By the book: Helsinki’s Oodi Library

Emily WrightPrint

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Helsinki Oodi Library. Photo: Tuomas Uusheimo
From coffee to co-working and laser cutting to VR gaming, Helsinki's Central Library Oodi is a masterclass in placemaking. Attracting 10,000 visitors a day, could this be the future of civic space? You don’t expect to find a VR room in a library. Or a laser cutter. Or five top-of-the-range 3D printers, a fully equipped recording studio, a green screen filming room, a bank of sewing machines, a drum room and a dedicated Xbox zone. But then, there is no library in the world quite like Oodi. Designed by ALA Architects and opened in December last year, the 17,250 sq