Demolition begins for new tower project in downtown Oulu, Finland

In downtown Oulu, the old headquarters of the Osuuspankki is set to be demolished to make way for a new tower building by the end of this year. The demolition is complicated not only by the central and narrow location, but also by the site being squeezed between two significant buildings. To the south stands the Jugend-style Puistola, designed by Harald Andersin and built in 1910, while to the west is the Kalevankulma, a structure representing 1950s architecture, located at the intersection of Kirkkokatu and Hallituskatu.

Antti Still, the site manager from construction company Lapt, emphasizes the importance of careful operations to prevent any danger to neighboring properties and local residents. Due to the positions of the nearby buildings, traditional demolition methods such as wrecking balls and explosives cannot be used; instead, the work will be conducted with specialized machinery.

The demolition site is relatively small and fenced off, limiting the operation to a single long-reach excavator for now, with an additional machine expected to join when work moves to the Isokatu side. Water cannons are being employed to control dust generated from the demolition process, which began internally in early June and is now visibly taking place on the Hallituskatu side.

The building, completed in 1971 and raised to seven stories in 2005, is expected to be fully demolished by early next year. Over 90% of the construction waste will be recycled for energy production and concrete pulverization. The new structure will include 14 floors: a six-story section for offices and commercial space, and an eight-story tower for residential units, with two underground levels for parking. The owner and developer, Pohjolan Osuuspankki, will have new office and customer service spaces in the building’s base. The completed project is anticipated to be one of the tallest in Oulu, with an expected finish in 2027.