One of the most significant buildings in Lahti is the city hall, designed by Eliel Saarinen and completed in 1912. The building’s style represents the late Art Nouveau, and it is listed as a valuable cultural environment and a nationally significant built cultural environment.

In addition to the city administration, the building has previously hosted the fire department, the police department and prison cells, and the library. In the 1930s, an extension was built that closed the yard on the building’s south side. After an extensive fire, the building was renovated and restored to its original color in the 1980s.

This renovation will make the building more accessible to the public while retaining the spirit and historic value of the building. The courtyard will be renovated to provide an accessible route to the building. A new copper canopy will cover the courtyard and a versatile warm event space with a restaurant/cafe will be included for the use of the public. The building will be upgraded to meet present day needs, while increasing efficiency and almost doubling the number of workstations. Outdated building technology will be renewed, which has contributed to accelerating the construction decision.

This upgrade will be implemented as an alliance project. The planning of the renovation will be done in close cooperation with the authorities of the City of Lahti and the National Board of Antiquities. Construction will begin in the summer of 2021 and the facilities are scheduled for commissioning in the spring of 2023.