Oulu palace renovation begins for 1,100 state employees

Renovation has begun at Oulu Provincial Government House and two neighbouring properties, which will be converted into office space for about 1,100 state employees, Yle reports. The project is scheduled for completion in December 2028 and is expected to cost about 35 million euros.

The district will house 16 government agencies, including the Tax Administration, Traficom, the Finnish Transport Infrastructure Agency, the Finnish Supervisory Agency and the National Land Survey of Finland.

The more than 130-year-old government house is culturally and historically valuable, but its floors will continue to creak and its halls echo after the renovation, says Lauri Peltonen, regional director for Northern Finland at Senate Properties.

Most of the changes in the main building will involve structures and building services, such as ventilation. Ceiling paintings that have partly deteriorated will be restored, along with original artworks. The project also aims to preserve the original furniture.

The building will mainly serve as a conference centre. One of its historic halls will become a wedding venue for the Digital and Population Data Services Agency. New conference technology will be fitted into the historic rooms in cooperation with the Finnish Heritage Agency and other experts.

Renovation work began in the brown brick annex, completed in 1971. Its interior is being extensively demolished and redesigned to provide customer services and modern office space. A service point on the ground floor will serve visitors to the Digital and Population Data Services Agency, the National Land Survey of Finland, the Criminal Sanctions Agency and the Tax Administration.

Work on the main building will begin at the end of the year, after its current user, the Finnish Supervisory Agency, has moved to temporary premises. The district also includes the former Land Survey Office building, completed in the 1850s, where only minor functional changes will be made.

External changes will be limited. The most visible addition will be a glass passage connecting the government house to the annex.

Senate Properties estimates that the renovation will eventually pay for itself through lower rents. The agencies are expected to save a combined 1.5 million euros a year by consolidating their operations in the district.