Fazer Experience wins architecture prize

The Fazer Experience Visitor Centre in Vantaa, Finland has been awarded the Vuoden Lasirakenne 2018 award for best glass structure. The prize is awarded every two years by Suomen Tasolasiyhdistys ry, an association of companies in the plate glass sector in Finland. According to the jury, Fazer has understood well the added value that impressive architecture can bring to a business. Thanks to its glass structure, the Fazer Experience Visitor Centre has a light and elegant appearance in a variety of lighting conditions. The overall result is a stylish, balanced and inviting structure. This is not the first time that the centre has won awards. In 2016 it won an award for best metal structure from the Finnish Constructional Steel Association, and in 2017 it won the Vantaan Kehäkukka architecture award from the City of Vantaa.

The Fazer Experience Visitor Centre has won the Vuoden Lasirakenne 2018 award for best glass structure. The prize is awarded every two years by Suomen Tasolasiyhdistys ry, an association of companies in the plate glass sector in Finland. Seven buildings were in the running this year. The aim of the association is to develop the properties of glass for better and safer use in construction. The jury chose the Fazer Experience centre on account of its striking glass façade. The building’s façade contains 900 m2 of glass. The walls and ceiling of the tropical garden are also glass.

The Fazer Experience centre is a unique feast for all the senses, and invites everyone to experience Fazer in their own way. Underlying the visitor experience is the centre’s modern and original architecture. The visitor centre’s glass façades welcome visitors to get to know Fazer in all its variety. “We jointly decided on a consciously distinctive design: a round glass-walled structure that is on a single plane and is partly embedded in the sloping ground behind it. The glass walls and glass roof of the conservatory make the very best of the wonderful Finnish light, which makes the wood and other materials stand out very well. The surrounding nature and location in the factory area are also emphasised. The folded structure of the glass wall is not only aesthetically beautiful but is also a technical innovation. The structure withstands wind loads very well”, explains the building’s chief architect, Mikko Summanen of K2S Architects Ltd.

“The Fazer Experience Visitor Centre helps us to build our relationship with future consumers, and has been a major investment of resources in Finnish design and work. This award-winning glass structure was a demanding project, and we are very proud that we have been able to create something completely unique in collaboration with a wide range of experts in their respective fields”, says Fazer Group’s EVP, Communications and Branding Ulrika Romantschuk. “As an architectural element, glass is wonderfully symbolic of our operations. Openness and transparency are core values for Fazer. Large glass surfaces make it possible for people to see the visitors on the move around and for staff to see their colleagues at work. This will promote equality and a feeling of togetherness in the whole area”.

In 2017, the Fazer Experience Visitor Centre had over 180,000 visitors

The popularity of the Fazer Experience Visitor Centre has exceeded all expectations.  There were over 180,000 visitors in 2017, of which nearly 100,000 took a guided tour. And the success has continued into 2018.

The Fazer Experience Visitor Centre was opened in autumn 2016, when Fazer celebrated its 125th year in business. The centre, in Fazerila, Vantaa, is an architectural landmark and welcomes visitors of all ages. The visitor centre has a highly engaging exhibition, a shop where our new products are always on offer before anywhere else, Fazer Café, and also offers meeting services and a variety of events. The centre is a particularly appealing destination for families, tourists and school outings, and is also increasingly providing meeting services and recreational activities for businesses and associations.

Our goal is to continue to provide inspirational, genuine and interactive experiences that foster insights and a lifelong relationship with Fazer. Our guides help visitors get the most out of the exhibition. The centre is open every day. For information on the services provided at the Fazer Experience Visitor Centre, please go to visitfazer.com. Experiences of past visitors can be found under the hashtag #visitfazer.

Print-ready pictures:

www.fazergroup.com/pictures (Media_Press – Fazer Visitor Centre)

More information and reservations:

www.visitfazer.com  visitfazer@fazer.com#visitfazer

Anu Kokko, Director, Fazer Experience Visitor Centre, +358 40 504 2746
Fazer Experience Visitor Centre, Fazerintie 6, 01230 Vantaa                         

Fazer’s media phone line is open Mon–Fri from 8 am to 4 pm, tel. +358 40 668 2998
Email addresses are of the form firstname.lastname@fazer.com

Fazer Group

Fazer is an International family-owned company offering quality bakery, confectionery, biscuit and grain products, plant-based meals, non-dairy products, on-the-go food & drinks as well as food and café services. Fazer’s mission is Food with a Purpose. The Group operates in eight countries and exports to around 40 countries. Fazer’s success, ever since its establishment in 1891, has been based on the best product and service quality, beloved brands, the passion of its skilful people and the Group’s responsible ways of working. In 2017, Fazer Group had net sales of 1.6 billion euros and nearly 15,000 employees. Fazer’s operations comply with ethical principles that are based on the Group’s values and the UN Global Compact.

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