Staircases and other concrete products
Soon after its establishment in 1910, Lemminkäinen expanded its operations from asphalt to concrete works. In its modest workshops in the Merisatama district of Helsinki, Lemminkäinen manufactured terrazzo staircase steps, which soon became one of the company’s main products.
Lemminkäinen’s staircase production received a considerable boost in 1929, when the company’s cement works were transferred from Merisatama to the site of Lemminkäinen’s new office building in the Hakaniemi district of the city. In addition to manufacturing steps, the company installed them in buildings and also built staircase landings and floors, firstly in Helsinki and soon right across the country. Before the Second World War, windowsills, cable channels, and well rings were also manufactured at the Hakaniemi works. After the war, terrazzo washbasins and different kinds of tiles were added to the company’s growing list of products.
The most recent phase in Lemminkäinen’s staircase production began in 1954, when Lemminkäinen was the first company in Finland to start manufacturing complete prefabricated concrete staircase units. The start-up of industrial serial production marked a radical turning point in the construction of apartment buildings in Finland. The company’s concrete products received fresh impetus in the mid-1960s, when production was transferred from Hakaniemi to a modern concrete products factory in Tuusula. Prefabricated concrete staircase units are still a key product for Lemminkäinen Betonituote Oy, which also produces tiles and urban environment products.