With a design that combines traditional and contemporary flavors, Oodi is a striking building with its glass and steel structures and wooden facade. The energy-efficient library is an impressive calling card for Finnish architecture. ALA Architects’ design for the country’s flagship library, which stands opposite the Finnish Parliament, aims to ‘embrace technology and progressive values to provide a variety of innovative services alongside its lending collection of books’.

Oodi represents a new era of libraries. Apart from the top floor, Oodi’s facade is made entirely from wood, which softens the general appearance of the architecture around Töölö Bay. The wood used for the exterior wall is spruce. The newly completed building in the heart of Helsinki consists almost entirely of public space and offers a wide selection of services. Having been open for a year, Oodi has already become the new central point for the city’s public library network.

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 Töölönlahti area.

The Kansalaistori square (Citizens’ Square) across the street from the Parliament House seamlessly continues inside the ground floor level of the library building. The flexible spaces are suitable for both small events and large happenings. The movie theater and the multi-purpose hall can be used as continuation of the open lobby space or separated off to cater for specific events.

The ‘Book Heaven’ on the top floor, is a vast open landscape topped with an undulating cloud like white ceiling. Here the best features of the modernist library meet the possibilities provided by up-to-date technologies. A calm, serene atmosphere invites visitors to read, learn, think, and relax. From this level visitors can enjoy an unobstructed 360-degree panorama view of the city center.

The middle floor, the ‘Attic’, consists of flexible irregularly shaped rooms, nooks and corners inhabiting the spaces between the trusses of the bridge structure. The enclosed spaces are designed to accommodate both noisy and quiet activities. The stepped seating in the open central area of this floor is the result of the form of the cantilevering, twisting west façade.

By opening directly to the surrounding cityscape and by dissolving the border between indoor and outdoor areas, the building engages directly with the Töölönlahti area. The large foyer and the glass-walled multi- purpose hall on ground level act as indoor extensions of the outdoor spaces.

The arching wooden volume creates an entrance canopy over the Kansalaistori square forming a covered outdoor space that expands the building’s functions such as the ground level restaurant to the square. The large public terrace on top of the canopy doubles the amount of public outdoor space available for library visitors and creates a new destination where people can meet and observe the city below.

There are three public entrances in 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 shielded by the overhanging canopy, as well as one for the visitors to the movie theater in the northeastern corner.

The spaces for maintenance and library logistics are located at basement level. The administration and storage spaces are kept to the minimum on the publicly accessed levels to maximize the open and accessible nature of the library. The administrative and storage functions of Helsinki Public Library remain at the main library in the nearby Pasila district.

Library operations are statutory in Finland. Basic library services are free of charge and freely available to everyone. The new library is at the forefront of the renewal of the city’s library services. In addition to the core operations, there is a wide range of services available inside the building alongside an abundance of lounge spaces and auxiliary services that support the operations such as Helsinki Info – the City of Helsinki’s information center; Europa Experience – the center for EU related information; and Kino Regina – the National Audiovisual Institute’s movie theater.

In terms of services offered, the new library, a public space open seven days a week, 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 has attracted approximately 9,000 visitors per day and over 3 million visitors total.

The library has enlivened and diversified the new urban environment created in the Töölönlahti area. It offers activities and experiences for all ages. There are plenty of spaces that enable people to gather and spend time together, free of charge. The role of the library’s clients has evolved from passive media users to active agents, participants and content producers. As a non commercial open public space, the new Central Library acts as Helsinki residents’ common living room, workspace and learning environment.

Technical details

Oodi’s spatial concept based on three individual public floors is executed by building the library as an inhabited, asymmetrical bridge spanning over 100 meters over the open ground floor space. The bridge structure consisting of steel trusses and beams is supported by two massive steel arches, tensioned together with a reinforced concrete tension slab.

The innovative structural solution has enabled both the construction of the flexible column-free interior spaces and the possibility for the construction of a future road tunnel under the site. Secondary steel trusses support the cantilevering balcony and roof canopy asymmetrically from the arch structure, forming a unique structural design to accommodate both permanent and temporary functions for both the library and the public realm.