Major renovation planned for the National Archives main building

Senate Properties will begin a major renovation of the National Archives’ main building at Rauhankatu 17 in spring 2026. At the same time, the building will be adapted into a shared workspace for the National Archives, the Institute for the Languages of Finland, the Finnish National Agency for Education, the Accessibility Library Celia, and the Research Council of Finland. These agencies will move into the premises in autumn 2028.

On 5 June, the Ministerial Finance Committee supported the Ministry of Education and Culture's proposal for new lease agreements for the agencies. Senate Properties’ board made the investment decisions for the renovation project at its meeting on 17 June.

The Rauhankatu 17 site includes the original building from 1890 and extensions added in 1928 and 1972. The last major renovation took place at the turn of the 1970s, alongside the most recent extension to the building.

The National Archives building holds national significance. It is a protected heritage site that has symbolic value. All renovation and alteration work, which will be planned and carried out in close cooperation with the Finnish Heritage Agency, will respect the site’s cultural heritage value. Historic public interiors, such as the main entrance and reading room from the oldest part of the building, as well as modern heritage spaces like the lobby and reading areas, will be preserved and largely only undergo conservation work.

The full-scale renovation will include upgrades to technical systems, repairs to the façades, roofs and courtyard, and conservation of historically valuable interiors.

Senate Properties, which is responsible for central government premises, commissions and develops the project. The call for tenders for the project’s lead contractor is currently underway. Architects Sarc + Sigge Arkkitehdit will carry out the principal and architectural design work.

Modern facilities for staff and visitors

As part of the renovation, the workspaces will be redesigned into a shared environment that supports the needs of the agencies. Customer service areas will also be improved.

The goal is to create high-quality, flexible and versatile workspaces for the involved agencies that operate in the Ministry of Education and Culture's branch of government. This change will implement the central government premises strategy and support the development of education and cultural administration outlined in the Government Programme.

Visitors will benefit from modern, functional spaces, including updated reading rooms and library services. Facilities for digitising and conserving archive materials will also be improved. A large part of the National Archives’ storage for archives will remain in the building.

Modern shared workspaces will make better use of space, helping the central government cut costs by giving up unnecessary premises. This also helps reduce the state administration’s carbon footprint.

Rauhankatu site renovation on the National Archives website

Inquiries:

• Matters related to construction: Janne-Pekka Niininen, Construction Project Manager, Senate Properties, tel. +358 294 83 3371, janne-pekka.niininen(a)senaatti.fi
• Soili Vasikainen, Senior Ministerial Adviser, Ministry of Education and Culture, tel. +358 295 330 171