The project to move Little Finlandia, which served as a temporary space during the renovation of Finlandia Hall, to its new location has started. The move, carried out as a special transport, will be made at night to minimise disruption to traffic. The elements are 18 metres long, and four metres wide and tall.
Most of the building will go to Tapulikaupunki as an extension to Helsinki Upper Secondary School of Media Arts. The air handling units of the old building can be repurposed in the renovation of the Tali football hall.
No use for the café part as such
The renovation of the football hall will make less use of the Little Finlandia structures than originally planned. Originally, the plan was to move the entire café section of the building to Tali.
"The café area would have needed to be adapted to its new purpose. This is very challenging when it comes to large elements where the floor and ceiling are attached to each other. That is why the plans for the café section in Tali have been replaced by new construction," says City of Helsinki Project Director Mika Heimala who is responsible for the relocation.
The reuse of the café section was also explored in other locations in the city, and the needs of municipalities in the surrounding area were reviewed. However, no new use could be found, and practically all building elements of the café will be modified, renovated and reused with the exception of the frame. The CLT elements, i.e. panels made from layers of solid wood, will be recovered from the frame to await a suitable smaller-scale use.
Exceptional project to yield new lessons learned
The relocation of a building the size of Little Finlandia is an exceptional project in Finland. The endeavour will provide important information on how buildings designed for relocation can be used as part of public service construction. Lessons have also been learned from the change of plans in Tali:
"In the future, we will focus on taking into account the requirements of the next use of the space already at the design stage of the building. Perhaps the elements should also be made more transportable. Compared to new construction, the carbon emissions of the relocated building are significantly lower, and it is great that the City is experimenting with new, more environmentally friendly solutions," Heimala says.
Tapulikaupunki project ready in 2026, Tali in 2027
The extension of the Helsinki Upper Secondary School of Media Arts in Tapulikaupunki is expected to be completed in December 2026. The building will house the school kitchen, canteen and teaching and group work spaces.
The renovation and alterations of the Tali football hall are scheduled to start in May 2026 and take roughly one and a half years to complete.
After the demolition of Little Finlandia, a pleasant street space will be built in Töölönlahti in its place.
