Cultural House Fokus brings the friends and makers of culture in Karis together

Cultural House Fokus is becoming a new landmark for Karis, and the building has already been discovered by culture lovers, artists and performers throughout Finland. The technical and structural solutions in Fokus remained loyal to the architect’s vision.

Cultural House Fokus replaced two cultural buildings that had reached the end of their life in Raseborg. The municipal library, music instruction, a coffee shop and galleries Centrum and Promenade were brought under one roof. In addition to this, the Fokus Theatre will be offering teaching and performing facilities for theatre groups, dancers, musicians and other performing artists. In fact, Fokus in Karis is becoming a meeting point and landmark to be shared by all residents of Raseborg.

“The house, which is impressive and sympathetic at the same time, will certainly increase cooperation between different actors, and the library alone will attract plenty of people to the building,” says Stefan Mutanen, Chair of the Board of Directors of Fokus Kiinteistöt Oy. He has been able to follow the progress of the construction work from his own kitchen window, because the new cultural house is built in a central location in the centre of Karis. “The connections are good to both Helsinki and Turku.”

Inconspicuous technology leaves room for architecture

The main responsibility for the project rested with the real estate company and the City of Raseborg. According to Sweco’s Design Director for HVAC and Automation Technology Jyrki Vuorio, the fact that makes Fokus unique is that many different functions and technical systems have been implemented in a relatively small framework. “Indeed, we started with going through all the systems with the client and the users and presenting the different implementation options.”

Technology was not to be at all visible in the roof of the second floor because the ceilings were made from transparent metal gratings. Ventilation machines and ducts were placed in the attic, and ceiling-fitted solutions were used in other spaces. “Air distribution was also carried out with ceiling-installed perforated pipe nozzles in the theatre, because ventilation blowers could not be integrated in the seats in the mobile auditorium,” Vuorio says. Simulations were used to ensure sufficient air flow even at the front rows of the auditorium and that air flow would not be too efficient at the back rows.

Acoustics steered the building services engineering of many spaces. Disruptive noises had to be minimised, and lead-throughs were insulated with special care. All spaces were fitted with modern mixing ventilation, which can be adjusted based on the number of people, temperature and the carbon dioxide content of the air in the space. Lighting and heating of the spaces can also be easily controlled and adjusted. “Building automation played a very important role in Fokus.”

On the cramped plot, HVAC designers, the architect and geotechnical and yard designers had to work together and carefully consider how to delay stormwaters. An architecturally harmonious water element, a rock pocket, was created in the yard to delay rainwater flowing from the roof. “The stormwater stalling pipes also dodge the trees to be planted in the park,” Vuorio says with satisfaction.

A subdued facade hides diverse spaces

Fokus is a much more diverse entity than its subdued exterior might suggest, and this also includes structural engineering. “There are only two floors in the building, but a skilfully placed row of windows in the attic gives the impression of three floors,” says Department Manager for Structural Engineering at Sweco Jarkko Hakola.

The facade with its seam details also suggests that the interior is similar across the board. “There are, however, a wide range of different spaces inside Fokus, which is why the elevation of the intermediate floor on the second level also varies greatly,” Hakola says. Originally, the frame of the building was to be implemented using pillars and beams, but as planning progressed, some exterior walls were made to be load-bearing. This required concrete element design and the design of some special structures in a steel engineering workshop. “There are no two identical corners, so each concrete element is also unique.”

The implementation of the Cultural House remained loyal to the architect’s vision. Hakola highlights the steel wings at the ends of the building covered with white concrete shell elements as a good example of this. Some of the exterior wall sandwich elements are covered with aluminium latticework, some of which was umbra patina dyed on site, giving the concrete a rusty tone. “CLT massive wood elements were also used in the eaves of the main facade, on the library staircase and on the second floor rails as eye-catching details.”

At the beginning of the planning process, the base floor of the building was supposed to be implemented with a crawl space, but Sweco’s designers recommended a ground-supported flat slab instead. This prevented the removal of large masses of land, which reduced costs and disruptions in the centre of Karis caused by construction traffic. “It also helped avoid a large difference in height between the ground floor of the crawl space and the ground outside the building.”

The entire project was carried out remotely

Fokus was designed in its entirety during the COVID-19 pandemic. “However, the project team overcame any challenges, and we at Sweco are, of course, used to working together across regional boundaries,” Vuorio says. “The most important thing is that together we managed to create modern, energy-efficient and easily adjustable spaces for the residents of Raseborg.”

According to Jarkko Hakola, the main contractor and the contractor consultant’s correct attitude and precision in finishing the project are also reflected in the final result all the way up to the finishing touches to the building.

According to Stefan Mutanen, remote work was facilitated by the fact that individual people to take charge, have a grasp of the entity and keep the client up to date on what was going on were identified within the group of people working on the project. “The artistic vision of the architect came true, and we got a stylish and functional building that has a positive impact on the look of the entire village.”

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Cultural House Fokus was opened to the public on the Day of Art (Taiteen päivä) on 20 August 2022.

Pictures: Ahlman Arkkitehdit / Tietoa Finland Oy