HELSINKI CENTRAL LIBRARY OODI

Juho Grönholm /ALA ARCHITECTS

Architect SAFA Juho Grönholm is co-founder and partner at ALA Architects. The Helsinki-based office founded in 2005 specializes in cultural buildings, unique renovation projects, and transportation infrastructure. Juho holds a master’s degree in architecture from Helsinki University of Technology and has over 20 years of professional experience in designing large public buildings in Finland and abroad. He is both an experienced team leader and a visionary artist promoting rich, memorable architecture independent of any set style. ALA Architects specializes in demanding cultural buildings, transportation architecture, and modernist renovation projects. The Helsinki–based firm was founded in 2005 by four young architects Juho Grönholm, Antti Nousjoki, Janne Teräsvirta, and Samuli Woolston after having won 1st prize in the open international design competition for the new theater and concert hall, Kilden Performing Arts Centre, in Kristiansand, Norway. Today the firm is led by Grönholm, Nousjoki, and Woolston, and in addition to them employs an international team of 42 architects, interior architects, BIM specialists, architectural assistants, and administrative employees.

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HELSINKI CENTRAL LIBRARY OODI

Finnish studio ALA Architects’ design for the country’s flagship library, which stands opposite to the Finnish Parliament, aims to “embrace technology and progressive values to provide a variety of innovative services alongside its lending collection of books.”

image © Tuomas Uusheimo

PROJECT NAME: Helsinki Central Library OODI

LOCATION: Helsinki, Finland PROGRAM: Library, multipurpose hall, movie theater, exhibition space, youth center, café, restaurant, meeting rooms, co-working, recording studios

ARCHITECT: ALA Architects, partners Juho Grönholm SUSTAINABILITY: nZEB The Oodi Library is the new central point of Helsinki’s public Library network. The building consists almost entirely of public space and offers a wide selection of services, activities, and experiences for people of all ages. Having now been open for two and a half years, Oodi has remarkably enlivened and diversified the urban environment in the Toolonlahti area. Oodi represents the new era of Libraries. As a non-commercial open public space, the new Central Library acts as Helsinki residents’ common Living room, workspace, and Learning environment.

With Library operations statutory in Finland, the basic services are free of charge and freely available to everyone. In addition to them, there is a wide range of other services available inside the building alongside an abundance of Lounge spaces and auxiliary operations such as Europa Experience - the center for EU-related information and Kino Regina — the National Audiovisual lnstitute’s movie theater. In terms of services offered, the Oodi Library is opened seven days a week, it is the largest public library in the Helsinki metropolitan area, and has also become the metropolitan area’s most popular spot for returns and reservations. In its first year, the Library attracted approximately 9,000 visitors per day and over 3 million visitors total. With Oodi, the role of the Library visitors has also evolved from passive media users to active agents, participants, and content producers.

Oodi is a celebratory project for the 10 0t h anniversary of the independence of Finland. The anonymous open international two-stage architectural competition was launched in January 2012 and attracted 544 entries from all over the world. The six entries selected for the second phase of the competition were published in November 2012. Finally, the „ALA Architects” entry was announced as the winner of the competition in June 2013. Construction started in 2015 and the Library opened on December 5t h, 2018.

ARCHITECTURAL CONCEPT

The design divides the functions of the Library into three distinct Levels: an active ground floor, a peaceful upper floor, and an enclosed in-between volume containing the more specific functions. This concept has been developed into an arching form that invites people to utilize the spaces and services underneath, inside, and on top of it. The resulting building is an inspiring and highly functional addition to the urban life of Helsinki and the Toolonlahti area. There are three public entrances to the building: one in the south for the main pedestrian flow from the direction of the Central Railway Station, one next to the Kansalaistori square to the west of the building, and one for the visitors to the movie theater in the northeastern corner.

With the building directly opening to the cityscape and engaging with its surroundings, the border between indoor and outdoor areas dissolves. The Kansalaistori square continues inside of the ground floor level of the Library. The Lobby and the glass-walled multi-purpose hall act as extensions of the outdoor areas. The flexible facilities are suitable for both small events and large happenings. The multi-purpose hall can be used as a continuation of the large open lobby space or closed off to cater for specific events. Walking through the ground floor offers a quick glimpse at the selection of services available in the building. The form of the sculptural wooden ceiling arching over the Lobby follows the building’s bridge-Like structure. This innovative structural solution has enabled the creation of a column-free indoor space that maximizes the accessibility and visibility of the program.