Tampere City Library

Metso

In 1978 a competition was arranged for the design of a new main library. The jury unanimously chose the design by Raili and Reima Pietilä. The architects said they had been influenced by various elements, such as Celtic ornaments, sheep horns and glacial spin formations. The basic idea was a space coiling spirally like the shell of a snail. The form of a bird appeared in the design process. Increasingly, the building began to resemble a large game bird, the capercaillie, known in Finnish as metso – now the building's nickname. Seen from above, the building looks like a bird carrying a shield. Houses the Tampere Mineral Museum.

• museum

Address

Pirkankatu 2

Hours

Mon–Fri 09:30–20:00, Sat 09:30–15:00

Website

tampere.fi (opens in a new tab)