Keskustakirjasto 2017

A total of 3,221 city residents voted for their favourite library of the future between 23 March and 7 April at the Central Library exhibition held in Meilahti Art Museum, on touch screens in central Helsinki, online and in social media. This second phase of the architectural competition had six entries and the winner of the public vote was The Diagonal Agora with 984 votes (31%), the runner-up was an entry called Käännös with 644 votes (20%) and third place went to Kasi with 462 votes (14%). The results of the vote and accompanying comments will be summarised for the competition panel of judges. Read more »

The top six entries in the Central Library architectural competition are displayed on touch screens in the city centre and online at keskustakirjasto.fi/aanesta from 23 March to 7 April. You can easily browse the entries and vote for your favourite. In addition, Helsinki residents can comment on the entries on the competition website. The public’s opinion will be presented to the panel of judges and published online. So far, we have received 726 votes. There is about one week left to participate. The competition entries and their scale models are on display in Meilahti Art Museum until 5 April (closed for Easter from 29 March to 1 April). Read more »

Six architectural concepts to have advanced to Stage Two in The Heart of the Metropolis, the architectural competition for the design of the new Helsinki Central Library, will be on display at the Art Museum Meilahti from March 23 to April 5.

The six concepts were first selected in November 2012 from over 540 works originally received. The competitors have now had three months to refine their work further, along the guidelines provided by the jury. The works will still be displayed under aliases.

• Explore the concepts! Read more »

When people gather together to discuss a book they all have read, a unique atmosphere and kind of friendship is born. The multiple inner worlds contained in a single book flow together in speech through the group’s experiences. A similar atmosphere could be experienced on 23 January in the Kiasma Museum of Contemporary Art where people working in the field of literature joined the Helsinki Central Library’s “Kirjallinen aamupäivä” event. They included bloggers, publishing managers, authors, poets, teachers of literary art, Finnish teachers, reporters, media folk, and representatives of literature associations, organisations and institutions. All in all, the event attracted more than 50 book and literature lovers. Together their knowledge and talent created an entire new life for the book – with new forms of collaboration, concepts and points of view. Read more »

• 40 Liblab
• 144 Wave/1
• 149 Käännös
• 160 Kasi
• 357 The Diagonal Agora
• 375 The Green Metropolis

Read more »

We asked city residents what kind of a library they would like to see in the future. The public online discussion on ideas to make the library your favourite place in Helsinki, which was open from 24 September to 12 October, attracted more than 1,600 participants. In addition, more than 700 city residents posted their ideas on the Central Library’s Tree of Dreams during the summer. The suggestions received were highly varied. Even at the pinnacle of digital development, the library should not lose it noble traditions. Instead of just spending time at the library, you must be able to do things yourself. The library should be both busy – with people attracting more people – and have an almost churchlike atmosphere of peace and quiet. Read more »

The mantle of World Design Capital, ever growing numbers of visiting cruise ships and a livelier restaurant culture have increased Helsinki’s popularity with a vengeance. This has been the best tourist summer in history, and it is obvious that the future Central Library cannot ignore tourists in its planning.

We asked foreign visitors to summer Helsinki about their wishes for the library. What do tourists think is a must for the library? Read more »

The members of the public had a chance to vote for their favourites from among the Central Library competition entries in the exhibition of competition entries at Bunkkeri in May. The winner in the light-hearted competition was only separated from the runner-up by four votes in the form of heart-shaped stickers. Read more »