Aalto University's open-to-all meeting place Marsio will open in September

Marsio is Aalto University's new meeting place, where everyone is welcome to attend events, exhibitions and open lectures. The new building, which will open in September, is located right at the heart of the Otaniemi campus at Otakaari 2 just a few minutes from the metro station and the light rail stop. Marsio's goal is to make Aalto University's research and activities widely visible and experienced. 

The building’s name is a tribute to Aino Marsio-Aalto (pictured above), who was a creative pioneer, architect, designer, entrepreneur and Aalto University’s alum. The name was selected through an open naming contest, and the basis of the proposal was to highlight Aino Marsio-Aalto's story and role as well as her and Alvar Aalto's life and co-operation as a couple.

State-of-the-art facilities for teaching and research

Following the example of Marsio-Aalto, the Marsio building offers a place for radical creativity, experimentation and new thinking. The building has a total of 6,500 square metres of state-of-the-art facilities, especially for art and media teaching and research, for multidisciplinary research, digitalisation of teaching and the Aalto Studios media centre. The ground floor of Marsio will be a meeting point where exhibitions and events showcase how Aalto is shaping a sustainable future and solving global challenges. 

The official opening of the building will be held on 3 September. On the opening day, Aalto University will celebrate the Aalto Day One, i.e. the opening of the academic year with the Aalto awards and reception taking place at Marsio. All members and partners of the Aalto community will be invited to the opening of the academic year.

Exhibitions and public art 

The first opportunity to get to know Marsio and to peek at university research is the Designs for a Cooler Planet exhibition, which will be open to everyone. The exhibition is open from 6 September to 3 October 2024, and it will demonstrate how the impossible can be turned into an opportunity.  The exhibition presents 14 projects from different fields where visitors can learn about future materials, health technology, solutions that support biodiversity, space technology and cyber security. At the same time, an exhibition on what Aalto University has achieved in the field of research over the past 15 years opens at Marsio. 

You can also explore public art at Marsio, as in many other university buildings. 

Events, lunch, coffee, and shopping in the Aalto University Shop

On the ground floor of Marsio, you’ll find event facilities, a cinema, a restaurant and the Aalto University Shop, which will move to the new premises from the nearby Väre building. In Marsio, the Aalto community can organise events that are suitable for a wider audiences beyond the scientific community. Marsio's event calendar for autumn 2024 will be specified before the opening ceremony and various event concepts will be experimented with in 2025. There are plans for lectures, online broadcasts and events where the goal is to bring research-based data in an inspirational way to the general public, children and youth as well as professionals in different fields. 

‘We want to bring the university closer to everyone. An example of this is the Astromony Tuesday (Tähtitiistai) lecture series, which will take place at Marsio in the autumn. The lecture series brings astronomy close to everyday life. We believe that Marsio's events feed the imagination and give insights. They provide you with future-proof information that you cannot find by googling’, says Laura Aalto, Director of Communications at Aalto University.

Our website contains information on the confirmed events and exhibitions at Marsio. In the future, information on the events will be updated on the Marsio website and shared in Aalto's social media channels and newsletters. 

Further information: aalto.fi/en/marsio