Another landmark rises above the old industrial district of Myllytulli — almost like a wizard’s tower. The red-brick tower and adjoining building once formed part of the Veljekset Åström leather factory. Completed in the 1920s, they served as the factory’s water tower and power station. The factory produced, among other things, leather boots, belts, and saddles before closing in 1960.

In 1988, Finland’s first science centre began operating here. The complex has been under renovation since 2023 and is scheduled to reopen in October 2026. As part of the restoration, the tower was given a new copper roof that gleams in the evening light and will gradually return to the familiar green patina I remember from earlier years.

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The Oulu City Library is a notable example of concrete Brutalism. Designed by Marjatta and Martti Jaatinen and completed in 1982, it embodies the restrained, functional qualities associated with the style. The architecture is deliberately austere, yet carefully composed.

The building opens toward the city centre through a broad glass façade, conceived by the architects as an open book facing Oulu. This transparency lightens the weight of the concrete and allows the life inside the library to be seen from the outside.

The library has long been a meaningful public space for me. Before the internet, it was an essential source of knowledge; today, it feels more like a place to slow down and focus on my own thoughts.

#Oulu #OuluCityLibrary #Brutalism #ConcreteBrutalism #ModernArchitecture #FinnishArchitecture #1980sArchitecture #PublicSpace #Library #Finland

A+U Magazine 606: Alvar Aalto Houses – Materials and Details, 208 pages.

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Alvar Aalto’s buildings in general but also his houses in...

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