Day 9 construction

Check out another day of construction from the build. Day 9!

Day 8 construction

Time elapse

We are done! 10 days later, the Kalevalakehto is complete and beautiful. Take a look for yourself from start to finish.

Day 7 construction AND U2 at our hostel!

Day 6 Video

Day 11 in photos

don't forget the opening tonight! Dancing starts at 5:30 on Seurasaari!

Day 4 construction

3rd Day of construction

Day7 in photos

Plywood attached to the trusses

finished benches will be placed along the perimeter of the interior

Day 2 of construction

Day 6 in photos

The most stunning moment so far: witnessing the lowering of the roof onto the safety of the steel brackets. Take a look for yourself. 

adding plywood to the finished roof skeleton comprised of trusses

the new lowered roof. Steel on steel brackets.

furniture design team

roof skeleton

Day 5

When the rain comes down, the students build up. By assembling a tarp cover-up system over the Kalevalakehto, they protected the precious site from wild rain and winds. By the end of the day the trusses were up, the steel lined the edge, and the brackets were in place.

How to survive a rainstorm with powertools

Our first day in Helsinki sightseeing: blissful weather. Second day/first day of construction: stormy! Did that deter this Spirit of Place team from getting a move on? No way! Check out the storms for yourself:



and check out more videos on our YouTube channel.

Cruising along

We're on day 5 of construction and the progress of the Kalevalakehto is stunning. Check how far we've come from this to this: 

Day 2 Shadows of the roof onto the sides of the Kalevalakehto

Day 3 with the steel plates on either side of the gutter opening of the ceiling

Day 4 with a few roof trusses in place

Day 4 The shadows of the currently glass-less window holes.

Stay tuned for more!

Stage One

To give you an idea of how much progress we are making (pics soon, I promise!), a quick little recap is in order! In June, the foundation was set by first drilling the steel posts into the rock and then laying a temporary mock-up.

We had constant welcomed visitors to the site including our friends from the city of Helsinki.

and the ever helpful Risto from Outokumpu

until finally, the real wood planks were set on the steel posts. Magnificent huh? 

First day of construction

The first day we arrived = beautiful sunny weather. Second day and first day of construction = Rain and lots of it! Don't think that stopped the group from getting a move on. Midday, Travis explains the status of the project:

foundation update

As you can see to the left, the countdown is on! We're arriving on Friday (and I won't say the numeral date because it's bad luck) to this:

 and this:

 The guys are putting the finishing touches on the foundation. It's been sitting like this since we left in mid June so by the time we arrive on Friday we'll be ready to go!

Steel roof

One half of the completed steel roof

This just in! We just received a photo update from our friends at Outokumpu, the stainless steel we're working with on the Kalevalakehto. The roof of the structure is being created right as we speak and will be the icing on the cake, the crowning moment at the opening on the 26th. Now, imagine this topper glistening against the backdrop of a beautiful bay in remarkably distinctive Helsinki. Yes, it will be magical.

with the plans

Watch the video of Day One of construction

Travis introduces us to the site and a few key players in the project like Inka and Kathleen Lane. The workers create a template on the exact location where the permanent foundation will be laid to get an idea of size and where they need to drill the holes for the steel posts.