Gardenia was a refreshing place to visit, where you could relax and enjoy the warmth of the tropics. The site is a part of an historic rural area adjoining the Vikki nature reserve on the outskirts of Helsinki. The Gardenia complex consists of the main building and two blocks of business premises.
An opening to the landscape
The buildings are located at the northern edge of the site, sheltering the area from the traffic and allowing the structure to open up to the landscape towards the south. The business premises consist of shops on the ground floor and offices upstairs. An urban square allows fairs and exhibitions to be arranged flexibly.
The principal attraction of the main building is the Winter Garden with its tropical plant collection. There is also nature school for children and premises that can be let out for conferences or family occasions.
The main structure of the Winter Garden consists of free-standing steel frames with curtain wall façades in patent glazing. The load-bearing walls in other parts of the building are concrete.
Façades and interior finishes are of glass, steel, concrete, plywood, timber boarding and pre-patinated zinc. High performance solar control glass Pilkington Suncool™ 66/33 was used to provide good thermal comfort for the Winter Garden. It provides both solar control in the summer and thermal insulation in winter time.
Unfortunately, in June 2015, the Helsinki City Government decided to close down Gardenia, which had not been financially viable. The garden was last opened on Monday, November 30, 2015.
Photography: Jussi Tiainen