Structural Defects Found in New Children’s Hospital Balconies, Repairs Underway
The balconies of the New Children’s Hospital in Meilahti have been found to have structural defects, leading to their closure last year and ongoing repairs expected to conclude in September. According to Helsingin Uutiset, the issues stem from misaligned glass panels that were intended to slide but instead created tension, prompting their removal in autumn 2023. Repairs began in the spring of this year.
Jouni Lounasmaa, a representative of the New Children’s Hospital Support Foundation, confirmed to Helsingin Uutiset that the defects were identified before any hazardous incidents occurred. The balconies, designed as break areas for families and staff, will not disrupt hospital operations during the renovation (Ilta-Sanomat).
The New Children’s Hospital, which opened in 2018 at a cost of €184.5 million, has faced multiple construction-related issues since its completion. In its first year, a ceiling panel in a neonatal intensive care unit fell onto medical equipment, nearly endangering a newborn. The hospital also experienced four water damage incidents and a failure in its patient gas supply system (Ilta-Sanomat).
Additional problems have since emerged, including moisture damage linked to technical construction errors and defects in the fixing of facade elements, which required a separate renovation completed last year (Iltalehti). The current balcony repairs follow broader concerns about balcony safety in Finland, including a fatal incident in Vantaa last year where a young man fell through a glazed balcony railing. A master’s thesis commissioned by the Facade Association highlighted design deficiencies in balcony glass railings and a lack of uniform condition assessment guidelines (Iltalehti).