Spacent and Martela gave a new lease of life to a historic property in the center of Helsinki

Spacent’s headquarters are located in a historic building, Armaan Kulma designed by Armas Lindgren. The furniture for the space has been supplied by Martela on a flexible rental service model, and the green interior has been designed by Vihersisustus Hetki. In addition to Spacent’s own premises, Armaan Kulma is one of the workspaces rented through Spacent, which Martela employees can also utilise using the mobile app.

“I am a regular user of Armaan Kulma, and it’s great that Spacent’s service gives me the flexibility to use the facilities between meetings. This makes my time management much more efficient and brings spontaneous encounters into my day,” says Eerikki Mikkola, who is responsible for developing Martela’s furniture rental model.

Armaan Kulma is a heritage building with stunning architecture. Entering through the door at the corner of Mannerheimintie and Kaivokatu, you are greeted by a magnificent staircase with marble floors. Workspaces are in the main hall on the building’s second floor, with additional conference rooms available on two different floors.

The premises were previously used by Nordea bank, which moved to another location, leaving Armaan Kulma’s premises empty. To bring premises into use, the owner Ylva and Spacent started a project to bring an alternative, more flexible rental model to the market, promoting the principles of the sharing economy, and helping companies reduce their carbon footprint and providing alternative spaces for their employees.

The furniture solution for Spacent was implemented using Martela’s flexible rental service (Workplace as a Service, WaaS). The aim was to provide high-quality, durable furniture that would meet the quality expectations of the users renting the space, both functionally and ergonomically.

Martela was responsible for designing the furniture for the space according to Spacent’s wishes and installed the furniture in place ready for use. The project utilised rental furniture from Spacent’s previous space, as well as existing old, protected furniture available in Armaan Kulma, in line with the principles of circular economy.

We were able to add coziness to the headquarters with a collaboration with a Finnish company Vihersisustus Hetki Oy. With the help of their wonderful green solutions, the premises were conjured into even more comfortable and inspiring work environments (in the picture above, a kentia palm over 2.5 meters high). Vihersusustus Hetki specializes in designing and green furnishing company premises with various plants, and their expertise has brought a significant addition to Spacent’s Armaan Kulma premises.

To ensure privacy, electrically adjustable, oak-covered desks were chosen for the main hall, with screens on both sides and front. Task chairs are suitable for long-term work according to the recommendations of physiotherapists and EN standards. In addition to workstations, the hall includes phone booths for meetings and calls. The collaborative workspace features movable sofa furniture, but there are also several traditional meeting rooms available.

Martela’s flexible furniture rental model, combined with Spacent’s advanced approach to utilising office spaces, effectively meets the rapidly changing demands of office properties. “We have the technology and customer base to quickly generate profit from unused spaces in prime locations. Together with Martela, this forms a flexible package for property owners and other operators,” says Spacent’s CEO Eetu Ristaniemi.