The new Turku Music Centre is set to be a versatile, world-class and exciting cultural centre by the Aura River. The development phase of the Music Centre project has progressed on schedule and the project plan is ready to move on to decision-making.

As the next step, the Turku Music Centre project plan will proceed to decision-making by the City:

  • 11 October –  Urban Environment Committee
  • 13 October – Cultural and Youth Committee
  • 31 October –  City Board
  • 14 November –  City Council

Materials related to decision-making are published in the committees' agendas and compiled as links on the Music Centre website www.turku.fi/musiikkitalo.
 
The decisions will be followed by the implementation planning phase and then the actual implementation. According to the current schedule, the Turku Music Centre is set to be inaugurated in early 2026.

The project plan for the Turku Music Centre project plan details the goals of the project, the building’s location and site, the functional requirements for the facilities, the project risks and opportunities, as well as the costs and schedule. The plan attachments include the architect's presentation, floor plans and the technical specifications of the building.   

The Music Centre project will be carried out using a collaborative alliance model, and the project plan was prepared in close cooperation between the alliance partners. The goal is to achieve the high quality criteria set for the Music Centre in a cost-effective and risk-free manner. 
 
The project plan is based on the proposal of the consortium that won the competition for the Music Centre and is now part of the alliance. The Turku Music Centre alliance partners include the City of Turku, Hartela Länsi-Suomi Oy, PES-Architects Ltd, WSP Finland Oy, and Laidun-design Oy. 
 
Kimmo Suonpää
, Director of Urban Construction at the City of Turku, considers it important that the basic solution presented in the competition proposal has remained much the same in the project planning phase, including the facades and functional solutions.  
 
In the project planning phase, the plan proposal has been further developed, enabling the targeted cost to be achieved.  
 
“Due to inflation and the increase in construction costs caused by  the coronavirus epidemic and Russian’s war of aggression against Ukraine, the necessary index adjustments have been made to the target cost specified in the plan proposal and the call for tenders,” says Suonpää. 

The planning work has been guided by the value for money thinking characteristic of alliance projects. 
 
“This helps us reach the goals set by the client in the best possible way. The importance of careful value-for-money steering is highlighted by the special features of the Music Centre, such as the complexity of the building frame and aligning the goal of world-class acoustics with the target cost,“ says alliance project manager Juha Kartastenpää from construction company Hartela.

A versatile music venue

The new Turku Music Centre will offer world-class acoustics for orchestral music as well as a modern environment for organising a wide range of events to reach different audience groups. 

“The Turku Music Centre will be the home of the Turku Philharmonic Orchestra, but it also provides a setting for a variety of other activities. We want it to be a venue with premises and acoustic conditions that will impress even the most critical musicians and music lovers. The Music Centre will be an open and active venue for the people of Turku and an interesting destination for visitors,” explains Nikke Isomöttonen, Chief Executive of the Turku Philharmonic Orchestra.

The Turku Music Centre will be the home of the Turku Philharmonic Orchestra, but it also provides a setting for a variety of other activities.

The design of the Music Centre’s concert hall is based on the shoebox model. The auditorium will seat an audience of about 1,300 in stalls and galleries. A smaller, flat-floor multipurpose hall and other public spaces provide a setting for organising a wide range of musical performances and events. The 140-seat café/restaurant is located so that it can remain open even outside performances.

The Music Centre is designed by PES-Architects, one of Finland's most internationally renowned architectural practices, with architect Tuomas Silvennoinen as chief designer.

“The Turku Music Centre is a highly demanding design task and the goals have been set high. The collaborative spirit of the alliance team and the strong shared belief in the project goals and values have been a major asset in the project planning phase,” says architect Tuomas Silvennoinen.

The Turku Philharmonic Orchestra is pleased that the functionally designed ancillary services will allow the new Music Centre to be much more than a concert hall.

“High-quality facilities lend themselves to many things – even musical performances and events of a kind we can't even imagine yet,” say Nikke Isomöttonen.

Optional roof garden with restaurant

During the project planning phase, a plan for a rooftop garden and restaurant has been introduced as an optional addition compared to the needs assessment. The restaurant and roof garden are scope changes involving a separate cost estimate.

“The Music Centre’s location and design solution offer the opportunity to create a unique and inviting entity on the building’s roof level. A green roof with a terrace restaurant would be a recreational area open to everyone and increase the versatile use of the Music Centre,” Timo Hintsanen, Director of Urban Planning at the City of Turku, points out.

Illustrations: PES-Architects Ltd