Tilkka

Tilkka in September 2009. The semi-circular balconies are the building's hallmark.

Tilkka Hospital (Finnish: Tilkan sairaala, Swedish: Tilkka sjukhus; often referred to simply as Tilkka) is a former military hospital in Helsinki, Finland. It is located at Mannerheimintie 164 in the Pikku Huopalahti district.[1]

Tilkka military hospital was founded in 1918 and moved to Pikku Huopalahti in 1936[2] when the new nine-storey Functionalist building designed by architect Olavi Sortta was completed.[3] The building's distinctive mark are the semi-circular balconies, facing south around the main stairway. Patient rooms were concentrated on the top seven floors, providing patients with light, ventilation and a scenic view. Service rooms were located across the central corridor.[3]

Tilkka was expanded in the 1960s with a five-storey enlargement, an office wing and another low wing that housed for instance a military pharmacy. The expansion was also designed by Sortta and the enlargement followed the space division of the original 1930s building.[3]

The military hospital operated until 2005 when the Finnish Defence Forces vacated the building following an organizational transformation that outsourced the military's special health care.[4] The State of Finland sold the building to pension insurance company Etera for 8.8 million euros in October 2006[5] after which it was renovated into an elderly nursing home. The nursing home is operated by nursing service provider Esperi Care and houses 150 residents.[1][6]

The National Board of Antiquities has listed Tilkka as a nationally significant built cultural heritage site[3] and Docomomo has selected the building as a significant example of modern architecture in Finland.[7] The building is protected by a 2002 zoning ordinance and cannot be torn down or altered in a way that damages its cultural historical value.[8]

  1. ^ a b "Esperi Hoivapalvelukeskus Tilkka" (in Finnish). Esperi Care. Retrieved 10 March 2014.
  2. ^ "Tilkassa tapahtuu" (in Finnish). Yle Elävä Arkisto. 25 October 2006. Retrieved 10 March 2014.
  3. ^ a b c d "Puolustusvoimien 1930-luvun arkkitehtuuri Helsingissä" (in Finnish). National Board of Antiquities. 22 December 2009. Retrieved 10 March 2014.
  4. ^ "Puolustusvoimat ulkoistaa erikoissairaanhoidon". Turun Sanomat (in Finnish). 28 April 2005. Retrieved 10 March 2014.
  5. ^ "Talous lyhyesti to 12.10" (in Finnish). Yle Uutiset. 12 October 2006. Retrieved 10 March 2014.
  6. ^ "Tilkan entiseen sotilassairaalaan pääsee 2 000 euron kuukausivuokralla". Helsingin Sanomat (in Finnish). 3 September 2008. Retrieved 10 March 2014.
  7. ^ "Sotilassairaala Tilkka – Tilkka military hospital". Docomomo Suomi Finland ry. Archived from the original on 9 March 2014. Retrieved 10 March 2014.
  8. ^ Leena Makkonen (2012). Modern Architecture in Helsinki (PDF). City Planning Department, City of Helsinki. p. 109. ISBN 978-952-272-271-3.