The steel structures of the Helsinki Central Library Oodi are one sign of Normek’s expertise. Large, heavyweight, special-purpose steel elements made the project technically demanding. The design, carrying capacity and the integrity of welded joints needed special workmanship. With the success of logistics and installation work, the schedule stayed well in its time.

The Central Library Oodi is located in the centre of Helsinki. It was one of the biggest brand projects of the Finland’s 100th independence anniversary. The library is an important destination for Helsinki residents and will certainly be noticed among tourists as well. As a specialty, the library offers a cinema, extensive leisure, working and exhibition facilities, a sauna department and a selection of up to 140,000 books.

Normek Oy delivered the steel structures for the building. The project was launched by the main contractor YIT in the autumn of 2015. The steel frame was particularly challenging in this project as it has to support a large number of very heavy structures. The carrying capacity must be excellent and the weld seams very durable. The body structure resembles a large lattice structure. First, vertical steel beams were erected on which the transverse beams were installed. At each seam, a separate support structure is installed to ensure stability.

As the parts weighed more than 85,000 kilograms each – a 350-tonne crane was needed to lift the massive elements into place. Logistics produced challenges due to the massive size and heavy weight of transports. Parts were transported all the way from the Oulu factory to the centre of Helsinki. Deliveries were allowed to enter the construction site only during night time. Employees had to pay special attention to lifting, installation and safety plans due to the enormous weight of the elements. The steel structure of the library building weighs all together 2 500 tonnes.

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