The new building of Dance House Helsinki will be constructed in connection with the Cable Factory. In addition, some premises inside the current Cable Factory will be renovated for the use of the House. Now, the general arrangement drawings of Dance House Helsinki's first, second and third floor and basement are presented. In all, the House has seven floors, but the topmost floors are reserved mainly for technical premises. The detailed technical design of the House is still ongoing.

The core of Dance House Helsinki consists of the Erkko Hall with 700 seats, the Pannuhalli stage with 250 seats and an Event Square. All of the adaptable stages are located on the first floor of Dance House Helsinki and they are interconnected. All stages are connected to the performers' backstage premises, practice studio and loading docks.

The Erkko Hall with 700 seats provides a spectacular setting for the performance of international level events. The main stage consists of the auditorium, the stage with its backstage and sides of the stage premises as well as the wings. The free height of the stage is up to 21 metres, which enables creating impressive performances. The stage can also be divided into separate facilities for smaller productions using upward acting doors.

The current Pannuhalli of Cable Factory will be converted to the use of Dance House Helsinki and it can be adapted to fit 250 spectators. The robust industrial feel of Pannuhalli will be preserved. Free height of the stage is approximately 11 metres. In connection with the new building, a green room and a connection corridor to other premises of the House will be built in Pannuhalli.

Both stages have a direct connection to the performers' green room located on the second floor. There are five four-person dressing rooms and two larger dressing rooms for 30 people in connection with the green room. The multipurpose space located in the Dance House Helsinki office can be booked as the working space of visiting performances' production staff. Dance House Helsinki's practice studio is located in the current premises of the Cable Factory and it covers an area of 12 x 14 metres. The studio will be equipped with mirrors and barres. The practice studio can be accessed through the new building and also through stairwell A of the Cable Factory.

In addition, the House will have a workshop and AV production facilities, wardrobe management facilities and a laundry as well as different technical premises for performing groups.

Audience will arrive at Dance House Helsinki through the Event Square. The Event Square is the heart of Dance House Helsinki where you can experience different kinds of events and performance or enjoy restaurant services. You can also find gender-neutral toilet facilities on the Event Square. The current basement facilities of Pannuhalli will house the cloakroom and restaurant services of Dance House Helsinki – in the future, you can go clubbing there, for instance.

First stage dedicated to dance

“The idea behind planning and designing the premises has been to create as functional a space as possible for performing dance. Dance House Helsinki is the first stage in Finland dedicated to dance – and this versatile form of art requires a top-notch setting," says Matti Nurminen.

The now confirmed general arrangement drawings of Dance House Helsinki are the result of years of work. In addition to hearing different experts, interviews have been conducted with visitors, dance professionals and tenants of Cable Factory. The goal has been to take into consideration the needs of different audiences, performers and productions as well as other actors, such as restaurateurs and facility management, in the design and planning.

The developer of Dance House Helsinki is Koy Kaapelitalo and Haahtela Group has been the construction consultant. Dance House Helsinki makes sure that the premises are suited for their purpose. The design team consists of experts of different fields, including architecture, construction, traffic management, acoustics and stage technology. JKMM Architects and Talli Architecture & Design are collaborating in designing the House.

“From the perspective of Cable Factory, it is great that the premises of Dance House Helsinki will be fine-tuned to work the best they can for players in the field of dance but in a way that it creates a smooth combination with the other premises of Cable Factory," says Kai Huotari, Managing Director at Kiinteistö Oy Kaapelitalo.

A complaint has been issued on the land use plan of Dance House Helsinki and processing the complaint is still ongoing in the Administrative Court. After the processing of the complaint, a planning permission will be applied from the City of Helsinki. Design process will continue based on the confirmed general arrangement drawings. Some minor changes may still occur but overall the Dance House Helsinki will look like this. The construction of the house will take approximately two years.

See the general arrangement drawings here (PDF).

Stage and practice studio information

Erkko Hall, 1st floor:

• 700 seats
• Auditorium, stage, backstage and sides of the stage, wings
• Stage width 25.8 m, depth 15.9 m, height 20.9 m
• Proscenium arch width 21.8 m and height 11 m
• Fly tower
• The wings are the same size as the big stage's performance area, height 8 m

Pannuhalli, 1st floor:

• 250 seats
• Adaptable auditorium
• Free height approximately 11 m

Practice studio 3rd floor:

• Width 12 m and depth 14 m
• Dance floor, mirrors, barres
• 2 dressing rooms for 6 people
• Green room

Director Matti Numminen answers to questions about general arrangement drawings on our Facebook Live or Instagram Stories Tuesday 2, April, 2019 at 5.30-6 pm.