Finnish Nature Centre Haltia

The Finnish Nature Centre Haltia is an impressive modern and ecologically designed Conference and Event Center on the fringes of Nuuksio National Park 25 kilometres from Helsinki. The centre will be opened for public in spring 2013.

Haltia’s innovative exhibitions present Finland’s most stunning wildlife and natural scenery. The main exhibition features Finnish natural settings from our beautiful Baltic archipelagoes to the windswept fells of arctic Lapland, including spectacular scenes from the 37 National Parks captured by top nature photographers. The interactive displays enable visitors shape the content of the exhibition. The centre’s Green Belt exhibition will encourage visitors to plan trips to natural areas within easy reach of Helsinki.

Other services include a restaurant, a Nature Shop and inspiring meeting rooms. The sunken auditorium is suitable for hosting all kinds of events from seminars to festive occasions. Guided tours and other outdoor activities can be combined with a visit to Haltia in the surrounding nature as well as in Nuuksio National Park. Haltia’s environmental educational packages offer school children a great day out discovering and studying nature both inside and outside the centre.

The architecture of Haltia was inspired by a story in the Kalevala epic describing how the world began. Ilmatar, a goddess-like damsel living in the sky, got bored with her life and descended down from the sky to the sea. A goldeneye bird sees Ilmatar, and lays her eggs on her knee. Ilmatar’s knee gets warm, she shakes it, and the eggs fall and break, but give birth to the world. The building ressembles a goldeneye laying her eggs. The centre’s construction will realise renowned aspects of Finnish design including timelessness, durability, functionality and environmental sustainability. Innovative solutions exploiting solar energy and thermal energy from the ground will make the Nature Centre 75% self-sufficient in terms of heating and 100% self-sufficient for cooling. The building will be made entirely of wood, including its load-bearing structures and its varied facades, so it will blend subtly into its surroundings like a bird on its nest.