Pirkanmaa Approves Kauppi Plot for University Health Centre Serving 60,000

Pirkanmaa wellbeing area has approved the purchase of a Kauppi plot in Tampere for a new university social and health centre next to Tampere University Hospital, with construction expected to begin in 2027, YLE reports. The centre is planned to serve about 60,000 residents. It will replace the current Tammelakeskus and could open as early as spring 2029. The land will be bought from the city of Tampere for €3 million, and total construction costs are estimated at around €60 million. Officials reissued the decision after discovering a procedural error in earlier handling. According to Tamperelainen, the approved acquisition concerns the plot located at the intersection of Kuntokatu and Arvo Ylpö katu. The parcel covers 10,816 square metres, and around 20,000 square metres are zoned for hospital and educational use. The parcel will be bought from the city for €3 million, and the project budget is reported at €59.63 million, with the purchase price included and room allowed for possible cost increases. Construction is scheduled to run from summer 2027 to summer 2029, with contractor selection planned for early 2027 and the construction tendering split into fixed-price contracts. Before work begins, the city of Tampere will demolish existing buildings from 1 December 2026 to 31 May 2027, Tamperelainen reports. Planned services include appointment-based primary care; social services for working-age residents; adult mental health and substance use services; maternal and child health clinics; rehabilitative services for children and adults; basic youth mental health services; and primary oral health care. The facility will also serve as a university-linked competence centre for research, development, innovation and teaching under a TKIO model developed with Tampere’s higher education community. The purchase follows Pirkanmaa's earlier October decision to buy the Kauppi plot and the board's prior consideration of the purchase.