Päätalo renovation could force student groups out of C wing for up to four years

Päätalo's C wing, home to 16 student organisations that moved in last year after their lease at Pinni A ended, could be closed for three to four years while the building is renovated starting in early 2028, YLE reports.

The groups now fear another forced relocation. "It frustrates us that these rooms were recently refurbished, with painted walls and new kitchens, and we’ve been here less than a year when we might have to leave again," says Maiju Heikkilä, a board member of Tampere Student Union TREY. Päätalo houses lecture halls and exam rooms, a student restaurant and a large assembly hall. It also contains the historic Alakuppila, which makes the C wing especially important for everyday student life.

A needs assessment for the overhaul was completed in February and the project has moved into detailed planning. Preliminary schedules indicate work could last three to four years. The university is surveying the building’s condition and says the C wing is in particularly poor shape. Pertti Iso-Mustajärvi, Tampere University’s facilities director, stresses the campus will remain in use and that the university plans to arrange nearby temporary premises for teaching and activities. Final timetables, costs and specific relocation plans are expected to be clarified later this year. The renovation is part of a broader facilities programme that aims to cut the university’s footprint by about 41,000 square metres by 2030.