Nordicum - Real Estate Annual Finland 2017 | Page 16

months , the City Council said that the hotel – with 113 meters – was too high .
Sweet Sixteen
The setback was not fatal , however , as Buchardt learned that the existing City Plan would allow for a construction of a 16-storey building . Davidsson went to work to revise
16 Nordicum the designs and finally the project received the much-awaited green light .
“ We finally broke ground on the site on June 17 , 2014 ,” Buchardt says .
With Clarion Hotel Helsinki finally opening its doors on October 17th , 2016 , it is easy to agree with Mayor Pajunen who called the hotel a “ city landmark ” which will , for its part , set the tone for the further developments in the growing Jätkäsaari District . Contributing not one , but two prominent towers to the Helsinki Skyline , the hotel also encompasses a conference centre with an unusual backstory : the building was designed by famous architect Lars Sonck in the 1930 ’ s and was an important part of the puzzle here :
“ In all my hotel projects , I like to