Architecture is prominently featured in the Oulu2026 programme
The European Capital of Culture year has kicked off in Oulu. We have compiled a list of architecture-related highlights from the Oulu2026 programme, which we will update throughout the year.
The European Capital of Culture 2026 programme will be held in various locations around Oulu. The two main venues for architecture enthusiasts are the Proto Design Center and Aaltosiilo.
Opened in 2022 by Proto, the designers' association of Northern Finland, the Proto Design Centre is a meeting place and exhibition space that brings and produces interesting design and architecture content to Oulu and serves as a platform for networking among designers in Northern Finland. The Oulu2026 programme at the Design Center showcases northern architecture and design.
Aalto Silo is a silo designed by Alvar Aalto as part of the Toppila cellulose factory, an important part of Aalto's work in the 1920s and 1930s on the infrastructure of the wood and paper industry. The protected building, which had fallen into disrepair due to abandon, has been given a new lease of life in recent years. Aalto Silo is being developed into a new symbol of the circular economy, and it will serve as a cultural space and a meeting place for science and art as well as local residents and international researchers.
The architecture programme of the Capital of Culture year can also be experienced in various other locations. The theme of Oulu2026 is "Cultural Climate Change."
Exhibition: Beyond Zero
16 January – 7 March
Proto Design Centre
Pikisaarentie 17, Oulu
Proto's year starts with an exhibition that invites visitors to consider how architecture and the built environment can become more sustainable. The exhibition presents seventeen projects from the Nordic countries and Estonia, each offering its own ambitious vision for a sustainability transition in the construction industry.
Beyond Zero was created as part of the Nordic Council's Nordic Carbon Neutral Bauhaus project. The traveling exhibition began in Malmö, Sweden, in November 2024 and was on display in Helsinki in the autumn of 2025. Proto Design Center is bringing the exhibition to Oulu.
The exhibition has been curated by Noon Architects and Vapaa Collective, and Kombo Office has been responsible for the exhibition architecture.
Exhibition: Oulu School of Architecture
20 March – 23 May
Proto Design Centre
Pikisaarentie 17, Oulu
The exhibition examines the unique northern architectural movement known as the Oulu School from the perspective of the 2020s.
This architectural attitude, which took shape among students at the University of Oulu, emerged in the late 1970s and continued to influence Finnish architecture until the 1990s. Based on a critique of modernism, the movement drew inspiration from regionalism and postmodernism and attracted widespread attention at the time. The attitude continues to resonate today.
The exhibition has been curated by Pia Krogius (Pohjois-Suomen SAFA), Petteri Kummala (Architecture & Design Museum), Mikko Mannberg (Finnish Heritage Agency), Janne Pihlajaniemi (University of Oulu), and Anni Vartola (Aalto University).
Aalto Silo
Alvar Aallon katu 5, Oulu
The Aalto Silo in Toppila will open its doors for the Capital of Culture celebrations.
A wide range of events has been planned for the Aalto Silo. For example, an ice sauna will be built in the area in February, the London theater production Black Square will be performed in March, and in June there will be a collaboration between the male choir Huutajat and German artist Christer Schläger. In September, the silo will host Marina Abramović's first exhibition in Finland. An opera performance will be held in October.
Mies van der Rohe -palkinnon julkistustilaisuus
Aalto Silo
Alvar Aallon katu 5, Oulu
The winner of the 2026 EU Prize for Contemporary Architecture will be announced in April in Finland. The Mies van der Rohe Award, presented every two years, aims to highlight high-quality architecture and its importance for the well-being and cohesion of citizens. The prize is Europe's most prestigious architecture award.
The winner will be selected from 40 shortlisted candidates out of 410 nominees, including the Tammela Stadium designed by JKMM Architects. The announcement of the winner in Aalto Silo in April will be preceded by the announcement of the seven finalists in February.
Architects' Day
17 April
Oulu Theatre, Pikisali
Kaarlenväylä 2, Oulu
The annual main event of the Finnish Association of Architects will be held in Oulu this year. In line with the theme of the Capital of Culture year, the theme of the day, "Cultural Climate Change Now," highlights the role of architecture and urban planning as part of cultural climate change.
The keynote speakers at the Architects' Day are architects Fabian A. Wagner (Buero Wagner) and Martin Laursen (ADEPT). The programme also includes the presentation of the nominees for the Wuorio Award for young architects and the award ceremony.
Leikitään! Lets Play!
Proto Design Centre
Pikisaarentie 17, Oulu
Play is for all ages, and people of all ages can participate in designing their environments.
In spring 2026, Proto Association and the Finnish Association for Design Education are organising design workshops for all ages. In the summer, an exhibition based on the workshops will be held in Pikisaari, and in the autumn, the implementation of the actual play environment will proceed.
Responsible for the project:
Proto / Päivi Tahkokallio, Ami Avéllan, Hanna Savolainen
Finnish Association for Design Education Suomu / Anna Kokki, Siri Lumme, Paula Susitaival, Mari Savio
Oulu City Environment Services
Oulu Children's Cultural Center
Steam in Oulu
Oulu College
Konstrundan
Tuira Sauna – The Art of Sauna Steam 2026
Koskitie 58, Oulu
Tuira Sauna 26 is a programme focusing on sauna culture that cherishes traditions and brings new perspectives to European sauna traditions. Sauna events open to the public will be organised throughout the cultural year, and an international sauna seminar will be held in connection with the project.
At the same time, the project is developing the Tuira public sauna and winter swimming spot located on the Oulujoki River. The sauna has been designed collaboratively with the active members of the Oulu Rantasaunaseura association, and its chief designer is the award-winning architect Teemu Kurkela from JKMM Architects.
Alvar Aalto Week
Autumn 2026
Alvar Aalto Week is held annually in a city belonging to the Network of Alvar Aalto Cities. In 2026, the event will be held in Oulu, which will also serve as the network's chair city during its year as Capital of Culture.
More information will be available later.
Exhibition: Ordinary design stories
Autumn 2026
Proto Design Centre
Pikisaarentie 17, Oulu
At the autumn exhibition, Proto and its partners will showcase everyday stories about Finnish design told by ordinary people. The exhibition examines design as part of everyday life – objects that have been used in daily life and preserved in homes from one generation to the next.
Finnish design has made everyday life more functional and everyday objects easier to use and aesthetically sustainable. What is exceptional internationally is that high-quality everyday design has been available in village shops and local markets throughout Finland for decades. It is precisely this accessibility that has made Finnish design truly democratic.
Light Art Biennial FLASH5
7–22 November
Galleria MABD, Torikatu 4
Aalto Silo, Alvar Aallon katu 5
Pikisaari outdoor spaces
The Finnish Light Art Association's FLASH5 Light Art Biennial, "Veiled Light," examines the unique relationship of northern peoples to the cycle of light and darkness: the cycles of birth, growth, blossoming, withering, and death in our nature.
The outdoor part of the light art biennial in Pikisaari is being organised in collaboration with the University of Oulu's Art of Darkness research project. The aim of the project is to rediscover darkness as a valuable cultural, aesthetic, and ecological resource in urban landscapes and cultural heritage sites.
The programme invites us to reflect on the significance of the extreme variations in light and darkness in the north. How have people lived with them in the past, and what can we learn from them for the future? Light is everywhere: it hides in shadows, plays in reflections, and shapes every surface in the world.
