Oulu Central Library Saari (Oulu Main Library) stands on Vänmanninsaari in the heart of Oulu. The original building was designed by architects Marjatta and Martti Jaatinen, completed in 1981 and opened to the public in 1982; its interiors were by Studio Nurmesniemi. The library forms part of the nationally significant RKY area around Oulu’s harbour blocks and has been refurbished with heritage guidance.

JKMM Architects led the project from concept to completion, serving as principal, architectural and interior designers (including loose furniture). The commission began in 2022 for the City of Oulu’s Tilapalvelut, with the library, the children’s culture centre Kotilo and the City’s Community Services as users. The aim was to honour the building’s modernist clarity while updating building services, functionality and accessibility.

Architecturally the building is a rigorous rectangular volume with polished mosaic-concrete facades and long aluminium-and-glass elevations. A large window opens from the high second-floor library hall toward the market square; the first floor is recessed. The 6×6-metre structural grid underpins flexible spatial planning and has been used to open new views and clarify circulation in the refurbishment.

The renewed ground floor functions as a lively events level and meeting place with a café and a pair of interconnected venues (Pakkalan sali auditorium and Laituri) that now open more directly to the foyer. The second floor houses the main collections for adults, children and young people in an open, flowing hall with long sightlines across the interior and out to the square. The third floor is quieter, with the makerspace (digiverstas), periodicals, group work rooms, reservable rooms and study halls. A new fourth floor is now open to the public, accommodating the Kotilo children’s culture centre (opening early 2026), larger reservable rooms, small sound-isolated studios and most staff workspaces; a new stair connection has been added from the main stair to this level.

Building services have been comprehensively renewed—new plant, re-routed systems and revised principles—within tight spatial constraints. This technical upgrade enabled wider improvements to energy performance, accessibility and the long-term durability of the structure.

JKMM Architects also designed the interiors, respecting the principles of the original architecture and Studio Nurmesniemi’s furnishings. The building’s material palette combines fair-faced concrete walls, mosaic concrete tiles, aluminium, glass and ash wood. The hard surfaces are contrasted by warm wooden elements and vibrant furniture colours. Varied sightlines, spatial sequences and natural light remain central to the spatial experience. From the high library hall on the second floor, there are views of Oulu Market Square and a new botanical artwork by Urho Kähkönen to be planted in front of the library – “Sininen saari” (Blue Island) brings a living, seasonal artistic element to the outdoor space.

The overall result is an architecturally cohesive cultural environment where history and the present day meet. The renovated library is scheduled to open to the public at the end of 2025.