Tampere board approves €37.26 million expansion of Pyynikintori Art Museum

According to the City of Tampere, the board cleared an implementation plan that upgrades the existing Makasiini and the former janitor’s apartment and adds two new buildings, Siilo and Paja.

The plan replaces a 1983 underground exhibition space with a new subterranean level linking the museum buildings into a single functional complex. That underground floor will include public areas and will allow artworks to be transported from Paja’s loading and museum-technical facilities to exhibition halls in Siilo and Makasiini. The scheme is based on the 2017 Siilo design that won an international architecture competition.

The museum will be made accessible and the surrounding yard will be restored as a high-quality public park and plaza for artworks. The project has an annual visitor target of 180,000.

This follows earlier planning to expand the Pyynikintori museum complex advancing the Pyynikintori expansion. The project’s cost has risen to €37.26 million, about €976,000 above the 2024 estimate; the increase was disclosed as the board considered the implementation plan noting the increased estimate.

Contracts for building and technical work were tendered in early 2026. The implementation cost is now estimated at just over €37 million: roughly €25 million for Siilo, nearly €6 million for Paja, just under €5 million for Makasiini’s overhaul, and about €1.4 million for the former janitor’s apartment.

Tampere Facilities Oy will manage the project. Construction is scheduled to start in January 2027 and finish in December 2029, with the premises expected to be ready for use in spring 2030. The board has also required a further review of operational details and the placement of functions during the next preparation phase.