Oodi opens its workshops to all of Helsinki
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Opposite the Finnish Parliament, Helsinki Central Library Oodi opened on 5 December 2018, funded by the city and the state for the centenary of independence. People borrow books there, and they also sew, 3D-print and record music, free of charge. In 2025 it had more than 2.7 million visits, its busiest year since 2019.
The idea goes back to 1998, when Culture Minister Claes Andersson proposed a new central library in the city centre. The international competition launched in 2012 drew 544 entries. On 14 June 2013 the Finnish practice ALA Architects won. The city council approved the project on 28 January 2015 and construction began on 1 September. The total cost came to €98 million, of which €30 million came from the state as part of the centenary of independence, celebrated in 2017.
The programme was designed with residents: ideas, tips and “dreams” were gathered at events, workshops and online campaigns, the library says. The law points the same way. The Act on Public Libraries, in force since 1 January 2017, tasks them with promoting equal access to education and culture, lifelong learning and “active citizenship, democracy and freedom of expression”.
The building, in glass and steel behind a spruce facade, spreads its uses over three levels. On the ground floor are a 250-seat cinema, a multi-purpose hall, a restaurant and a European Union information point. The top floor is “Book Heaven”: 100,000 volumes under an undulating ceiling, seven reading oases, the children’s section and a balcony open to all. Robots carry returned books up there.
The middle floor is what sets Oodi apart. Its Urban Workshop offers 3D printers, sewing machines and overlockers, an A3 scanner, electronics workstations with an oscilloscope, a large-format printer, a heat press and a vinyl cutter. Use is free, only materials are charged, and bookings go through the city’s Varaamo service. The same floor has music, photo and video studios, gaming rooms and a shared kitchen. The studios have no curtains: the library wants everyone to see what others are doing.
Since January 2026 Oodi has taken part in make-a-thek, a project funded by the EU’s Horizon Europe programme with nine other European libraries and three outside Europe: clothing repair workshops, craft meet-ups and a sewing pattern printer. “Oodi is one of the freest buildings in Helsinki, or even the Nordic countries,” says architect Antti Nousjoki of ALA.
In 2025 Oodi was open 354 days and had more than 2.7 million visits, with over 12,000 on the busiest days; around 550,000 books and other items were borrowed, more than in any previous year. In 2019 the International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions (IFLA) named it Public Library of the Year. For a team, authorised Helsinki guides lead tours of about an hour from €140 (oodi@helsinkiguides.fi), and the cinema and multi-purpose hall can be hired for a seminar.
Opened on 5 December 2018 at a cost of €98 million, €30 million of it from the state, Oodi had more than 2.7 million visits in 2025 over 354 opening days, peaking at over 12,000 a day. Around 550,000 books and other items were borrowed that year, a record since opening. The top floor holds 100,000 books; the middle floor lends 3D printers, sewing machines and studios free of charge. In 2019 IFLA named it Public Library of the Year from 16 applicants.
Photos: Yehia Eweis, Wikimedia Commons (CC BY 4.0: 1) ; Bahnfrend, Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0: 2 4) ; Kalle, Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 2.0: 3) ; ALA Architects, Wikimedia Commons (CC BY 4.0: 5).
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