Teekkaritalo, built in 1993, will receive a large-scale renovation during the summer.
According to Tero Marin, the chairman the board of Teekkarilupi Oy, the organization responsible for the upkeep of Teekkaritalo, the house has received only small maintenance and repairs when needed during the past 24 years.
“The surfaces are in such bad condition that a large-scale renovation has to be done”, Marin explains.
The total expenses for the five-month period will easily reach six-figure numbers. Financial aid will be given by companies and private donators.
“The house has without a doubt given many people a lot of hilarious moments, great experiences, warm memories and new friends. Now is a good chance to give something back to the house”, Marin states.
The members of Teekkarilupi will take part in voluntary work when it comes to demolition work and acquisition of materials, for example, but the more advanced maintenance work will be left to the professionals.
A LONG TO DO-LIST
The kitchen of Teekkaritalo will undergo changes, as it will receive new appliances and furniture. According to Marin, the main objective is to make the kitchen more practical than before.
The entire floor on the first floor of the building will be renewed. It will be cast again, and underfloor heating will be installed. The floor that previously consisted of tiles and wood will be replaced by rubber matting.
“The heating channels next to the dance floor, the dread of all those who use high heels, will be removed. Because the new floor consists of unbreathable material, we have to ensure that water cannot access the structures, so underdrain pipes and a rainwater sewer will be installed in the yard surrounding the building”, Marin notes.
A separate drain for a hot tub will also be installed. Teekkaritalo does not currently have a hot tub of its own, but users can bring a rentable hot tub with them.
The old plywood board of the sauna building’s exterior surface will be replaced by wood and steel surfaces. The roof of the sauna and the roof terrace will also be repaired.
An entirely new storeroom, which will also be larger than before, will replace the old one.
“Unfortunately, the storeroom has seen more than a few break ins. The new storeroom will be more durable, and will also have some working space”, Marin adds.
ALTERNATIVE PREMISES
When the renovations are finished in the end of September, Teekkaritalo is supposed to function as before. However, the freshman events in September might cause some trouble, as traditionally many of them have been held at Teekkaritalo.
One alternative option, according to Marin, was to start the renovation already in April.
“In that case, all the Wappu events would have had to be moved somewhere else. We had to choose the lesser of two evils. The summertime has always been very quiet, so we had to time the renovation somewhere around it”, Tero Marin explains.
Teekkarilupi has suggested that student organizations could, for instance, rent the guild house of the architecture students, located in Pikisaari.
Translation: Joonas Pelttari.
