A lot of shipping companies prefer to be based near the water so they can closer to their operations, but Finnish company Arctia Shipping Ltd has taken that idea to the next level.
Designed by K2S Architects, the 950 square meter office proudly floats in the Helsinki harbour. The idea for the building came about through Arctia’s need to have management and ground personnel as close to their ships as possible. The floating structure also meant the local land and landscape wasn’t affected during the construction process.
Mikko Summanen, K2S architect said, “There was not enough space on ground and this solution also allows the company to move the office building into another location if necessary.”.
The building’s distinctive design was based on the large hulls conspicuous in Arctia’s fleet of icebreaker ships. “We are pleased with the facade system we especially developed for this building.” continues Summanen. “The corrugated sea aluminum panels are perforated with a pattern that is inspired by patterns of ice and sailors textiles.”.
The idea of a floating office may seem a little unusual in the UK, but given the island nature of the country, it perhaps makes a lot of sense – floating structures are highly mobile, and can offer many different kinds of services in a city at the right time and place. And when you need to relocate, simply hook it up to a ship and move it down the coast!