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Uusikaupunki’s largest-ever building investment has been successfully completed. Built by SRV, the Wintteri multipurpose centre brings learning, sports and culture under one roof and has become both a meeting place for local residents and a nationally recognised landmark.
Wintteri in Uusikaupunki is full of life throughout the year and throughout the day. During the day, the building serves as a learning environment, while in the evenings it becomes a shared living room for local residents. Built by SRV, the multipurpose centre provides a wide range of services, from pre-primary education to upper secondary school and from swimming facilities to cultural activities, serving around 1,700 users every day.
Wintteri is also a new architectural landmark for Uusikaupunki, designed by Arkkitehdit von Boehm-Renell. The building was selected as the 2025 Municipal Engineering Achievement of the Year and played a key role when Uusikaupunki city centre was named Finland’s best city centre in 2025.
“Wintteri means much more to us than we initially imagined. It is an architecturally impressive complex that has significantly strengthened our image. The building is open to all residents and is a source of pride for the whole of Uusikaupunki,” says Jari Nikkari, Technical Director at the City of Uusikaupunki.
A lasting solution for the long term
The Wintteri multipurpose centre is the largest investment in Uusikaupunki’s history. The project was implemented as a lifecycle project, with SRV responsible not only for construction but also for maintaining the building for 20 years. This makes maintenance costs predictable far into the future and ensures that the building remains in good condition beyond the contract period.
“The starting point was clear: we had schools in need of major refurbishment, some of which had indoor air quality problems, as well as a separate swimming hall. After comparing the alternatives, we concluded that a single new multipurpose centre was the most sustainable and sensible solution,” Nikkari explains.
Wintteri had a long project development phase, during which SRV refined the plans together with the city. The effort paid off: subsequent additional and alteration work accounted for only around 1.5 per cent of the contract value.
Construction began with the demolition of the old buildings in January 2022. A total of 80,000 loose cubic metres of rock was excavated from the site and used as fill material. The building was constructed using 3,000 precast concrete elements, while the swimming hall was cast in situ.
At its busiest, the construction site employed 350 professionals, and 1,240 people underwent site induction. Nikkari says that safety was a key requirement for the project. The site’s strong focus on safety was also recognised with awards in two safety competitions organised by the Confederation of Finnish Construction Industries RT.
Listening to users throughout the project
Wintteri’s future users, including representatives from the school, early childhood education and sports and cultural services, were involved from the very beginning. Their participation was particularly reflected in the functionality of the learning and sports facilities and shared spaces.
“We had more than a hundred users involved in the design process. The facilities were designed together with the users, not just for them, and that can be seen in the end result. A user rating of 4.1/5 shows that the facilities work in everyday use exactly as they should,” Nikkari says.
Active involvement on this scale is exceptional in a construction project the size of Wintteri. Rather than a one-off consultation, users were continuously involved throughout the different stages of the design process.
Large but energy-efficient
The scale of the multipurpose centre is exceptional. There are 13,000 m² GFA of facilities for learning and development and 9,600 m² GFA of sports facilities. The swimming hall includes a six-lane 25-metre pool, as well as multipurpose, diving, cold-water and teaching pools, a water slide and five saunas. The sports hall has a playing court suitable for league-level competition.
Environmental responsibility was included as a minimum requirement for the project from the tendering stage onwards. The building has the highest energy rating, class A, and its heating and cooling energy is produced from renewable sources. The swimming hall’s heat recovery system makes use of heat recovered from wastewater from the showers and pools as well as from ventilation air.
“Wintteri is a genuinely environmentally responsible building. Its 73 geothermal wells and solar power systems make it exceptionally energy-efficient, and even the backup system is based on district heating produced almost entirely from renewable energy. Thanks specifically to Wintteri, we achieved the municipal energy-efficiency targets,” Nikkari explains.
Particular attention has also been paid to indoor air quality. Its quality is monitored by an AI-based system throughout the building’s lifecycle.
More than a building
Since its completion in 2025, Wintteri has earned a place in the hearts of Uusikaupunki residents. Drawing on the tradition of school architecture, the complex blends naturally into the old urban fabric. The building is located at the highest point in the city and is particularly visible from the city centre when illuminated in the evening.
“The end result did not just meet our expectations – it exceeded them. Architecturally, Wintteri is more impressive than we could even have thought to ask for at the design stage. Feedback from users and visitors has also been extremely positive across the board,” Nikkari says.
The successful partnership between SRV and the City of Uusikaupunki is clearly reflected in Wintteri’s high-quality and impressive end result. Nikkari has nothing but positive things to say about SRV’s contribution to the construction project:
“SRV was an excellent partner. They stood out for how well they listened to the client, and the cooperation was positive and flexible from start to finish. The successful outcome can be seen in how well the building functions and how positively it has been received.”
SRV was an excellent partner. They stood out for how well they listened to the client, and the cooperation was positive and flexible from start to finish. The successful outcome can be seen in how well the building functions and how positively it has been received.
Jari Nikkari, Technical Director, City of Uusikaupunki
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