Helsinki Central Library Oodi

Oodi is Helsinki's central library, opened in 2018 directly facing the Finnish Parliament. Designed by ALA Architects, it resembles a long timber ship with a sweeping prow and a cantilevered facade of Finnish spruce. It was inaugurated on the 101st anniversary of Finnish independence and meant to embody the promise that knowledge belongs to everyone. The building holds 100,000 books, but most of its space is given over to workshops, sewing machines, 3D printers, sound studios, gaming rooms, rentable kitchens and meeting rooms. The top floor, known as Book Heaven, is a luminous wave-shaped reading hall. Thousands of people drop in daily, many to work, others to borrow tools or take in the view across Toeoeloe Bay and Citizens' Square; the terrace beside the reading hall is a popular summer meeting point.