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Resource efficiency through recycling and greenery solutions

Swing House in Keilaniemi, Espoo, is designed for the wellbeing of the users and the environment.

Swing House features a vertical green wall, which is connected to the central staircase and reaches up to the seventh floor. It is an aesthetic experience and also offers many benefits: in addition to plants that clean the indoor air, various herbs used by the restaurant also grow on the wall, and watering is taken care of by the property’s rainwater system. There are plenty of plants throughout the building: they help purify the indoor air while providing a calming and balancing ambiance.

The property also has a partial green roof, which has a practical purpose: it serves as sound abatement, absorbs and filters rainwater and melting snow, and captures carbon from the atmosphere. The green roof also insulates, which helps reduce the energy consumption of the building. In the summer, the green roof shields against the heat of the sun, cooling down the building, while in the winter it helps keep the heat in.

Besides innovative greenery solutions, the carbon footprint of the property is further reduced by excellent recycling facilities with the aim of minimising the volume of mixed waste while keeping valuable natural resources in circulation.

“Swing House supports our tenants’ sustainability efforts. WELL v2 Gold certified, the property has been designed with an extensive focus on the environmental, health and wellbeing aspects,” says Antti Pyötsiä, Head of Projects at Elo Mutual Pension Insurance Company.

Read more about the facilities at Swing House.
Looking for business premises? Let us help you to find the right space for your company!

Merja Rikkonen
Elo office leasing
merja.rikkonen@newsec.fi
+358 (0)50 344 3050

Can the office be our happy place?

Tenants’ health and satisfaction are the second phase of sustainability, says Finland’s first WELL Accredited Professional, Robbie McGrath.

WELL™ is the first global building rating system to focus exclusively on the ways that buildings can improve our comfort, drive better choices, and generally enhance our health and wellness. Issued by The International WELL Building Institute (IWBI™), the WELL v2 certificate covers ten core concepts of health, and over 100 features prioritizing holistic well-being. Qualities like air, light, movement, materials and sound are evaluated to guarantee the best possible work environment.

“WELL offers a holistic approach to work environments. As LEED and BREEAM focus more on the environmental impact of buildings, WELL brings stakeholders together early on to design how the building can benefit the users as well. With WELL, attracting and retaining tenants through increasing their health and productivity is key. I believe this is the second phase of sustainability”, says Robbie McGrath, Senior Adviser at Newsec and Finland’s first WELL Accredited Professional (WELL AP).

Swing House among the first WELL buildings in Finland

A seven-story green wall with fresh herbs, a stress-reducing sound environment and circadian lighting are among the innovative solutions at Swing House, an office building set to be complete by the end of 2021 between Keilaniemi and Otaniemi in Espoo. Swing House is accompanied by an another, already complete office building and a hotel that will be ready in 2022. Owner Elo Mutual Pension Insurance Company will apply for the WELL v2 Gold certification for the new office building, making Swing House one of the first WELL certified buildings in Finland.

“At the moment there are three certified WELL projects in Finland and ten more to be certified in the next year. In the Nordics there are about 35 WELL projects, and globally speaking the number is around 4,500”, McGrath says.

With WELL, attracting and retaining tenants through increasing their health and productivity is key. I believe this is the second phase of sustainability

Giant green wall as heart and lungs of the building

In Swing House, the biggest wow effect is provided by the massive green wall adjoining the central staircase. In addition to air-purifying plants, the wall will grow an array of fresh herbs for the restaurant to use. The individually designed soundscape for each floor reduces stress and motivates tenants to favor stairs. Circadian lighting – going from a bright white in the morning towards a mellow yellow in the afternoons – keeps you going in the long and dark Nordic winter. A dedicated separate cycle ramp entrance provides safe access and premium shower facilities cater to cyclists, emphasizing the focus on sustainable transport options for the building.

“At Swing House, WELL has been considered right from the beginning, which made it possible to include some of the more aspirational elements, like bringing nature into the building, in addition to the basic things that affect people in indoor spaces: air quality, lighting and thermal comfort. Keeping connected to nature and adjusting the light to give you energy are great examples of building solutions that improve well-being”, McGrath says.

WELL is the way of the future

The shift from WELL v1 to v2 in 2018 has made the scoring system more flexible, encouraging more building owners to seek the certification. The mandatory preconditions have been reduced from around 40 to 20, and the optimizations have increased from around 60 to 90.

“In Europe there was a significant increase when the second version, WELL v2, was launched in 2018; we went from 270 projects to 1,600 in six months. WELL is definitely a growing trend”, McGrath says.

In a decade, WELL might be as big as LEED and BREEAM. Already it offers building owners and tenants a competitive edge.

“From the owner’s point of view, WELL is a great way to show you have a good building that has been designed for holistic well-being, including optimal indoor environmental quality and sustainable transport. But the biggest payoff is for the tenants: they get a work environment that improves health, wellbeing and productivity and helps them succeed in their ventures.”

A healthy work environment is the new normal

What will the post-coronavirus world look like and what requirements will be placed on business premises to allow us to return to work safely?

The exceptional situation of 2020 has forced people to learn to work from home, provided their job description allows it. Countless articles have already been written about the experience of working from home, both for and against. It seems to suit some people while others suffer from the lack of human contact and interaction. Many things can look more black and white when they are written down instead of being discussed face-to-face, causing unnecessary misunderstanding.

The new normal for office premises

Can we find happiness between the two worlds? Would you like a safe work environment that combines the best aspects of the office and remote working – premises where you can work in peace and quiet and yet be close to your colleagues? Office work brings routines that help you to schedule your work and keep work and home life apart.

In the future, an office may increasingly be a meeting place where you only go when you need to. A place where fewer people have their own workstations. Instead, what offices will have is a sufficient number of spaces that can be adapted to different uses. Even if more and more decide to shift the remote working, offices may have to retain their floor area for safety requirements.

The WELL certificate shows the way

Offices that support a balanced daily life and recovery from work provide an important advantage for employers: the best talents seek employers that can offer a full and positive employee experience. This includes a well-functioning work environment that serves not only efficient work but also relaxation and wellbeing.

The WELL v2™ certification is the first international quality certificate for buildings based on the measurement of ten areas that affect wellbeing. High-quality indoor air, pleasant materials, natural light, movement and greenery are the drivers of Swing House’s high standards. For companies, taking care of the mental and physical wellbeing of employees is an investment in the future!

Swing House on WELL-sertifioitu kiinteistö

Wellbeing is an investment worth making

The environmental impact and energy efficiency of buildings – as well as the standards measuring them – have been an important topic for some time. Now, however, the focus is shifting towards the users of buildings. Business premises play an important role in employees’ wellbeing and working capacity, and this can be measured with the WELL certificate. 

The purpose of the WELL certificate is to improve the health, comfort and thus the performance of a property’s users. The wellbeing produced by a building is evaluated using several criteria, including air, water, light, mind, nutrition, health and comfort. 

Modern business premises are part of an employer’s brand and provide a strong competitive advantage when attracting the best talent. Employee satisfaction has a direct impact on health and, consequently, on the productivity of work. 

“As a responsible property owner, we want to offer healthy, safe and comfortable premises to companies. This is why we are building Swing House in Espoo’s Keilaniemi, to be completed next year, and will apply for WELL v2™ Gold certification,” says Antti Pyötsiä, Head of Projects at Elo Mutual Pension Insurance Company. 

What is a human-friendly work environment?

At Swing House, the premises are highly modifiable, and special attention is also given to the quality of indoor air. Adjusted according to the circadian rhythm, the lighting helps sustain optimal alertness. The restaurant offers quality on a daily basis while encouraging healthy eating habits and providing vegetarian alternatives. The interior is pleasant and comfortable, and the seven-story green wall and the open staircase in the lobby are eye-catching features. 

“The work environment is not confined to just the office, as all common spaces at Swing House are available for use and provide variation during the working day,” says Merja Rikkonen, Senior Leasing Manager at Newsec. 

“Keilaniemi’s excellent connections and the on-site hotel bring vibrance to the building around the clock.”

The images included on this website are for marketing purposes only and are not necessarily representative of the final outcome of the property. The final plans for the premises are to be agreed separately with the tenants and the owner of the property does not accept any liability whatsoever with respect to the final outcome of the property differing from the above-mentioned images.

Swing House

Miestentie 7
02150 Espoo

Lobby Services
Mon-Fri klo 8-16
aula.swing@confide.fi
+358 400 804 314

Elo office leasing

merja.rikkonen@newsec.fi
+358 50 344 3050

Restaurant Well 7

Open Mon-Thu  7.30–14.30
Fri 7.30-14.00
Breakfast Mon-Fri  7.30–10.00
Lunch Mon-Fri 10.30–13.30

Meeting reservations

ravintola.well7@palmia.fi
+358 40 199 6387

Swing House is owned by Elo Mutual Pension Insurance Company

Elo Mutual Pension Insurance Company is one of Finland’s largest property owners and lessors. We have about 700,000 m² of office, commercial and storage space in the Helsinki region and in growth centres.

elo.fi/toimitilat

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