The Central Library occupies one of the last undeveloped areas in the heart of Helsinki - a vacant lot next to the Music Center, the Kiasma Museum and the editorial office of the main Finnish newspaper, Helsingin Sanomat, opposite the Parliament building. 544 projects were submitted for an open and anonymous architectural competition in 2012–2013, the ALA version was liked by the jury due to its memorable and free image at the same time.
Even before the choice of the project, the library was conceived as a continuation of the public space: according to a law adopted in 1928, every citizen of Finland has the right to a library card, and the building fully reflected even the newest version of this act, 2017: it now charges the library with the obligation to support lifelong education. active citizenship, democracy and freedom of expression. In addition, the very appearance of "Oodi" is timed to coincide with the 100th anniversary of Finland's independence. It will open on December 5, and the country's 101st anniversary will be celebrated on the 6th. The great social significance of the new library was reflected in the process of choosing its name: citizens proposed their options, the final list of 1600 items was considered by a jury of librarians, writers, officials and marketing specialists. "Oodi", that is, "ode", reflects the jubilee character of the building and its connection with literature, is devoid of connection with a specific person (to the detriment of all other worthy candidates), moreover, it sounds beautiful.
The design was complicated by the shape of the site (narrow and elongated) and the fact that they plan to build a tunnel under it. The way out was the construction of a building in the form of a bridge, thrown with a span of 100 m above the first floor (we recently wrote about another library-bridge
here). The facade is sheathed with fir planks; its organic form recedes at ground level, letting the square in front of the library inside, and at the level of the third floor, it protrudes into a large balcony facing the Parliament building.
On the first level, in addition to the reception, etc., there is a café-restaurant and Kino Regina, a cinema hall of the National Audiovisual Institute. Above, on a tier, there is a workshop open to everyone with 3D printers and digital machines, transformable rooms for group projects and individual lessons, recording studios. At the very top is the "Book Paradise" with shelving and reading areas. Oodi's total area of 17,250 m2 also has meeting rooms, a photo studio, an auditorium and a multifunctional hall, and exhibition spaces. Administrative premises and a book depository take up a minimum of space, the building in the full sense belongs to the townspeople. Managers remain in the city's main library, and books can be quickly ordered from the citywide network, so there is no need to store more than 100,000 volumes at a time in the building. The book circulation system is fully automated and employs a variety of machines, including mobile robots. Storage facilities and other utility rooms are concentrated in the underground tier. The building is designed for 150 years of use and almost meets the Zero Energy Building (nZEB) zero energy standard.
The construction budget was 98 million euros, 30 of which were allocated by the Finnish government, the rest - by the city authorities. The fact that the new library was chosen as a key project for the centenary of independent Finland is due to the activity of the country's citizens as readers, the breadth of the library network and the variety of services it offers. In 2017, 853 of its institutions were visited 50 million times, that is, the average Finn visited the library 9 times and borrowed a little more than 15 books, audio and video recordings there. At the same time, the maintenance of this network costs taxpayers 57 euros per capita per year.
