The Detail Prize 2020 goes to the Central Library Oodi in Helsinki by ALA Architects. In a conversation with Samuli Woolston, Juho Grönholm, and Antti Nousjoki, the partners of the Finnish studio explain their understanding of public space.

Interview: Sandra Hofmeister

The name of the new central library is Oodi, which means “ode”, as in the musical composition “Ode to Joy”. Who decided on the name?
Samuli Woolston: There was a public process to suggest names for the library, and people submitted more than 2,600 proposals. Antti Nousjoki: Then the library and the city administration selected the winner. This was pretty much the only process where we were not involved. In general, it takes a little time to get used to a new name, but in our case, it is quite a good one. It translates easily in foreign languages and it also means something. In Finnish we pronounce it with a typical long “o”.

The building is located in the city centre of Helsinki, next to the parliament building, and it is conceived as an iconic solitaire. What is the design idea behind its powerful appearance?
SW: When we assessed the surrounding buildings, we realized that none of them are truly inviting. So it was important for us to create a structure that is approachable and welcoming.
Juho Grönholm: Traditional library buildings are either containers for books or temples with columns and stairs. In our case, we already had a temple of power nearby – the parliament with its colonnade. So there was no need to manifest the status of the library in that form, but instead to open it up and draw people into the building. At the same time, the library’s prominent location sets up a dialogue with the parliament building. We decided to take this into account by stretching out the library’s balcony edge and pushing in the glass walls of the ground floor. As a consequence, the volume is aligned with the facade of the parliament. Last but not least, the site of the library is so prominent that it was clear that
the building should also be a statement in itself.

Read the full english version and the German text version in DETAIL 1/2.2021

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