History and Architecture of Central Library Saari
Urbanization was intense in all Finland in the 1950s and 1960s. The number of cars increased, and the city centres of many cities were updated to be more efficient through design competitions. Oulu’s population grew fast as well. In the early 1960s, the city of Oulu’s master plan architect Irma Mikkola focused on the disorderly marketplace region. She compiled a proposal for alterations to the city plan. The alteration proposal was popular. In 1962, a design competition was held for the development of the art and administration centre in Meritulli. The goal of the competition was to build an administration and cultural centre by the Oulujoki River that matches the value of the region’s capital.
The proposal by the architects Marjatta and Martti Jaatinen called “Saari” won the competition. The planned concrete monument centre included a theatre, city hall, concert hall, and a 22-floor tower to be used as an office building. In the proposal, the monument centre was located by the marketplace on the Vänmanni Island surrounded by water.
The first building of the monument centre to be finished was the city theatre in 1972. In 1973, Oulu City Library received regional library privileges, and one requirement was a new main library building. The main library used to be located in Ainola, on the Hupisaari Islands. The plans for the concert hall changed, and the construction of a library building began in 1975.
The opening of the new building was celebrated in early 1982. According to Marjatta and Martti Jaatinen’s vision, the 54-meter glass facade of the library opens the building toward the city like an open book. The theatre and library are part of the nationally significant cultural historical environment and masterpieces of modern concrete architecture in Finland.
The monument centre on the Vänmanni Island was not finished completely according to plan. It was decided that the city hall would be left in its original location and building the office tower was delayed. Now and again, the construction of the tower has been brought up among the citizens, to the point where discussing the tower can be considered a part of Oulu’s cultural history. The discussions ended in March of 2024 when the Oulu City Council approved the Terwa Tower hotel project.
In September 2020, the Oulu City Council informed citizens that the library will be renovated. Simultaneously, it was decided that after the renovation the library would be called the Central Library. In the early winter of 2022, the library was finally named Saari after a naming competition.
On top of library services, Central Library Saari includes the Children’s Cultural Centre Kotilo and Oulu Community Activities.