Charred exterior cladding for Tikkurila fire station

Story

The Tikkurila readiness station in Vantaa is a building designed by P&R Arkkitehdit. The station was taken into use in autumn 2024 and serves the Keski-Uusimaa rescue department. The same site also houses premises for Tikkurila VPK.

The facade is black wood, and the material choice is striking already as an idea: a fire station whose most visible surface is charred. Here that is not a contradiction but a controlled, deliberate solution. Charred wood cladding gives the building a calm, recognisable character and at the same time speaks to the logic of how surfaces age.

The project uses the Hiili surface, with pre-treated pine (Sature) with linseed oil as the substrate. Hiil carried out the charring treatment for this surface as a subcontractor for Novenberg.

The design of the building has been guided from the outset by occupational safety and sustainability. The same thinking is reflected in, for example, the green roof on the carport and the provision for solar panels. The Tikkurila readiness station is a good example of how a functional building can be at once practical, recognisable and considered in its materials.