Puistokatu 4 About

What is it about?

Welcome to Puistokatu 4, a Space for Science and Hope! Puistokatu 4, a beautiful 19th century villa located in the Kaivopuisto district in Helsinki, Finland, is a safe space for research, work and discourse on the current ecological crisis.

Every individual strives for a good life. For our good life we Finns – the happiest nation in the world – currently demand the resources of almost four planets. To bring our resource consumption within the planetary boundaries, we must redefine what a good life means to us. For this, we need to change the norms that drive overconsumption.

In Puistokatu 4, we believe that the change happens between people and therefore we bring together different actors and serve as a platform for multidisciplinary research, collaboration, and events.

Our magic happens by operating on two levels:

1) As a community of more than 80 individuals who share our vision and work together to achieve it. Our members are selected annually on the basis of applications. They represent researchers (currently from over 30 disciplines!), artists, business, foundations and NGOs. Our funders, the TAH Foundation and the Nessling Foundation, also have offices in the building.

2) As a convener for all those who are even remotely interested in participating in a more ecologically sustainable future. We organize open events, rent out our premises to the envisioners of a more sustainable future, and keep the doors open to our library and the fabulous restaurant Elm on the first floor of the building

The premises of Puistokatu 4 have been renovated to make them accessible for all visitors.

History of the house

The first version of Puistokatu 4 was completed 140 years ago, as Carl Henrik Nummelin, engineer and cartographer, had the house built for himself in the late 1870s. However, it was soon completely destroyed by fire in 1886.

The villa, as it is now, was erected on the same site in the early 1890s. The new inhabitants were Ida Aalberg, the most famous actress of her time, and her spouse, lawyer Lauri Kivekäs.

After being a private residence for a few decades, the villa was converted into a school building in 1916. At first, it housed the private Svenska Samskolan school and then the French school and kindergarten.

The Foundation for the Museum of Finnish Architecture leased Puistokatu 4 from the City of Helsinki in 1959. For the next several decades, the villa housed the exhibitions and offices of the Museum of Finnish Architecture.

By the 2000s, the house began to suffer from moisture damage and decay in the structures. The extensive refurbishment that the house required was too costly for the Museum of Finnish Architecture, and eventually the museum moved out.

The building stood almost completely empty for years until in January 2020 TAH Foundation bought it. The renovation began in autumn 2020 and was completed in summer 2022.

Read more about the history of the house and the renovation in the report of the history of the Puistokatu 4 building and its architecture by Livady Architects!

“We want Puistokatu 4 to be a place where researchers can become active contributors to social discourse and where data backed by research can interact with the reality of various groups of people.”

Minttu Jaakkola, Executive Director of Puistokatu 4

“I would like people in various positions of power to examine the building blocks of the future and to share our thoughts and insights in peace. In the best case scenario, to become radical, at least with tiny steps!”

Anna Herlin, Head of Development of TAH Foundation