Redesigning the Lighting of Helsinki’s Senate Square

Lighting the way to safe and welcoming environments.

Post last modified:August 20, 2025
Post category:Customer Stories

Light that serves the bigger picture

In 2015, VALOA Design, a Finnish agency specialising in architectural lighting, was commissioned to reimagine the illumination of Helsinki’s Senate Square. The goal was not spectacle but dignity: to let light highlight the monumental architecture without stealing the show. CEO Roope Siiroinen summarised it simply: “The light’s only task was to emphasise the forms and create harmony between the square and its surrounding buildings.”

Leadership and complexity

The greatest challenge was not technical but human. With more than 20 stakeholders involved—from city authorities to cultural bodies—the design team had to unify perspectives and secure consensus before design work could truly progress. As Siiroinen notes: “A designer must always remember the voices whose primary concerns may not be lighting at all.”

From outdated poles to a bold new design

The previous 14-metre poles, designed in the 1980s, had long been criticised for being oversized and visually heavy. Technology at the time had limited their proportions. By the 2020s, both the technology and the vision had evolved. The brief called for slimmer, multifunctional poles capable of carrying tramway cables, façade luminaires, event infrastructure, and modern control systems—without dominating the historic square.

Cross-shaped innovation

Futudesign, led by architect Iikka Airas, approached the challenge with a bold departure: abandoning the traditional round pole profile and adopting a cross-shaped design. This profile echoed the grid of the square, the Greek cross plan of Helsinki Cathedral, and the geometric discipline of Engel’s architecture. The result is discreet, elegant, and structurally capable of accommodating complex technology while visually blending into the urban fabric.

Tehomet’s craftsmanship

Tehomet was involved from the earliest stages, engineering prototypes and testing technical solutions in Kangasniemi. The team refined weld seams, hatch mechanisms, surface treatments, and vibration tolerances to meet the project’s demanding requirements. A durable anticorrosion coating was developed to ensure a smooth finish, avoiding the ripples of traditional galvanisation while extending the poles’ lifespan.

Every detail—from paint hue to the alignment of façade luminaires—was iterated through physical samples, 3D modelling, and VR simulations. The final solution integrates lighting controls, event sockets, and telecom units within the slender base cylinder, optimising both function and aesthetics.

A new atmosphere for a historic square

Installed in 2022, the new light poles bring Senate Square’s architecture into its best light. Vertical lines and slender proportions make the structures visually lightweight yet technically robust. Two lighting modes—everyday and ceremonial—ensure flexibility without theatrics.

The Government Palace, University main building, and Helsinki Cathedral now stand out with dignified, layered illumination that respects both heritage and modern urban life. As Siiroinen concludes: “The new lighting is subtle light architecture—an atmosphere you feel without realising how it is created.”