The library will meet diverse needs of citizens and visitors to Helsinki. It will be a space for both pastime and work, equipped for independent study, for families and for events. In addition to an extensive selection of materials to borrow, there will be quiet areas, learning environments, a forum for citizens’ own productions, a children’s library, a reading room with daily papers, information on Helsinki and Finland for visitors, and general information.

 

Helsinki Deputy Mayor Tuula Haatainen, who oversees the project, says that the Central Library will be a centre of learning and activities, offering facilities for citizens’ creative and joint projects. As a new building, the library can be modelled after users’ needs and wishes. Haatainen points out, “The Central Library will be a centre of experiences and a meeting place, where modern technology will facilitate learning. The library project is a significant investment into the future.”

 

According to the project plan, an architectural competition on the library will be organized in 2011, and the results will be revealed in 2012, Helsinki’s World Design Capital year. Construction will begin in June 2014, and the completion in 2017 will coincide with the centennial year of Finnish independence.

 

Total floorspace will be close to 16,000 square metres. The total cost is estimated to be approximately 70 million euros, involving low-energy construction methods. The development will be managed by a City of Helsinki real estate company.