The opening of Tiima is celebrated in Myllytulli in 2026

Oulu Museum and Science Centre's new building complex will be called Tiima, which refers to an hourglass, symbolizing a journey in time.

hourglass in a dark environment

“Tiima is a place of time travel where visitors can explore the past, the present and even peek into the future”, the Director of the Museum and Science Centre Pekka Olsbo explains.

Tiima represents the flow of time and directs your thoughts to sustainable development and the manners of promoting awareness and understanding of our environment. “We have a limited amount of time to protect our planet and we must use that time wisely”, Olsbo continues.

Tiime also resembles the word ‘team’ (“tiimi” in Finnish) which refers to cooperation.  It represents multi-disciplinary cooperation and the cohesion of different disciplines. “We are building a unique cooperation model of two museums and a science centre which binds together history, art and science”, Olsbo states.

The name originates from the Marketing Communications Office NRTNZ’s Desing Lead Iisakki Ronkainen’s name suggestion Tiilimakasiini (Fin. “brick storehouse”) Tiima which refers to the complex’s appearance. In further development, however, it was decided to shorten the name to Tiima, which was felt to be more multi-faceted in meaning.

The construction project ensures the suitability of the Oulu Museum and Science Centre’s facilities for the needs of the future. On top of the extensive new part of the building, the protected main building of the Tietomaa Science Centre will see a large renovation and facility alterations. The construction work is estimated to begin in the spring of 2024. The Science Centre Tietomaa, the Museum of North Ostrobothnia and brand-new services will be located in the new complex. The finished complex will be opened to visitors in Oulu’s European Capital of Culture year 2026.