The coppery Tietomaa tower is a familiar landmark in Oulu’s silhouette. After the coming fall, the tower will be known as the Tiima Tower as the Oulu Museum, Science Centre Tietomaa, and Experience Space VISIO will open in and alongside Tiima.
However, the tower was not originally named after Tietomaa or Tiiima. The tower has a history of over a hundred years. In the 1960s, Åström Brothers Oy’s leather factory was located in the area, and the tower was built as its water tower. Many buildings in the area are reminders of that time, including the four-story brick building next to the tower.
An outdoor playground, known as the Adventure Factory, will be open in Tiima’s yard where visitors may dive deep into the machinery of the old tannery.
The Adventure Factory is a shared production of the Oulu Museum and Science Centre Tietomaa. It highlights the history of the building from the time it was one of Oulu’s largest factories.
Tiima’s construction site in the summer of 2025. The Adventure Factory will be built on the tower’s left side.
HISTORY AND PLAY ARE COMBINED TO INSPIRE
A will to respect the area’s history rose in designing Tiima’s outdoor playground. Old photographs of the leather factory display peculiar devices, belts, vats, and pipes. For those who are not versed in the field, the use of these devices remains a mystery.
Work in the leather factory must have been difficult and harsh on the ears and noses. But at the same time, the workers knew what each lever and wheel did.
Belts, wheels, and cogs in the Åström tannery. Picture: Finnish Heritage Agency.
Adventures inside the factory was a natural theme for a playground by the old tannery. Just like in the leather factory, multisensory play, investigation, and trials are highlighted.
Since the factory’s expression of form was quite rugged, practical, and down-to-earth, the playground was designed to express that as well. The goal was to build a playground that does not immediately resemble a playground. Instead of colorful sheet materials, the playground consists of the tones and textures of brick, wood, and metal. The Tiima Tower also made it possible to scale the playground equipment up towards the sky.
During the dark seasons, the Adventure Factory’s sculpture-like appearance is highlighted as its lights are lit. Pictures of the old tannery in the largest jungle gym’s windows deepen the factorial atmosphere throughout the day.
FREE OF CHARGE AND SAFE PLAYGROUND FOR ALL
The Adventure Factory’s equipment producer was chosen through tendering in the fall of 2025.
Lappset Oy succeeded in realizing our ideas wonderfully. Tiima’s hourglass logo resembles two traditional wooden buckets, almost identical to the tannery’s vats. One even seems to include the copper rims which were very typical for such buckets.
The Adventure Factory is suitable for children of different ages and skill levels. You can climb, crawl, slide, balance, seek, solve problems, and come up with solutions. Accessibility has also been considered; there are plenty of activities on ground level. There are benches and tables by the wall for snack breaks.
The Adventure Factory is free of charge and open during Tiima’s opening times and melted seasons. You must enter the playground through the indoor facility. The playground is fenced, so children prone to running off can play without a worry.
Museum and Science Centre Tiima opens in Myllytulli on October 9, 2026. Tiima’s contents are part of Oulu’s European Capital of Culture 2026 programming