“Doesn’t it look good?” Construction Manger Ari Tihinen asks proudly and gestures toward the construction site. Tihinen is visibly satisfied with the progression of the work. The project is on schedule, even a little ahead than planned.
The Åström Tannery used to operate in the area and diverse material traces have been found from the soil. “However, there have not been any large surprises that would have slowed the work schedule”, he continues.
The Oulu Museum and Science Centre’s staff are excited to see the progress of the work. Pictured (from the left) are Customer services manager Milja Häll, Director of cultural heritage work Pasi Kovalainen, Director of the Oulu Museum and Science Centre Pekka Olsbo and Director of audience engagement Anna-Riikka Hirvonen.
The Oulu Museum and Science Centre’s staff visits the construction site regularly as the new spaces will significantly affect the future operation plans. During the tour, they get to see the entry hall, the shop area and exhibition halls. Some of the individual halls are so large that the total area is comparable to a small grocery store.
You can see another location of the Oulu Museum and Science Centre from the entry hall, the Oulu Art Museum.
An open architecture competition was held in the fall of 2022 for the design of the building complex. The competition was won by the Architecture Office OPUS Oy and Simon Mahringer’s concept Loggia. “The project has had great designers starting from the architects”, Tihinen states. The construction’s project supervisor is KTC Group Oy.
How will the construction site look in one year? “Next year around this time, the entire brickwork should be complete, all 300 000 bricks will have been laid”, Tihinan estimates.
The Science Centre Tietomaa’s listed main building will see a large renovation. The interiors will be basically entirely rebuilt. All customer spaces will be made accessible. A children’s museum will open in the old science restaurant’s space in 2026.
The finished building complex will open to visitors in the European Capital of Culture Year 2026. The project’s total budget is 36,1 million €, it is one of the largest culture investments in the city of Oulu’s history. The building complex’s total size will be 9 540 GFA (gross area depicts the buildings entire size) which includes, for example, eight exhibition halls, an immersive multimedia space, workshop facilities, a restaurant, a store, and workspace for approximately 40 employees.
The Science Centre Tietomaa, the Museum of North Ostrobothnia and brand-new services will be located in the new building complex.