Antilooppi as the main partner of Helsinki Design Week

This year, Antilooppi’s historical Merikortteli property will serve as the main venue for the largest design and architecture festival in the Nordic countries.

The historic Merikorteli in Punavuori, Pursimiehenkatu 29-31

Helsinki Design Week 2023 will offer inspiring experiences with exhibitions, fashion shows and hundreds of other events. The urban design and architecture festival, which has been organized annually since 2005, will be held 8–17 September 2023.

This year, Antilooppi has the pleasure of being the main partner of Helsinki Design Week. The main venue for the festival will be the industrial Merikortteli, located in Helsinki’s Punavuori neighborhood, known for its brick-and-mortar shops, restaurants and design scene. The property, often profiled as a community for the creative industries, will offer an inspiring setting for a festival celebrating creativity.

“Merikortteli provides an excellent example of a space that promotes encounters and enriches its surroundings. In addition to high-quality work spaces, we have invested in a wide range of services for the property. Here people can come together, create new things and thrive at work and in everyday life. With Helsinki Design Week, we can welcome the festivalgoers to encounter, experience and enjoy urban culture in this unique environment,” says Esa Mattila, Antilooppi’s Head of Asset Management.

Innovative work environments promote success and wellbeing in everyday life

Merikortteli, which was built in 1920, was originally designed for industrial production, and over the years, the building has served as a cable and a crepe rubber factory, among other things. These days this architecturally fascinating building houses a lively work community including, for example, advertising agencies and architectural firms.

Over the last few years, the property has developed rapidly, and it now offers an incomparable range of diverse services. Restaurant and bakery Levain, lifestyle boutique and café Moko Market & Café, the playful laundrette and cocktail bar Bob’s Laundry and the award-winning pizzeria Forza, among others, serve the property’s businesses and the neighborhood residents. The scent of fresh coffee in the air can be traced back to the local Kaffa Roastery. In the autumn of 2022, the intimate indie cinema Riviera opened its doors.

Investing in services supports Antilooppi’s goal of offering sustainable work environments that contribute to the property users’ and local residents’ wellbeing. Our ideals are reflected in the Helsinki Design Week main exhibition, which explores the themes of good everyday life and changes in working life through spaces. In addition to the exhibition in Merikortteli’s atmospheric attic, the property will house a stage for panel discussions, a pop-up restaurant and a series of impressive installations.

The property’s Asset Manager Maarit Kivelä looks forward to collaborating with the multidisciplinary and internationally renowned design festival.

“I am excited about the opportunity to share our spaces in Merikortteli with Helsinki Design Week and the general public. The event is also particularly beneficial to our customers in the creative industries. This is absolutely fantastic,” Kivelä says.

Further information:

Esa Mattila, Head of Asset Management
Tel. +358 50 337 3263

Maarit Kivelä, Asset Manager
Tel. +358 50 390 0337