The restaurant pavilion constructed by the harbor is a spacious combination of glass and wooden structures. The building, constructed on the shore of Lake Vesijärvi in the vicinity of the Sibelius Hall, is part of the wooden architecture park being built in the area.
The pavilion’s load-bearing frame is made of glued laminated timber. Laminated veneer lumber has been used in the floor and ceiling elements, as the bracing wall and for the beams in the shape of a parallelogram of the glass ceiling. The floor is made of veneer parquet and the terraces are a wood plastic composite. Light filters into the café through the perforated birch veneer false ceiling.
The Piano Pavilion has been created through cooperation. The sketches were made by the architect Gert Wingårdh and the working plans were drawn up in Finland. The suppliers of the construction materials and the manufacturers and designers of the furniture are from Finland.
According to Wingårdh, the building is reminiscent of a ship being launched. The swing-like ceiling that tilts inwards opens the building up to Lake Vesijärvi and fringe-like battens cut from aspen border the framework.
The Piano Pavilion was awarded the 2000 Spirit of Nature Wood Architecture award for the work of the Italian Renzo Piano.