On 16 April 2026, AALTOSIILO hosted the announcement of the winners of the European Union Prize for Contemporary Architecture / Mies van der Rohe Awards, as part of Oulu’s year as European Capital of Culture.

The event brought together representatives from the European Commission, the Fundació Mies van der Rohe and a range of architects and institutional partners. It was the first time the awards were announced outside Barcelona, drawing unusual attention to Oulu and to the AALTOSIILO site itself. As one Finnish newspaper noted, “the eyes of the entire architecture industry are now here.”

Two winning projects were selected from 410 nominated works across Europe. The main award went to the renovation of the Charleroi Palais des Expositions in Belgium by AgwA and architecten jan de vylder inge vinck. The Emerging Architecture prize was awarded to Temporary Spaces for the Slovenian National Theatre Drama by Vidic Grohar Arhitekti.

The announcement was followed by a public discussion including Charlotte Skene Catling, Ivan Blasi (Fundació Mies van der Rohe), Jutta Kastner (European Commission), Piia Rantala-Korhonen (CEO, Oulu 2026), Asko Takala (SAFA), Kari Nykänen (City of Oulu) and Dr. Kalle Nuortimo (Oulu University of Applied Sciences).

The event also marked the launch of the “Oulu Protocol”, an ongoing initiative focused on the reuse of concrete spolia in construction. Developed in dialogue with European partners and now backed by the European Commission, the protocol aims to challenge and evolve current legislation around the use of reclaimed concrete.

The recording of the winners' announcement is available here..

On the evening of Thursday, 16 April, the AaltoSiilo will host the official announcement of the 2026 European Union Prize for Contemporary Architecture / Mies van der Rohe Awards (EUmies Awards) winners, in the categories of Architecture and Emerging — live from Oulu, European Capital of Culture 2026.

A distinguished jury, presided over by Smiljan Radić, has concluded its deliberations after travelling across Europe to visit all finalist works. Following the announcement, there will be a conversation with voices from the European Commission, Fundació Mies van der Rohe, Oulu2026 European Capital of Culture, and the Finnish Association of Architects (SAFA).

The event will also be livestreamed on the EUmies Awards YouTube channel, beginning at 16:00 CET / 17:00 EET (Oulu).

On 28 and 29 March, AaltoSiilo hosted a weekend of performance, poetry and live media as part of the Oulu European Capital of Culture 2026 programme. The event brought together two works that use the building's monumental industrial interior as both setting and subject — transforming the former cellulose silo into a stage for theatre, sound, moving image and language.

The evening opened with THE BLACK SQUARE, a multimedia work by British musician and actor Richard Strange and Portuguese artist Antonio Olaio, weaving together text, film, song, live performance and artificial intelligence. Drawing unexpected connections across art history, cinema, music and digital culture, the piece constructs a vivid and unsettling reflection on memory, authorship and the transformation of images in our time. It was followed by BETONI/CONCRETE, a bilingual (Finnish–English) poetry performance written and performed by Eeva Maria al-Khazaali, with live visuals by VJ Jani Pitkänen. Developed in direct response to the restoration of the AaltoSiilo building, the work traces the layers of time embedded within its concrete walls, with Pitkänen's glitch-inflected visuals transforming the cylindrical space into a spatial instrument of sound, light and language.

More on the event here.

We are living in an era of new geopolitical tensions, witnessing the erosion of the last remnants of the welfare state, the expansion of multinational technological infrastructures, and a climate crisis that has become an everyday reality. In this context, the narratives of architecture and its modes of representation need rethinking.

Another Gaze is a seminar that seeks perspectives from outside the dominant architectural discourse. How are we accustomed to looking at architecture? What modes of architectural inquiry receive less attention in universities, museums and publications? How can exhibitions, texts and artistic practices dismantle inherited ways of depicting and seeing? How can practitioners open up new ways of thinking about and defining what we call architecture?

We invite artists, architects, curators, researchers, teachers and students to propose a presentation or other form of contribution. Proposals may be based on curatorial or artistic projects, research-based work, or combinations of these. We especially encourage proposals grounded in critical and feminist theory, decolonial thought, visual studies, and interdisciplinary approaches.

The seminar will take place at Aaltosiilo in Oulu on 28 August, 2026, and forms part of the Alvar Aalto Week and the Oulu European Capital of Culture 2026 programme. It is supported by the Alfred Kordelin Foundation.

How to propose Submit a 20-minute presentation or other contribution via the form below. Your proposal should include a short introduction of yourself (max. 200 words) and an outline of the themes or questions your contribution addresses, including its format and duration (max. 400 words). The application period runs from 10 March to 10 April 2026. Selected participants will be notified by 30 April 2026.

Participation is free of charge. Participants are responsible for their own travel and other expenses. The seminar will be held in English.

Submit your proposal before 10 April

Representatives of the UCCN (UNESCO Creative Cities Network) gathered in Oulu on 28 February for a meeting of Nordic and Baltic creative cities, featuring a focused visit to AaltoSiilo.

Thirteen cities were represented at the meeting: Gothenburg (Literature), Hamar (Media Arts), Lund (Literature), Norrköping (Music), Oulu (Media Arts), Reykjavik (Literature), Rovaniemi (Architecture), Tallinn (Music), Tartu (Literature), Tukums (Literature), Viborg (Media Arts), Vilnius (Literature) and Östersund (Gastronomy).

The visit was led by Adam Lowe, Director of Factum Arte and Founder of Factum Foundation, and Valentino Tignanelli, Project Manager at AaltoSiilo, who presented the vision, development process and future plans for the site. Discussions centered on the replicability of the AaltoSiilo model for revitalizing industrial heritage as part of a broader network of UNESCO-related activities.

As a former industrial structure reimagined for contemporary cultural use, the site offers a compelling example of how architectural heritage can be transformed into a dynamic platform for creative collaboration and sustainable cultural development. Participants explored how similar approaches could be adapted across other Creative Cities, strengthening cooperation within the Nordic and Baltic UCCN network while promoting innovation rooted in local identity and heritage.

Charlotte Skene Catling has presented “AaltoSiilo: Silo Dreaming – A Journey of Revitalisation 1931–2031” at the CONCRETO Academy training seminar, CONCRETO Steppingstone 2026.

The lecture highlighted the Toppila Silo, the first industrial site designed by Alvar Aalto and Aino Aalto. Commissioned in 1929 and completed in 1931 as part of a cellulose factory complex in Oulu’s historic industrial district, the striking concrete structure remains a bold and divisive icon of early modernism.

At the heart of the AaltoSiilo project is the innovative “Oulu Spolia Protocol,” a pioneering reuse strategy that identifies buildings scheduled for demolition and carefully dismantles substantial concrete elements for integration into new constructions. By reframing waste as resource, the initiative positions concrete heritage within the circular economy and advances new models of climate-conscious preservation.

Presented as a living laboratory, the AaltoSiilo project demonstrates how sustainability, science, and art can converge within an industrial monument — enriching Aalto’s legacy and redefining the future of concrete heritage.

Join us for something truly special this winter: Jäätalkoot – a unique community project where you'll help construct an ice sauna alongside Snowhow Oy!

The ice sauna will be constructed as a community project led by professionals – anyone can take part, no prior experience is required. Construction will take place over one week, Tue–Sun 17–22 February 2026 from 9am to 3pm, in the courtyard of the Aaltosiilo in Meri-Toppila.

Join in and help whenever it suits you. There will be a variety of tasks available, from moving ice blocks to sawing sauna benches. Contact details for volunteers on the construction site and for learning about ice sauna building (no prior experience required): Seppo Mäkinen (snowhow@kolumbus.fi)

Please dress warmly, as the work takes place outdoors, and bring a warm drink with you. There is an outdoor toilet at the silo. Join this unforgettable construction project and experience how an ice sauna is built together as a community!

On 23–26 February, the Ice Sauna will be open and free to all, from 4pm to 9pm. Sauna sessions can be booked for groups of 4–6 people! Click here to book your session

More info about this event on Oulu2026

Opening Exhibition of Oulu European Capital of Culture 2026: 26 February — 1 March 2026

AALTOSIILO opens its exhibition programme for Oulu European Capital of Culture 2026 with Bernd Nicolaisen: Residual Light, a luminous and atmospheric presentation of the Swiss artist’s long-term collaboration with Factum Arte and Factum Foundation.

For nearly a decade, Nicolaisen has worked closely with Factum to explore hidden landscapes — from the interior of glaciers to the shadowed strata of Australia’s Pilbara and the surfaces of comet 67P.

His images are the result of fieldwork, scientific cooperation, and a meticulous digital-to-physical process that reveals intricate structures normally invisible to the human eye.

Residual Light brings together this ongoing research through a focused selection of large-scale lightboxes (150 × 120 × 15 cm) and medium-format works (65.4 × 55.8 cm), each one suspended between abstraction and geological truth. The exhibition highlights a shared commitment to documenting fragile environments at a moment when they are undergoing rapid transformation.

This marks the first official exhibition at AALTOSIILO, and coincides with the inauguration of the venue’s Ice Sauna, a new addition to the restored industrial site. Once a sulphite cellulose silo, AALTOSIILO is being reactivated as a cultural, artistic and scientific hub — and Nicolaisen’s work opens the year with a clear statement of intent: precision, research, beauty, and material awareness.

Residual Light invites visitors to explore the fragile threshold between what remains and what is fading, mirroring AALTOSIILO’s own shift from industrial structure to cultural space.

February 27 – March 1, 2026 (12:00 - 18:00)
Opening night: February 26, 17:30
AaltoSiilo, Oulu