Swedbank Estonia Headquarters: A New Dimension in Workplace Design
Swedbank is Estonia’s largest bank, with its new headquarters occupying the tallest tower in Tallinn’s Arter Quarter. Rising 111 metres above the intersection of Liivalaia and Juhkentali streets, the 28-storey tower is Estonia’s tallest office building and part of one of the country’s most significant and complex office developments in recent years.
As Arter Quarter’s anchor tenant, Swedbank brought all its Tallinn units together in the new headquarters, creating a shared home for nearly 2,000 employees. Teams previously spread across several locations, including the former Liivalaia headquarters, now work under one roof.
An Ambitious Scale, a Human Focus
Creating the new headquarters meant more than moving into larger premises. The aim was to establish a workplace that supports collaboration across a large organisation while embracing ergonomics, flexibility and sustainability.
For a project of this scale, a coherent overall design matters as much as the experience of each person using it. On every floor, employees can choose between open collaboration areas, quiet concentration zones and informal spaces for breaks. Floor-to-ceiling glazing opens up views across Tallinn, making the city skyline a natural part of the interior.
Four Seasons, One Shared Design Language
Arhitekt11’s interior concept, “Seasons”, gives the headquarters’ four main zones distinct identities. Inspired by the changing Estonian landscape, the concept unfolds through colour palettes, materials, textiles and planting, bringing warmth and familiarity to an imposing building.
Autumn combines warm oak, ochre and deep red tones. Winter creates a calmer atmosphere with cool green-grey shades. Spring introduces light materials alongside pink and soft olive textiles, while summer brings the energy of yellow, orange and green.
Natural oak, natural materials and carefully selected textiles connect all four zones. Together, they create a consistent identity while allowing different floors to offer their own character and atmosphere.
Sustainability, from Building to Furniture
At Arter Quarter, sustainability extends from energy systems to interior finishes and furniture choices. The buildings were designed to meet the BREEAM Excellent standard, with energy piles working alongside district heating and cooling.
Meeter Modular, selected for the dining areas, supports this approach. The Meeter product family carries the EU Ecolabel, which Softrend was the first Estonian upholstered furniture manufacturer to receive. The label considers environmental impact throughout the product’s lifecycle, including materials, manufacturing and longevity. The furniture’s independently assessed environmental credentials therefore complement the development’s broader sustainability ambitions.
Intuit’s role in the new headquarters
With Intera as the furniture partner, the project incorporated Intuit solutions for dining, spatial zoning and individual focus.
- Meeter Modular, together with planter boxes and custom-made Aide tables, was used extensively in the dining areas. Modular seating, greenery and tables tailored to the project form coordinated settings where a lunch break can naturally become an informal meeting or a shared discussion.
- Grow separates work and break areas from the corridors. The planter-based dividers help define distinct zones while bringing greenery into employees’ everyday surroundings.
- August Nooks provide dedicated focus spaces within the work zones, allowing employees to concentrate on individual tasks away from the activity of the surrounding office.
These solutions give the generous shared areas a clear purpose, creating comfortable settings with a human scale within a large corporate workplace.
Award-Winning Architecture, Thoughtful Everyday Design
Arter Quarter received the Best Office and Business Development title at the 2025 Baltic Real Estate Awards. The recognition celebrates a development that brings together architecture, spatial design, technological innovation and sustainability.
Completed in 2025, Swedbank Estonia’s new headquarters demonstrates how an ambitious project can serve the practical needs of everyday work. The seasonal interiors create a shared identity, varied work zones offer freedom of choice, and Intuit’s furniture brings comfort, functionality and places to meet, recharge and focus.
Client: Swedbank Estonia
Interior architecture: Arhitekt11
Furniture partner: Intera
Photographer: Helis Mahmastol
Videographer: Mihkel Notta
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