glass terrace in the courtyard 70 seats and a Grand Ballroom for up to 500 persons”

The vision of the new design is to create a contemporary hotel experience while taking care of one of the most highly valued pieces of architecture” says architect Aleksi Niemeläinen from Futudesign. 

By interpreting Eliel Saarinen’s architecture boldly from a totally new perspective, the idea was to create contemporary architecture that makes both the old and the new elements interesting.”

”You can really feel Saarinen´s spirit at Scandic Grand Central Helsinki. There are still layers of different eras visible, as well as surprising details. It is an inspiring travel destination for history and architecture lovers”, Aleksi Niemeläinen from Futudesign says.

The new plan honours the logic of the original station. Many design details are inspired by Eliel Saarinen’s original plans and applied to modern features like the floor arch windows. The wall materials imitate the Railway Station’s facade with a mix of concrete and red granite to add to the building’s grand appearance. The old corridors, staircases and the original still remaining furniture were carefully restored.