Oulu, the capital of Northern Scandinavia, known locally as the capital of Western Siberia, was the destination of the annual excursion of RT's board and management team members in March.
The first destination the Board visited after the morning meeting was the University of Oulu campus, which is set to move from Linnanmaa to Kontinkangas in the next decade. The first phase of the architectural competition for the new campus is currently underway. University Rector Arto Maaninen urged builders to sharpen their pens for future contract bids.
There has been a dean for civil engineering studies in Oulu Antti Niemen According to the Finnish Institute of Technology, there has been a good balance between supply and demand in recent years, as the number of priority applicants has largely matched the number of starting places. The Faculty of Technology also has international degree programmes, and the employment of foreign students in Finland has sparked discussion. Typical countries of origin include India, Bangladesh and Iran.
Director of Construction Development at RT Antti Aaltonen commented that the University of Oulu has the most cross-disciplinary collaboration, for example between civil engineering, industrial management, architecture and electricity. Oulu also has, among other things, very focused research on low-carbon cements.
Logistic hub
Another attraction in Oulu, which holds the title of European Capital of Culture this year, was the Saari Central Library. Built in 1982, the concrete brutalist library is one of the investments related to the Capital of Culture year. The library reopened in November after a three-year renovation.
Representatives of the City of Oulu reported on recently implemented and planned growth investments worth billions of euros. The pipeline includes, among others, the Oulu Experience Arena, a football stadium, the Torihotelli, a public transport terminal and the Liminka-Oulu double-track railway. The value of the Clean and Digital Transition project portfolio is over 17 billion euros. Oulu is also testing dual-use technologies in the laboratory, test network and field conditions in the OuluZone area.
Mayor Ari Alatosava emphasized the importance of transport projects and Oulu's role as a logistical hub and Finland's gateway to the West. The city's goals for Finland's upcoming government program include strengthening the TEN-T core network and investments in Rail Nordica, the main line and Highway 4 to improve accessibility.
Capital of the Complainants
Oulu also seems to be the capital of complainers – the problem of complaints was often brought up in speeches by city officials and politicians. Alatossava noted that complaining about construction projects is a local culture. They take time, money and nerves.
Otherwise, the will to develop the city is positive, according to Alatossava, which is also reflected in the city's decisions. Let's not just lament the state's poor situation, but push forward. Companies invest, innovate and create jobs. Almost a billion euros are invested in RDI activities in Oulu annually.
At the end of the day, the City of Oulu organized a dinner at the newly renovated City Hall, whose ballroom has previously served as a theater, among other things. According to Jarmo Husson, the chairman of the city council, the foundations of the neo-renaissance building, completed in 1886, were laid by Russians, the design was done by Swedes, and the decorative paintings in the ballroom were done by Austrians.
Husso urged that current projects be compared to how a village of 10,000 inhabitants was able to build a unique stone palace. The generator of development was the transport infrastructure back then: The building, which had been a clubhouse, was put into use at a gala dinner held to celebrate the completion of the Ostrobothnia railway.