Turku’s Allas Sea Pool cultural barge granted building permit

The planned cultural river barge known as “Allas Sea Pool” on the Aura River in Turku has received a building permit, Yle reports.

The Turku building and permit committee approved the application on Thursday. The project is developed by Nordic Urban Oy, which also operates the Allas Sea Pool in Helsinki.

The permit allows construction of a two-story, wood-framed floating structure offering cultural and recreational services, to be moored on the Aura River between Myllysilta and Teatterisilta. The 1,500-square-metre barge will include swimming pools, event space, a restaurant, and terraces.

In addition, the permit covers a technical room, service elevator, waste shelter, and an underground technical space on the bank between Itäinen Rantakatu and the river.

The area’s zoning plan became legally binding in 2024 after appeals against it were rejected. It remains possible that the building permit itself will be appealed. During the application process, two apartment buildings on the opposite bank submitted comments expressing concerns about potential noise and increased traffic. The committee deemed Nordic Urban’s responses sufficient.

Construction on site can begin once the Aura River bank wall has been repaired and the building permit has gained legal force, meaning any appeals must have been resolved, said Nordic Urban project manager Petteri Lautso.

Repair of the eastern riverbank wall, built in the 1800s from natural stone, is scheduled to start in late May or early June 2026 and is expected to be completed by July 2027. The work covers a 150-metre stretch at the barge’s location and will include archaeological studies. The repair is needed to prevent the wooden bank foundations from collapsing and to avoid damage to underground cables, water pipes, and sewer lines beneath the road.

“We cannot build the barge on site until the wall can be anchored to. We have worked closely with the bank-wall repair project, but the city is responsible for the repair schedule,” Lautso said.

The final timeline of the project will be determined once the building permit is legally binding and construction contracts have been signed.