Parliament Annex - Little Parliament

The new annex of Eduskunta, the parliament of Finland, was completed in June 2004 and inaugurated on September 22 of the same year. The building is designed by Finnish architect Pekka Helin & Co. The main contractor for the building was YIT Rakennus Oy. Seven of a total of 11 floors are above ground and the new annex houses a total of 295 offices. On ground level is a visitor’s centre for the public. MPs and their assistants have their offices on floors 3-6. The international department of Parliament is housed on the 7th floor of the building. Meeting rooms, such as the Grand Committee meeting room, the auditorium and the meeting room for the Foreign Affairs Committee are one floor below street level. Also, the spacious restaurant in the glass-covered atrium is one floor below street-level.

Two Parts to the Building

The parliament annex is articulated into two parts. The triangular and higher part is clad in dark brick and complements the open corner on the North end of the Kamppi city-block. The façade towards Mannerheimintie is in line with, and thus a continuation of, the Hankkija-building façade towards Parliament House. The windows of the brick-clad higher building have been spaced rhythmically to rhyme with those of adjacent buildings, but in such a way that the new building is clearly a product of its time. The lower cone-shaped building has been fit into it surroundings and echoes the shapes of both Kiasma and the parliament annex of 1978 situated on the West side of Parliament House. The choice of material for the façade is the same pink granite from Kalvola as on the façade of Parliament House. The cone-shaped glass wall towards the North is part of a double façade construction. The convex outer windowpanes are a good example of the skill and craftsmanship that construction of this building required.

An Atrium as the Heart of the Building

Surrounding the restaurant in the atrium are smaller meeting rooms. Noteworthy is that each room is panelled with a different wood. The rooms are also named accordingly: Ash (Saarni), Maple (Vaahtera), Birch (Koivu), Black Poplar (Mustapoppeli), Common Alder (Tervaleppä), Lappland Pine (Mänty) and Elm (Jalava). The Black Poplar used was felled on the site before construction of the new annex began. The Grand Committee meeting room on the same floor is dominated by a round table that seats 50 persons. In fact, the shape of the table has dictated the shape of the whole room. Next to the Grand Committee meeting room is a large auditorium, also round in shape. Both rooms are panelled with European Oak. The Foreign Affairs Committee meeting room is panelled with Karelian Birch.

Finnish Bedrock on the Floors

A multitude of different kinds of stone has been used for the floors in public spaces. All stone floors are made from stone indigenous to Finland. Granites of different kinds and colours dominate the palette, but Spectrolite from Ylämaa on the Eastern border - known for its endless play of colours and hues - is worth mentioning as well.

New Visitor’s Centre Opened

With the completion of the new annex Parliament also opened – for the first time – a visitor’s centre for the public. At the visitor’s centre you can watch a parliament presentation video, receive information on The Finnish Parliament and its MPs. The staff is happy to help you in finding the information you are looking for. In addition to parliament information you can also get information on the European Union and sit down for refreshments in Café Pikku Parlamentti. Moreover, the visitor’s centre offers a variety of lectures and events built around different themes. The opening hours are Monday-Thursday 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Friday 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Street address: Arkadiankatu 3, Helsinki