Helsinki to Build large New Library – Complete with Cinema, Restaurants, and Sauna!

On December 31st, it was announced that a new library set to be built by 2018 in Helsinki, Finland will be called Oodi. The city-centre library will not only be home to lots of books, but will also be built with a cinema, restaurants, cafés, workshop and activity spaces and a public sauna.

Plans for the library were first approved back in 2015 and building officially begun in 2016. The total cost of the library will be 98 million euros and the government has pledged to contribute 30 million euros.

The building will be made from wood and glass and is designed by Helsinki-based ALA Architects.

The library will not only be full of books, but will also be a center for digital information. Situated in the heart of the Töölönlahti district of Helsinki, the library will be a stone’s throw away from other grand buildings such as the Finnish Parliament Building, Helsinki Music Centre, Finlandia Hall.

As Keskustakirjasto.fi reports, the name of the library was selected from a number of proposed titles by a jury over the course of two meetings. The jury was chaired by Helsinki Deputy Mayor Ritva Viljanen who explained the name thusly:

“The name should be easy to remember, short, and easy to pronounce and to use in a sentence,” she said. “The name should also be easy to explain to the international audience and work in many languages. The name should support the symbolism of the Finland 100 centenary. It is also a merit to the name that the word is beautiful. Because it is a name of a library, it should be linked with literature and thereby with the library institution. However, we did not want to name the library dealing with all of Finland, literature and culture to one person only, although good arguments were presented for library names dedicated to various authors. On these bases, were selected ‘Oodi’ as the name of the Central Library.” Oodi is Finnish for Ode.

The topping off of the building is set to be celebrated in 2017 and the library will open to the public in December 2018. Better start booking your flights now!