The Finnish Ministry of Economic Affairs and Employment has gone from occupying four buildings in 2008, to two buildings in 2015, to just one building today. Kari Klemm, the ministrys head of general administration, explains how this happened: In 2008, we were spread over multiple buildings because we had merged with other government departments. Over the years, however, our headcount was reduced, so we needed less space. And then activity-based working came along, which further reduced the need for pace. Ultimately the entire ministry was able to fit into one building. Kari: For which we are grateful as it makes collaboration easier and allows for synergies. The ministry is housed in a neoclassical Empire-style building in Helsinkis inner city, close to all the other ministries and only a few steps away from the Government Palace. Before the ministry could move in, the building had to undergo a major renovation under the watchful eye of the Finnish Heritage Agency. Major investments were made in the buildings technical services to create a comfortable indoor climate. Security was another aspect that required a major upgrade. For the rest, the historical building lent itself surprisingly well to activity-based working. The buildings structure, with narrow floors and a lot of load-bearing walls, did not allow for large open spaces, but that was fine with the ministry because that was exactly what they wanted to avoid. The buildings large rooms could be turned into work areas with 4 to 16 workstations. Smaller rooms could be used as quiet rooms, meeting spaces and support spaces such as copy rooms. The buildings finest rooms, with painted ceilings and stucco ornaments, were fitted out as conference rooms and a cafeteria so they could be enjoyed by all.Unlike many other ABW projects, the building does not feature specific team zones or team neighbourhoods. Kari:Open work area. The filing cabinets have been Everyone can sit everywhere, which makes sense becausekept low to maintain sightlines. The number of our idea was to increase collaboration and to break downcabinets was drastically reduced before move-in.