At the end of the 1960s it became clear that a city of Tampere’s size and status was clearly in need of a state-of-the-art, world class concert venue. Such a realisation was further reinforced by the fact that the main auditorium of the University of Tampere, in which the Tampere Philharmonic Orchestra performed, was proving itself to be far too small for such a respected and loved orchestra.
As politicians and local residents discussed exactly what form the new venue should take and where it should be situated, it was soon decided that the city would also benefit from ensuring that any such venue also included top-class facilities for business meetings, conferences and congresses. In 1983 an architectural competition was announced, which was won by the Finnish architects Sakari Aartelo and Esa Piironen and their “Factory Whistle”.
The building, which cost 307 million Finnish marks (52 million euros), was finished in 1990 and was opened in September of the same year. Tampere Hall was extended and refurbished in 2005 and the multi-million pound project saw the building gain over 800 square metres of new foyer and meeting space with other facilities being upgraded - the Park Hall benefiting from a complete refurbishment.
As the cultural focal point of Tampere and, arguably, the whole of South West Finland, it is natural that Tampere Hall should be home to some of Finland’s most influential works of art of recent years. These include Professor Kimmo Kaivanto’s Blue Line, a striking blue strip that stretches from the Entrance Hall all the way to the Park Hall. Guests can also enjoy Matti Kujasalo’s Construction 1 and 2 – metallic works which extend many metres in light wells on both sides of the Main Auditorium. In addition, Teemu Saukkonen’s wall relief, entitled “Ring Finger”, crafted from pine and beautifully painted, can be found in the Small Auditorium and Timo Sarpaneva’s unique glass sculpture – “Pierced by the Sun’s Spear” - catches the attention in the Entrance Hall.
The first Managing Director of Tampere Hall was Professor Carl Öhman, followed by Ms Kaarina Suonio, LL M, MA. The Hall has not only had an enormous role to play in Finnish cultural life with a string of unique, highly-successful productions but has also held a significant number of large national and international meetings and congresses, which have been a further boost to business life in this vibrant and dynamic part of Northern Europe.
