Lapinlahti Hospital area

The over 180-year-old Lapinlahti Hospital building is in need of extensive repairs. The City of Helsinki started planning the implementation of the renovation as the City’s own project in 2024. No new construction is planned for the area, and the park will remain in public use for city residents. 
Lapinlahden sairaalan puutarha kuvattuna kesällä.
Photo: Yiping Feng ja Ling Ouyang. Helsinki Partners
Project phase Under planning
Project theme Green and recreational areas Service facilities
Project plan schedule -
Project location Länsisatama

The City of Helsinki is planning the renovation of Lapinlahti Hospital. The planned renovation project covers the main building of the former hospital, the Venetsia building as well as the maintenance and sauna buildings.

The culturally and historically valuable Lapinlahti Hospital has been due for a renovation for a long time. Extensive condition surveys carried out in recent years confirm that the repair of the buildings must be actively pursued, as otherwise their preservation is threatened. Some of the facilities are no longer in use due to safety risks.

In order to restore the building, the Urban Environment Division is preparing a preliminary proposal on how to implement the project, which will be submitted to political decision-making. The proposal is expected to be decided upon in spring 2026. The intention is that existing tenants will be able to continue to occupy the premises until the end of 2027, when the renovation is set to begin. 

Renovation aimed to start in 2028

In 2020, the Helsinki City Board outlined how the Lapinlahti area should be developed. Based on the decision, an operating concept was drawn up for the future use of the former hospital. According to the concept, Lapinlahti would continue to house facilities for wellbeing, recreational and cultural activities as well as restaurant services.

As the planning of the renovation progresses, the City of Helsinki will investigate what kind of activities could be implemented in the hospital. The future of the area has been outlined through a market survey and visioning work, for example.

In connection with the planning, it will also be decided what the ownership and operating model of the Lapinlahti buildings will be after the renovation and whether the hospital will be renovated all at the same time or in stages. 

If the planning proceeds according to the planned schedule, the Helsinki City Council can make a decision on the implementation of the renovation project in 2026. The aim is that the renovation could begin after more detailed planning and political decision-making in 2028.

In connection with the planning, the intention is to also amend the local detailed plan, because in the current plan, the premises are assigned to social and health activities. 

Lapinlahden alueen ilmakuva, jossa näkyvät sairaala-alueen rajat.
Aerial view of the Lapinlahti Hospital area. The boundaries of the hospital area are marked. Photo: Helsingin kaupunki

Schedule

Frequently asked questions

The City of Helsinki rented the main building of the Lapinlahti Hospital to Osuuskunta Lapinlahden tilajakamo and Lapinlahden Lähde Oy in 2015. The premises of the hospital area currently house operators engaged in the mental health, culture and well-being sector. Among other things, the area has cafes, a sauna, a handicraft shop, a flea market and a museum of mental health work.

The buildings in Lapinlahti were used as a hospital until 2006, when psychiatric care was centralised in the renovated Hesperia and Aurora Hospitals. The last hospital operations were moved away from Lapinlahti in 2008. 

Yes. The hospital’s main building, the Venetsia building and the sauna building are in poor condition and need a thorough renovation. Among other things, the sewer system and building technology must be modernised and harmful substances have to be removed from the structures. The city plans the renovation in cooperation with the Finnish Heritage Agency.

The buildings are first carefully inspected in order to draw up the renovation plans. The most recent condition surveys were completed in 2025. If necessary, more surveys will be carried out throughout the planning of the renovation.  

No. No additional construction is planned for the protected park surrounding the hospital. The park has, for the most part, only been subject to maintenance procedures in recent years. 

The park’s history and special natural assets, such as trees planted by hospital patients and the habitat of the endangered Depressaria chaerophylli, will be taken into account in the renovation project along with what types of events can be organised in the park without endangering its natural assets.  

The intention is to also amend the local detailed plan in connection with the renovation planning, as the premises are assigned to social and health activities in the current plan. The exact schedule of the local detailed plan amendment is not yet known. 

Main picture: Garden of Lapinlahti Hospital. Photo: Yiping Feng ja Ling Ouyang, Helsinki Partners.