Helsinki Olympic Stadium renovation receives prestigious international recognition for outstanding concrete structures

Published 16.6.2022

The Outstanding Concrete Structures (AOS) Award, presented every four years by the International Federation for Structural Concrete (fib), is awarded in separate categories to one or two civil engineering structures and buildings that showcase concrete as a versatile structural solution. The recognition, awarded for the first time to a project in Finland and to a Sweco Group design project in the Buildings category, was announced yesterday at the organisation’s congress in Oslo.

More than 80 buildings from around the world competed for the Buildings category award this year. Helsinki Olympic Stadium shared the recognition with the renovation of the headquarters of Rever Holdings Corporation, a waste treatment and recycling company based in Tokyo. The selection of Olympic Stadium was supported by its consideration of sustainability and preservation of cultural heritage in construction.

The award, presented since 2002, is based on nominations made to the international award jury by independent national concrete associations through their umbrella organisation. Eligible buildings or civil engineering structures must have been completed during the competition period, from 1 June 2017 to 30 June 2021.

The award jury assessed candidates according to the following criteria: design principles, including aesthetics and detailed design; construction practices and quality of workmanship; environmental aspects of design and construction; structural durability and consideration of sustainability; and the project’s positive impact on the development and advancement of concrete construction.

A total of 32,500 m³ of concrete was used for the renovated Olympic Stadium’s underground outdoor spaces, museum and Stand A, as well as for structural strengthening. The renewed façade required more than 100 kilometres of Finnish timber cladding boards, while the new grandstand canopy contains three million kilograms of steel.

“As a whole, Olympic Stadium is an excellent example of sustainable development in construction. The stadium, which opened in June 1938, has been transformed into a modern multi-purpose venue that meets international requirements, with concrete playing a significant role. The high-quality implementation of structural design and concrete work in the renovation has enabled the stadium’s diverse range of activities,” says Ari Kuokkanen, Director of Olympic Stadium.

“The renewed Olympic Stadium – a human-scale monument in the heart of the city – represents lifecycle-sustainable Olympic architecture as an alternative to disposable construction. It is a functional and experiential whole in which old and new, architecture driven by functions, and concrete structures complement one another down to the smallest detail,” says Kimmo Lintula of K2S Architects, the project’s renovation architect.

“The Olympic Stadium renovation project has been an exceptionally demanding demonstration of sustainable development expertise. The standards for design and implementation have been extremely high in every area of the structures. The original concrete structures have already stood the test of time for more than 80 years. Ensuring a long service life for the concrete structures in the renovated and expanded sections has now been an important design objective. Through collaboration, we have enabled our stadium’s history to continue as a renewed multi-purpose arena far into the future, and I am extremely honoured by this award,” says Jaakko Yli-Säntti, Division Director for Expert Services at Sweco.

Jaakko Yli-Säntti receiving the award in Oslo on behalf of the project partners.

The award was jointly received by the project client, Stadion-säätiö Foundation; the City of Helsinki Urban Environment Division, responsible for client duties; Skanska, acting as project management contractor; the joint venture of Arkkitehtitoimisto K2S and Arkkitehdit NRT, responsible for principal and architectural design; and Sweco, responsible for renovation structural engineering and structural design.

The Olympic Stadium renovation project has also previously won, among others, the Steel Structure of the Year and Renovation Construction Site of the Year awards in 2019; the Finlandia Prize for Architecture, the Wood Award and the Concrete Structure of the Year award in 2020; as well as the sports and leisure facilities architecture award presented by the International Olympic and Paralympic Committees and the accessibility recognition of the Helsinki Disability Council in 2021.

Further information

Jaakko Yli-Säntti, Division Director for Expert Services, Sweco
+358 50 563 2241, jaakko.yli-santti@sweco.fi

Tim Karike, PR and Media Relations, Sweco
+358 44 507 5562, tim.karike@sweco.fi

Kimmo Lintula, Architect SAFA, Professor, K2S Architects
+358 40 564 7576, kimmo.lintula@k2s.fi

Ari Kuokkanen, Director of Olympic Stadium, Stadium Foundation
+358 40 718 2381, ari.kuokkanen@stadion.fi

Marju Paju, Director of Marketing and Communications, Stadium Foundation
+358 40 513 8452, marju.paju@stadion.fi

Press image

From left to right: Jaakko Yli-Säntti, Kimmo Lintula, Ari Kuokkanen.