Helsinki City Council

Located on Aleksanterinkatu Street next to the iconic Senate Square, the Helsinki City Council operates in the historic Bock building and its newer extension. Behind corridors lined with portraits of past council presidents lies the council chamber, where the 85 elected members of the City Council convene every other Wednesday to make key decisions on Helsinki's operations and finances.

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In this blend of tradition and function, Audico delivered a highly precise and technically demanding upgrade to the council chamber's AV infrastructure.

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Modernising the meeting system

The council chamber was originally completed three decades ago. While the room’s design is straightforward and functional, its technical backbone needed a modern facelift. Audico replaced nearly ten-year-old voting panels with new, custom-built units designed to fit into the existing desks. The new panels feature three voting buttons, presence and speech controls, as well as a larger touchscreen and upgraded microphone. Power over Ethernet (PoE) was introduced, making the system more reliable and enabling councillors to charge their phones and laptops directly from the panels.

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"The voting panels were replaced so that more space for technology was now sawed into the original councillors' meeting tables. Audico custom-made the new panels..." explains Lauri Menna, Senior Expert and Secretary of the City Council.

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In total, 85 panels were installed—one at each councillor’s desk. An additional 20 customised panels were tailored for the mayor, chairperson, secretary, interpreter, civil servants and support staff. Spare units were also produced to ensure operational continuity.

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Designed for functionality and transparency

The audiovisual solution includes a large rear wall screen for following meeting proceedings, while updated camera and microphone systems ensure that all sessions are professionally streamed. Council meetings are open to the public and can be followed live online or later via the city’s streaming platform, Helsinki-kanava.

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The system supports hybrid and transparent governance, allowing citizens to stay informed and involved in municipal decision-making. According to Menna, sessions can vary in length from just seven minutes to long evening sittings depending on the agenda.

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Precision implementation in a demanding environment

For Audico, the Helsinki City Council project followed the successful renovation of the Finnish Parliament’s AV system—a step up in scale, but no less demanding in execution. The council chamber’s upgrade required careful coordination, custom fabrication, and high reliability to meet the expectations of a live democratic forum. The result is a seamless integration of modern AV infrastructure in a heritage-rich environment that continues to serve the city’s highest decision-making body.

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