Episode Overview

Podcast: The Urbanist — Tall Stories
Episode: 485: Helsinki Upper Secondary School of Natural Sciences
Host: Andrew Tuck
Contributor: Petri Buttsoff
Date: November 17, 2025

This episode spotlights a pioneering project in Helsinki: the city's first large-scale wooden school building. Exploring both architecture and pedagogy, the episode contemplates how material choices—specifically timber—transform not just the sustainability of educational facilities but also the wellbeing of their occupants and the city at large. The Helsinki Upper Secondary School of Natural Sciences (also known as “hello”) becomes a case study in innovative, climate-forward urbanism.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Rethinking School Architecture with Wood

• Visualizing a Modern School (00:46)

  • Petri Buttsoff dispels the common image of high schools as "fluorescent lights, cinder block corridors and a bland facade."
  • Instead, he describes “hello” as a five-story wooden building situated amid greenery, laboratories, botanical gardens, and geology collections.

• Design and Materiality (01:18)

  • Designed by local studio Rondelius Keppo and Salamen Perra.
  • The building contains over 1,700m³ of wood, used both inside and out, with interiors featuring "exposed timber surfaces" and an "abundance of daylight."
  • Notable sensory effects: "The building even smells of fresh wood. You all know that lovely and relaxing scent." (01:50)

2. Environmental and Urban Benefits

• Aesthetic and Structural Advantages

  • Timber is chosen not just for ambiance but for its environmental impact.
  • As Buttsoff explains: “Wood-based construction in Finland can reduce the initial stage emissions of new buildings by up to a third.” (02:15)
  • The school’s total life-cycle emissions are "about a fifth lower than the average reference for Finnish educational buildings."

• City-Scale Implications

  • The shift from concrete and steel "towards renewable, low-carbon materials" enables public buildings to serve as models for sustainable urban design.
  • “The building... becomes both a learning environment and a statement about our urban future.” (02:40)

3. Supporting Education Through Design

• Integration with Campus and Curriculum (03:00)

  • The school’s location facilitates shared access to university-level laboratories, auditoria, and sports facilities, fostering a "richer ecosystem."
  • Two academic tracks: one third of students follow a natural sciences specialty, others a general program.

• Wellbeing and Learning Outcomes (03:23)

  • Wood’s acoustic, air quality, and visual advantages provide "a sense of well-being among both the staff and the students."
  • Calm soundscape and “warm surfaces, the light-filled spaces and the natural textures” cited as enhancing student experience.
  • Studies referenced: “The visual appearance of spaces has a great impact on how pleasant they feel and therefore on the students' wellbeing and learning.” (04:00)
  • The facility serves as “part of the educational strategy for city builders and educators alike.”

4. Urbanist Symbolism and Case Study Status

• Architectural Statement

  • The structure’s form is described as “a restrained cubic form only broken by a subtle diagonal recession beneath the roof ledge.” (04:18)
  • It stands out "through its materiality and scale," while fitting into its campus context.
  • Notably, it is "Finland's first five-story, fully wooded school of this size." (04:38)

• Community Value

  • “Schools, after all, are community anchors. When they are designed and built with care and with materials that speak to climate neutrality and with interiors that speak to human comfort, they enhance not only learning, but the urban fabric itself.” (04:48)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Sensory Experience:

  • “The building even smells of fresh wood. You all know that lovely and relaxing scent.” – Petri Buttsoff (01:50)

• On Environmental Impact:

  • “Wood-based construction in Finland can reduce the initial stage emissions of new buildings by up to a third.” – Petri Buttsoff (02:15)
  • “The building’s whole life emissions were estimated to be about a fifth lower than the average reference for Finnish educational buildings.” – Petri Buttsoff (02:23)

• On Educational Impact:

  • “The soundscape can only be described as very calm. The warm surfaces, the light filled spaces and the natural textures all contribute to a sense of well being among both the staff and the students.” – Petri Buttsoff (03:45)
  • “The school becomes more than a venue, it becomes part of the educational strategy for city builders and educators alike.” – Petri Buttsoff (04:05)

• On Urban Significance:

  • “For the city of Helsinki, the message is public architecture can be at once ambitious, sustainable and beautiful.” – Petri Buttsoff (04:40)

Key Segment Timestamps

• [00:46] – Introduction to the “hello” school, site description, and initial impressions
• [01:18] – Architectural design and use of wood
• [02:15] – Environmental statistics and rationale for wood
• [03:00] – Academic programs, campus integration
• [03:45] – Wellbeing, learning environment, sensory qualities
• [04:18] – Unique architectural gestures, community context
• [04:48] – The role of schools in the urban fabric

Conclusion

Through the lens of the Helsinki Upper Secondary School of Natural Sciences, this episode presents a compelling argument for integrating sustainability, materiality, and human-centric thinking into public architecture. The school emerges as both a practical and symbolic blueprint for urbanists and educators tackling the challenges of climate, comfort, and learning in the 21st century.