STRATA has been selected to design Helsinki Harbour Baths, a year-round public bathing house on the city's South Harbour waterfront. Our proposal was chosen from 240 entries in an open international competition, with the jury praising its mass-timber structure, its generosity to the public realm and its near-zero operational energy.
The design gathers saunas, heated pools and a sea-water lido under a single low timber roof that steps down towards the water. A public promenade runs across the roof, so the building gives the harbour a new place to walk even for people who never go inside.
Warmth from the sea
The baths are heated by a seawater heat-pump system that draws on the stable temperature of the harbour, supported by heat recovered from the saunas and pools. Combined with a highly insulated timber envelope, the building is designed to run at close to net-zero operational energy through the Finnish winter.
We wanted a building that feels as natural in January as it does in July — a warm room on the edge of the sea that belongs to everyone.
Structural and environmental engineering will be delivered by STRATA's in-house teams in London and Rotterdam, working alongside local partners in Helsinki. Construction is expected to begin in 2027, with the baths opening to the public in 2029.
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