Responsibility means concrete actions for us, from the choice of building and interior materials to the ingredient choices on our menu
We know our environmental and climate impacts and are actively working to reduce them. Environmental issues were already involved in the design of the Löyly building as well as the restaurant’s menu. We work daily to find new solutions to minimize our carbon footprint.
The world ‘s most significant sauna building FSC certified
The Löyly building is the first building in Finland and the second in the Nordic countries to receive FSC project certification. The origin of the wood used in the building has been verified. Wood is widely considered a sustainable building solution. What matters is the source of the wood material and how the forest has been managed. The FSC certificate is a sign of responsible forest management that takes into account biodiversity and social rights.
All building materials used in the building are natural and durable. Avanto Architects Anu Puustinen and Ville Hara, who designed the complex, took responsible materials into account in their design work. The architectural idea is simple: the warm spaces are housed in a black rectangular box covered by a free-form wooden “fluff”. The sculptural structure made of heat-treated pine is not an ornament, but has several different functions. We wanted to make the most of the magnificent views through the largest window surfaces. The fluff like a blind and provides visibility in the saunas, but does not obscure the sea view from the inside out. It protects the interior from the heat load of the sun, which reduces the need for cooling the premises.
The specially selected sofas designed by Joanna Laajisto Creative Studio, Bar counters, restaurant tables and the long hand basin of the unisex toilet have been made from the birch bark selected for the interior. Terrace Bar Countertops are made of FSC-certified heat-treated pine like the hut of a building.
The choice of building materials does not affect the daily lives of most people. Each of us can still choose on a daily basis what kind of products to buy. Whether it is a liquid cardboard package, a kitchen table or even a Christmas card, the consumer can pay attention to the product’s origin information when making a purchase decision and check whether the product has a certificate of responsible forest management. Vartia and Pääkkönen wanted to emphasize just this with their own choice. WWF was also involved in Löyly’s FSC project, as the organization wants to increase people’s knowledge of the benefits of FSC certification.
Organic food
Environmental friendliness and responsible values are also taken into account in Löyly’s restaurant menu. The kitchen favors responsibly caught fish, organic food and domestic seasonal ingredients.
The restaurant donates 50 cents for every price of Jasper’s salmon soup to WWF’s Baltic Sea work. The fish used in the kitchen is selected from the Green list of WWF Fish Guide. Since its opening, Löyly has sold more than 75,000 Jasper salmon soups.
Reducing the carbon footprint
Löyly customers can compensate for the climate emissions caused by the production and preparation of the food they eat and usage of the sauna. In November 2019, Löyly began cooperating with the Compensate Foundation. Compensate is a non-profit foundation whose mission is to combat climate change by providing people with the means to offset everyday emissions. Compensation payments will be credited to the foundation, which will use them in full for carbon sequestration projects that mitigate climate change, such as forest conservation and afforestation in South America and Africa.
In the autumn of 2020, Löyly started using Ilmatar wind power.
Public sauna and conservation site
In the spring of 2020, Löyly received a protection decision from the Helsinki City Council, when the city council approved the town plan for Hernesaari. The public sauna received the sr-1 protection mark.
“Löyly’s conservation label is based on both the building’s high-quality architecture and its value of Helsinki’s changing urban culture in the early 2000s,” the town plan explains.
This is certainly the greatest recognition I can think of Löyly receiving. Time’s top 100 listings are quite a concept worldwide, so Löyly and Finnish sauna culture gain considerable visibility around the world.
Jasper Pääkkönen
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