Transforming Linnanmaa into a living and vibrant campus for all

Picture: Linja Arkkitehdit Oy

Looking 30 years ahead, the Future Campus vision presents Linnanmaa as a versatile, town-like campus area that opens up into its surroundings and attracts diverse groups of people.

text Anna-Maria Raudaskoski

In a vision stretching far into the future, the Linnanmaa and Kontinkangas campus areas boast state-of-the-art research, learning and working environments, which are attractive to students, faculty and the surrounding community, thanks to the versatility of services and activities on offer.

Central to the vision of Linnanmaa, looking 30 years ahead, is to make the campus a welcoming, modern, and functional place for work and study. Setting the framework, the Future Campus vision encompasses the Linnanmaa area as a coherent whole, incorporating such elements as city planning, services, land use, traffic and the needs of the various interest groups.

“Campus planning is grounded in improving the appeal of the campuses. To that end, its working spaces, learning zones and research environments are designed to meet both current and future needs. And this is just the right time to start, as the facilities need renovation and maintenance”, says Arto Haverinen, Estate Services Manager.

At 40, the oldest parts of the university building in Linnanmaa are approaching middle age. New spatial solutions are being sought to create a sense of communality and to encourage interchange among the units. The intention is to turn Linnanmaa into an attractive all year round destination, open 24 hours for students, staff and visitors.

When originally planned, the Linnanmaa campus building was conceived to be easily convertible, which greatly facilitates future design work. Such spaces as halls, corridors and restaurants will be used more effectively and the number of group work spaces and meeting points will be increased.

A similar vision is being developed for the Kontinkangas campus. However, the starting point for planning is different there, as the main building was completed only 10 years ago, and even the older buildings have just undergone extensive renovation.

Squeezing efficiency out of space

In the vision, Linnanmaa also appeals to stakeholder groups, sector research institutes and businesses. It bristles with all manner of activity and offers all necessary services to those studying, working or doing business on campus. People no longer just visit the university, they have 24 hour access to settings and amenities offering a range of educational, leisure and social opportunities.

Spatial solutions to be realized over the next few years aim at the formation of new multidisciplinary units and the cost-effective use of facilities. Joint use of premises will be encouraged, for example, by centralizing workshop activities and by establishing laboratories across faculty lines. Also expensive research equipment will be more effectively utilized.

Other cost-cutting options include vacating leased premises and concentrating all functions on the two campus areas. “A decision taken by the University Board in December seeks to achieve significant rental savings. Without savings in rental expenses, rearrangements of premises only serve to increase costs, because they invariably involve alteration work”, says Arto Haverinen.

Short-term planning provides support to the structural development of the university and reorganization of the university’s academic structure, which will be effective as of January 2014. Even before that, measures will be taken to move the Department of Architecture from the city centre to the Linnanmaa campus and to address indoor air problems in the departments of Biology and Dentistry.

“It is our goal that spatial solutions relating to structural development will be ready at the start of 2016”, Haverinen explains. The work schedule will be updated as planning progresses.

Density creates a townlike atmosphere

“A lot remains to be done in Linnanmaa in terms of facilities and environment. The university building does not stand out from its environment, there’s no real main door to speak of and public traffic connections are on the back yard, as it were. Planning efforts strive to drive campus development toward a versatile structure that blends more naturally with its environment“, says architect Esa Paajanen, who is actively involved in the implementation of the vision.

Way back when the location of the university was decided, potential campus expansion was in the cards. In the new vision, Linnanmaa opens up toward Kaijonharju and Technopolis through a series of plazas or other high-quality public spaces. These, in turn, attract diverse events and performances, such as displays of art and science, or serve as a setting for university ceremonies.

One key challenge the university faces involves recruiting high-level researchers from abroad. Paajanen sees a number of possibilities in the campus area that foreign staff will find interesting. For one thing, with the construction of new apartment houses, Linnanmaa will assume a more townlike appearance.

“Good on-campus living conditions and the vicinity of Lake Kuivasjärvi are important aspects in terms of appeal. And by playing on the arctic connotations of Oulu, we can add a touch of uniqueness to the campus”, Paajanen points out.

And that’s not all; the architect even considers it possible that Linnanmaa could host tourism-related activities. Other ideas include locating a researcher hotel and certain functions of the Oulu University of Applied Sciences in the area.

The mainstay of the project is University Properties of Finland Ltd., which has, or is about to, launch similar initiatives on several campuses across the country. ”Future Campus seeks to improve the efficiency, utilization rate and appeal of university premises”, says Olli Niemi, who is responsible for development activities at UPF.

In Oulu, campus development is guided by a facility committee, which is chaired by Olli Silvén, Vice-Rector for Education, and includes representatives of staff and students.

Web pages for the Future Campus vision are currently under construction, and will be available shortly. Also at the planning stage is a movable exhibition space, allowing visitors to explore the plans. For more information, please follow the university’s information channels.