Turku Main Library · Finnish Architecture Navigator

Architect: JKMM Architects
Competition: 1998
Completion: 2007
Themes: Mind-Building – Finnish Libraries at La Biennale di Venezia 2018 Concrete Structure Award 50 Years
Category: Assembly buildings
Tags: competition extension library
Prizes: The Concrete Structure of the Year 2007

The turn of the new millennium was the moment of entry for many young Finnish architectural practices. One of the newcomers was JKMM Architects whose approach was fresh and free of prejudice and who gained unforeseen success in architectural competitions.

The extension for the Turku Main Library, a competition win from 1998, took its place as a public space in the city structure with boldness and dignity. The libraries of the early 2000s left old ideologies behind. The new role of the library was to act as a soft fulcrum, a self-confident central point to leverage the intellectual life of its community.