Welcome to Solo Sokos Pier 4, Helsinki’s fascinating new timber hotel

Architecture director Ellie Stathaki visits Helsinki’s timber hotel Solo Sokos Pier 4, designed by Anttinen Oiva Architects

the wooden round structured lobby at timber hotel Solo Sokos Pier 4 in helsinki
(Image credit: Solo Sokos Pier 4)

Stepping inside the timber hotel Solo Sokos Pier 4, a delicate fragrance reminiscent of Finnish forests gently hits. The new Helsinki hotel certainly makes good on its sustainable architecture's unspoken promise. The refreshing scent of a box-fresh wooden design? Check. A calm and soothing, wall-to-wall environment in timber? Check. Birdsong subtly humming in the background? Check, check, check. Indeed, as cliché as such features may sound in the context of the building's wood architecture, its environment is everything you expect it to be in the best possible way.

timber hotel solo sokos pier 4

(Image credit: Solo sokos pier 4)

A night at a timber hotel: experiencing Solo Sokos Pier 4

The new player in the Finnish capital's hospitality scene is situated within the Helsinki harbour's Katajanokan Laituri, a recently opened timber-framed building designed by local studio Anttinen Oiva Architects. It contains the headquarters of Finnish forestry company Stora Enso on one end and the 164-room Solo Sokos Pier 4 Hotel on the other – both span four floors.

timber hotel solo sokos pier 4

(Image credit: Solo sokos pier 4)

The round, timber gymnastics of the lobby area – which is shared between hotel and office space – and the overall spatial planning is the work of Anttinen Oiva, but hotel spaces, such as hotel rooms, a separate restaurant, and conference facilities, were created by interiors outfit Franz Design. Not that you could immediately tell, as the envelope and its contents were carefully curated to work seamlessly, following the theme of natural wood and light, neutral tones throughout.

timber hotel solo sokos pier 4

(Image credit: Solo sokos pier 4)

A specially created signature scent is present throughout the hotel. The rooms are minimalist, and the walls – alternating glazing and wood – are punctuated by specially selected pieces by local artists. A well stocked, curated fridge places an emphasis on sense of place (beer from a Turku brewery and blueberry juice make this an unmistakeably Finnish experience).

timber hotel solo sokos pier 4

(Image credit: Solo sokos pier 4)

A café off the main lobby and the Harbore restaurant on the opposite side of the building (also where the hotel breakfast is served) enjoy expansive waterside views. Once the ongoing works on the seaside promenade just outside are completed, guests will be able to enjoy the simple, seasonal Nordic and Finnish ingredient mix on the menu with a backdrop of the nearby port's majestic ferries and people on leisurely strolls, making this an ideal spot for a drink outside during the mild summer months.

timber hotel solo sokos pier 4

(Image credit: Solo sokos pier 4)

A rooftop terrace offers more outdoor space, with a planted garden and a dedicated bar. Meanwhile, on the lower ground floor, a gym is accompanied by a flexible wellness space. Eschewing rigid booking systems and classes (those are on offer as well, however, if needed), guests can pop in for an independent yoga or meditation session – or to enjoy the most Finnish of pastimes, a sauna.

timber hotel solo sokos pier 4

(Image credit: Solo sokos pier 4)

The ground floor's state-of-the-art conference facilities make this a flexible destination – equally open to business and family travel. This timber hotel's sense of luxury lies in its sustainable, design-led origins – an element Solo Sokos Pier 4 is rightly proud of.

timber hotel solo sokos pier 4

(Image credit: Solo sokos pier 4)

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Ellie Stathaki is the Architecture & Environment Director at Wallpaper*. She trained as an architect at the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki in Greece and studied architectural history at the Bartlett in London. Now an established journalist, she has been a member of the Wallpaper* team since 2006, visiting buildings across the globe and interviewing leading architects such as Tadao Ando and Rem Koolhaas. Ellie has also taken part in judging panels, moderated events, curated shows and contributed in books, such as The Contemporary House (Thames & Hudson, 2018), Glenn Sestig Architecture Diary (2020) and House London (2022).