The old Sugar Factory headquarters revived | Töölönlahti campus
The training campus of the future, Töölönlahti Campus has begun its business operations
The first private training campus in Finland was opened on August 1st, 2018 at Töölönlahti Park in the old sugar refinery headquarters (Töölön sokeritehdas). The complete renovation of the four-story property has lasted nearly eight months. The Töölönlahti campus is expected to serve some 7,000 vocational adult students next year.
Soprano, a listed company, has concentrated its Helsinki Metropolitan Area activities for its six business schools to the Töölönlahti campus. The location of the education hub is in the center of Helsinki, lakeside in a unique placement between Opera House and Finlandia House.
– This is a good place to welcome international visitor groups. In the main lobby of the campus, guests are welcomed by led lighting and an architectural work of art. The mosaic compass on the floor of the lobby has been kept during refurbishment. Students will come to classes whose names and glass art illustrations lead to an international world. The class names are according to Soprano Group’s various global projects in different continents, for example, Johannesburg, St.Petersburg, Beijing and Stockholm. The original building was built in 1951 and has been renovated by architectural office ‘Laation Mats Klockars’ and interior design by Eija Santaniemi from Santaniemi Design says Soprano Plc CEO Arto Tenhunen.
The new campus of Soprano will be the new headquarters of the Management Institute of Finland MIF, MIF qualifications, the communication education company Infor, the international trade training company, Fintra, the Leadership Training Institute JTO and ICT training company Tieturi,. At the beginning of October, the training campus of Töölönlahti will welcome and add more education technology companies and higher education export companies as part of its tenants.
No whiteboards or projectors
The state of the art education campus features no drawing boards in the classrooms. The old fashioned projectors and screens have been replaced by large interactive touchscreens. Students around Finland and the world can actively participate in the training sessions at the education campus remotely at their own terminals and devices.
– Remote connections will be even more important in the future. Last year, Soprano’s six business schools trained 19,000 from 2,000 companies in more than 50 countries. In today’s education, theoretical knowledge is increasingly acquired online and the information obtained with the support of a teacher is applied in practice. Demand for fully online digital education is also increasing. The newly-completed facilities make it possible to produce new digital materials, Tenhunen states.
The main road traffic is seen – but not heard
The Töölönlahti campus has been completely rebuilt with respect to the old, taking into account both the environment and humans. The classroom facilities and office spaces are acoustically sound, nearly soundproof with at least two soft surfaces everywhere, providing a pleasant sound all around. All lamps have been replaced with very low power consumption indirect light bulbs. The old windows have been refurbished with respect to original and their sound insulation is now excellent, Mannerheimintie traffic is visible but not heard inside the campus. Carefully selected flooring will prevent allergens from spreading in the building and the new air filters ensure cool and clean air ventilation. The campus has 21 brand new unisex toilets spread across four floors to ensure that there is no need to que to the bathroom. The bright property is connected to both district heating and district cooling, you experience the cool fresh air quality already on your first visit.
For more information:
Soprano Oyj, CEO Arto Tenhunen, +358400413314, arto.tenhunen@soprano.fi
Soprano Plc – Lifelong Learning for Working Professionals
Soprano is a development company whose parent company Soprano Plc shares are listed on stock exchange maintained by Nasdaq Helsinki Oy. In the education sector, Soprano has grown by means of acquisitions to become the leading private training company in the Nordic countries. In 2017, we trained 19,000 people from 2,000 organizations in more than 50 countries.
Soprano’s growth strategy is condensed into one word: Collaboration. We build a cooperation network for education and we are working together to expand our international business. We take advantage of the opportunities created by technology, especially in emerging countries, through high-quality content and artificial intelligence learning environments. This makes it possible to make theoretical studies, practical projects, tests, and discussions between colleagues and trainers more and more completely online.
Our 1500 degree programs of the Soprano Group’s Business schools specialize in management, leadership, communication, international trade and information technology. Together with our partners we offer diplomas, certifications, vocational qualifications and university degrees. The degrees are valid in all European countries.
Soprano’s own experts serve in three countries and seven cities in Helsinki, Tampere, Jyväskylä, Oulu, Stockholm, Gothenburg and St. Petersburg, through the network in dozens of countries and virtually all over the world.