Student centre project has come to an end

The Student Centre is the joint construction project of Aalto University Student Union (AYY), the Swedish-speaking student nation Teknologföreningen (TF), and Aalto University Business Students (KY). The plan was to locate the students’ meeting place near the Otaniemi metro station and light rail stop. In 2021, a project agreement was signed between the student parties, Aalto University, and Aalto University Campus & Real Estate (ACRE), in which the university took responsibility for project planning and construction. In the project agreement, the parties approved the price ceiling, which set the budget framework for the project.  
 
The project has been significantly delayed due to appeals regarding land use plan amendments. Helsinki Administrative Court has rejected the original appeals, but further appeals to the Supreme Administrative Court are still pending. The land use plan has not yet received legal approval, and as a result, the parties have been unable to start construction.  
 
Since 2021, construction costs in Finland have risen significantly. The latest cost estimates in the plans have exceeded the agreed price ceiling by several millions of euros. Thus, the planned Student Centre is no longer a sensible investment. The only options left are either an overpriced building with suitable facilities or an expensive building with fewer facilities. 
 
The project parties AYY, TF, KY, Aalto University, and ACRE have agreed that, with the current economic prospects, it is not feasible to execute the Student Centre of tens of millions of euros as planned. The original project agreement will not be renegotiated after it expires on 19 Aug. However, work on the development of the campus and facilities will continue actively. The parties will work on the best alternative solutions for the community and hope that the seamless cooperation they had throughout the project will continue. 
 
‘Several years of cooperation have been strong and have successfully united major student organisations in Otaniemi in tackling shared challenges. Even if it’s painful to rip off the bandage, this decision will open up new project opportunities for the future’, says AYY Board Member Veeti Kahilainen.

‘The project has been a valuable learning experience. The project has managed to engage several student nation members on important issues, which in turn has strengthened the broader Aalto community’, praises TF Board Member Ville Helaskoski. 
 
‘Even though the project is now coming to an end, our cooperation with the student parties and university is ongoing. The end of one project opens up possibilities for the next, and I’m eagerly anticipating what we will achieve in the future’, concludes KY Board Member Kasper Palmqvist. 
 
 

Further information: 
 

Veeti Kahilainen, AYY Board Member (Student Centre, Campus, Facilities, Communications) 

veeti.kahilainen@ayy.fi, +358 40 677 1855


Kasper Palmqvist, KY Board Member (Vice Chair, Premises, Finances)   

kasper.palmqvist@ky.fi, +358 50 412 0947


Ville Helaskoski, TF Board Member (Campus Affairs) 

campusansvarig@tf.fi, +358 40 095 7358


Ville Jokela, Managing Director of ACRE 

ville.jokela@aalto.fi, +358 50 380 9701