The bakery, confectionary and food products company Fazer is one of the best known Finnish brands with a strong heritage. The refurbishment and extension of the head quarters is a continuation of the redevelopment of the factory area which started with the erection of the new Fazer visitor center also designed by K2S Architects. 

The headquarters consists of several existing buildings from different decades. The oldest part called MAKO is from 1966 originally designed by architect Kurt Simberg. The facades and original interiors have been carefully renovated where as the interiors of less historical value were modernized to meet contemporary working environments’ needs. The dark chocolate brown façade tiles were remanufactured according to the original tiles.

The newest existing office wing, built in 1988, was completely refurbished including the facades. Here only the bearing concrete frame remained. For the facades, a customized polymer concrete element was developed. The inspiration for the 3d pattern arouse from the patters in many historical Fazer products.

The new meeting center between the visitor center and the old office buildings serves as the new main entrance for the headquarters. This allows easy indoor access from the Meeting Center both towards the Visitor Center and the existing offices and factories. This results in synergy and effectivity in the usage of space.

The freeform architecture of the new meeting center is intentionally different from the old orthogonal office and factory buildings. The open and airy lobby with its’ large conical top light is the heart of the meeting center. White concrete, glass and warm wooden surfaces are the dominant materials in the building.

As part of the overall architectonic project for the factory, which belongs to the largest chocolate producer in Finland, the facades of the existing buildings were refurbished with a highly developed form of the Creaktive Range in a 3D texture.

The architectural firm K2S ARCHITECTS was in charge of designing this project, under the direction of the architect Mikko Summannen.

ENDLESS CUSTOMIZATION POSSIBILITIES

The degree to which the polymer concrete ventilated facades can be personalised and textured, among other factors, played an important role in the architect’s decision to use ULMA’s systems for refurbishing the buildings.

A totally exclusive and unique texture, inspired by the triangular shapes of one of the brand’s star products, was developed for the project in close cooperation with ULMA’s technical department. As the architect Summannen told us: “The idea for the 3D texture was to reference the wafers and the famous chocolates made by this producer, although it is still an abstract pattern that doesn’t reproduce any specific shape”.

As he explained, “We had a very tight schedule, we were practically designing and developing new ideas at the same time as building. For this reason, we appreciated that the architect in ULMA’s team understood our desire to move forward with this unique texture, in the shortest possible amount of time. Furthermore, the final result was very precise and in line with our expectations, so we were very satisfied with the design”.

But the development time wasn’t the only challenge. As ULMA’s architect told us, “The biggest complication for us was the challenge of ensuring that the designed pattern was continuous between the panels, so that they would fit perfectly together”.

By working closely and continuously together to overcome the challenges, the architect and the manufacturer have made this 3D texture a reality, creating a unique and spectacular aesthetic for the project, independently of the advantages of using this construction system, such as energy savings, protection from atmospheric agents, durability and the little maintenance required, as well as the modernisation and revaluation of the buildings themselves.