Laihia links new town hall to Halpa-Halli and saves on costs

Laihia has completed a new town hall beside a Halpa-Halli department store, reducing construction costs through cooperation, Yle reports. The building cost slightly more than three million euros.

Municipal services returned under the same roof in early August after spending about two years in temporary premises, municipal manager Jari Rantala said.

“Now that we are all here together, cooperation is much easier. We have held several meetings, and matters can be moved forward quickly,” Rantala said.

The compact, modern building has four floors and houses the municipality’s administration, technical services, education services and early childhood education services. Its upper floor includes a shared dining area for about 30 employees and a large roof terrace facing the river. Rantala’s office is also on the top floor.

The town hall has open-plan offices, private offices and soundproofed workspaces, as well as a council chamber equipped with technology that automates live streaming of meetings.

Rantala said the building cost just over three million euros, slightly less than budgeted.

Municipalities are choosing different solutions

Few new town halls are due to be completed in Finland this year. A new municipal office building is under construction in Halsua in the neighbouring region of Central Ostrobothnia, with a move planned for November or December.

A combined town hall and library is also being built in Rusko, in Southwest Finland, according to Pirjo Sirén, head of the Community and Environment unit at the Association of Finnish Municipalities. That project is scheduled for completion towards the end of the year.

Although these are individual projects among Finland’s 308 municipalities, Sirén said it would be misleading to describe new town hall construction as unusual. Municipalities are also renovating existing buildings or considering other workplace arrangements.

“Each municipality assesses from its own starting point whether it needs to build new premises, move to hybrid facilities, renovate existing buildings or distribute its services across different locations,” Sirén said.

For example, the city of Hyvinkää has converted an old wool factory into a city hall. In Järvenpää and Tuusula, municipal employees work in so-called hybrid blocks that also house commercial businesses and third-sector organisations.

Town hall built next to the store

Laihia’s new town hall was built directly next to Halpa-Halli’s new store. Rantala said the project was carried out jointly, creating savings in areas such as parking.

“Halpa-Halli is responsible for the parking area contract, and we pay only our share. They also bought building rights from us for the new store,” he said.

According to Rantala, the municipality used money from the sale of the building rights to pay for costs including the demolition of the old town hall.

The old municipal office building had indoor air problems and was no longer considered worth renovating. Repairing it would have cost more than constructing a new building, Rantala said.

The old office centre was also far too large. The police and Kela, Finland’s social insurance institution, had rented space there alongside the municipality, but neither organisation now has a local office in Laihia.

Residents can visit the new town hall by calling and arranging an appointment with the official they wish to meet, Rantala said.

Laihia’s finances have been under pressure in recent years, with the municipality recording deficits for several consecutive years. Employee negotiations held in the spring resulted in a reduction of 15 person-years. The municipality has identified a need for 2.7 million euros in savings in the coming years.

The building is owned by a municipal subsidiary, to which Laihia will pay rent. The amount is still being negotiated, but the rent is intended to cover the company’s loan and maintenance costs.

Rantala said the arrangement was not designed to produce direct savings for the municipality. The subsidiary that owned the old office centre built the new town hall and negotiated with Halpa-Halli because, he said, a company can operate more easily than a municipality.