The Finnish National Theatre, founded in 1872, was the first professional theatre to perform entirely in Finnish. Before its establishment, most performances in Finland were in Swedish or other languages. This theatre is located in central Helsinki on the northern side of the Helsinki Central Railway Station Square.
Jensen Hughes got involved in the refurbishment work done on the old structure of the Finnish National Theatre. The building has undergone several renovations. The first phase occurred twenty years ago when the main stage, known as the most famous part of the building, was renovated. The second phase of the renovation was completed recently after five years of work covering about half the theatre's spaces built in the 1930s and 1950s.
In contrast to the original plan, the rearrangement of the premises and modernization of technical installations were carried out on the existing structures only. A 200-seat hall was built in an old workshop space. During the renovation, the space transitioned from staff use to public access, leading to stricter exit arrangements and fire safety requirements. These challenges were addressed through applied design, allowing the existing stairwells to be adapted for new exit routes. Our team designed the fire safety plans for the site that were drawn up using fire code compliant design.
In protected listed buildings, where spatial alterations are often restricted, fire safety improvements often rely on technical solutions. At the National Theatre, the automatic fire extinguishing system's coverage was expanded. Additionally, a glass wall in the small stage lobby was replaced with a solid steel glass wall, requiring discreet installation of mechanical smoke ventilation within the hall's existing beam spacing. As a result of the change in the glass wall, the smoke extraction system in these areas was converted to a mechanical system, which was successfully implemented completely unobtrusively in the ceiling joist spacing of the heater.
The renovation of the Finnish National Theatre balanced the preservation of its historic architecture with the integration of modern safety standards, ensuring the building remains both a cultural landmark and a safe, functional space for the audiences.