University Board of Directors decided on the selection criteria for the property scenario to be developed further
In line with the objectives set in the property strategy, the selection criteria place emphasis on financial considerations, to ensure that as much of the university’s funding as possible can be directed towards its core missions: research and education. The property costs of the different scenarios will be compared using models in which the university either rents the facilities or has them built for its own ownership. The evaluation will also take into account how each option would affect the university’s assets. Financial factors will account for 60 per cent of the overall weighting in the selection.
Other selection criteria, each weighted at 10 per cent, include:
• Functionality, adaptability, synergies, safety, and a cohesive campus experience
• Risks related to project implementation and the potential negative impact on core activities during the transition phase
• Responsibility, assessed through the target levels of campus options according to the BREEAM environmental certification system and carbon footprint calculations
• Attractiveness, accessibility, image, services, and the environmental and cultural-historical context
“We have now decided on a clear set of criteria that will be used to select the most suitable property scenario to be developed further in support of the university’s core missions and future. The concrete selection criteria are based on the objectives of the property strategy approved by the Board in June,” says Mikko Ayub, Chair of the University Board of Directors.
The Board has discussed the selection criteria in its evening session on 14 October 2025 and in its meeting on 28 October 2025, and made the final decision in an email meeting on 5 November 2025. The decision was put to a vote, and the criteria were approved with a vote of 9 to 2.
The next step is to prepare a decision proposal for the Board, in which the property scenarios will be scored based on the approved selection criteria. The scoring will be based on space assessments, financial calculations, preliminary schedules, and location analyses for each scenario. The aim is for the Board to decide on the scenario to be developed further in November 2025.
The property strategy work, launched in autumn 2024, is based on a space needs assessment covering all faculties and units. This assessment defined future space concepts and identified three alternative scenarios for meeting space requirements. Staff and students have actively contributed to the design of these concepts—addressing learning and teaching environments, workspaces, as well as laboratory and research facilities—through interviews, group workshops and survey responses. The Property Strategy Working Group, which includes representatives from all faculties, service units and the Student Union, has served as a platform for gathering perspectives from the university community and sharing information.
The space requirement calculations were carried out by architectural firm Arco. Construction costs were estimated by A-Insinöörit, and the financial impacts were assessed by KPMG. For Scenario 2, cost and rent calculations related to the renovation of the Linnanmaa campus were prepared by Suomen Yliopistokiinteistöt (SYK), the owner of the properties. The University of Oulu’s Architecture Unit evaluated the campus locations, and the comparison of accessibility was conducted by the Regional Excellence research group at the university’s Kerttu Saalasti Institute.
Comparison criteria and weighting of the scenarios
Attachment: Scoring (in Finnish)
Property Scenarios
Scenario 1:
A single new campus in Kontinkangas, approx. 73,400 gross square metres – a 40% reduction in space compared to the current situation
Scenario 2:
Two campuses: one new campus in Kontinkangas (17,300 gross m²) and renovation of the Linnanmaa campus (76,700 gross m²), totalling 94,000 gross m² – a 23% reduction in space
Scenario 3:
Two campuses: one new campus in Kontinkangas (52,600 gross m²) and another new campus (23,000 gross m²) located closer to Kontinkangas than the current Linnanmaa campus, totalling 75,600 gross m² – a 38% reduction in space
All scenarios also include a “Living Room of Science” in the city centre of Oulu, approx. 1,000 gross m².