Campus buildings have new opening hours and updated rules on nighttime use

4.9.2025 News

Tuomas Uusheimo

Uniarts Helsinki has introduced new building opening hours on all campus locations. The university has also updated its practices and guidelines concerning the nighttime use of facilities. The changes took effect on 1 August 2025, and they will be tested out for one year and then reviewed.

Building opening hours and entry using personal access tags

Students and employees can enter the facilities any day of the week between 6:00 in the morning and 23:30 using their access tags. The buildings close at midnight, and the keys also stop working on the interior doors of the buildings. It is possible to enter the facilities early in the morning or late in the evening, as well as on weekends with an access tag, even if the building is not open to the public.

Public opening hours of buildings

Kookos

Mon–Fri: 8:30–20:00
Sat: 10:00–18:00
Sun: The building is closed to the public

Mylly

Mon–Fri: 8:30–16:00
Sat: The building is closed to the public
Sun: The building is closed to the public

When Mylly is closed, you can enter the building using your access tag. Use the door that is close to the Mylly main entrance, on the left side of the bike racks.

Helsinki Music Centre

Mon–Fri: 9:00–16:00
Sat: The building is closed to the public, but the info desk and the library are open from 10:00 to 16:00
Sun: The building is closed to the public

Customers who do not have access tags to Uniarts Helsinki facilities can enter the Töölö campus library through the Helsinki Music Centre lobby on weekdays from 16:00 to 20:00 and on Saturdays from 10:00 to 16:00. Check the library opening hours.

N Building

Mon–Fri: 9:00–16:00
Sat: The building is closed to the public
Sun: The building is closed to the public

R Building

Mon–Fri: 8:30–20:00
Sat: 10:00–18:00
Sun: The building is closed to the public

Unusual opening hours

The university informs the community if there are unusual opening hours. The buildings are usually closed to people outside of the university community on public holidays, and Kookos is closed at 18:00 on the eves of public holidays. Students and staff can still access the facilities with their tags between 06:00 and 23:30. Check the unusual building opening hours on our website.

Campus buildings may have unusual opening hours due to performance and exhibition activities. If needed, opening hours may be extended until 22:00.

The Academy of Fine Arts has the following opening hours during exhibitions in Mylly:

Tue-Fri: 8:30–18:00
Sat-Sun: 11:00–18:00
exhibitions are closed on Mondays

From Midsummer until the end of July, the buildings and info desks are closed, but there will be an on-call attendant on campuses. Students and staff can enter the facilities using their access tags.

Nighttime use is permitted in specific situations

Uniarts Helsinki buildings are closed at nighttime between 00:00 (midnight) and 06:00 in the morning. During these hours, the community members can use the facilities only if they have a special permission to do so.

Piano tuners who begin their work between 05:00 and 06:00 as well as organ teachers who have the right to play the Helsinki Music Centre main organ between 5:00 and 6:00 are among the staff members who are automatically authorised to use the facilities at night. Personnel working for Support Services for Artistic Work may also be granted special permissions for nighttime use, when needed.

As for students and authorised nighttime use of facilities, an exception is made with Sibelius Academy students who are granted a practice hour for playing the Helsinki Music Centre main organ from 5:00 to 6:00.

Each year, students who are preparing for the Kuvan Kevät Master’s Degree Show have the right to work at nighttime without a separate application. The right to use the facilities is one week prior to the start of the set-up and installation. In 2026, nighttime use can start in week 17 (20–27 April), because the set-up is scheduled for weeks 18 and 19 (27 April–10 May). During this week, students are allowed to work in the building at nighttime, but only in the students’ designated work facilities. Workshops, studios and exhibition facilities are not available for use at nighttime.

Rules on applying for a permission for nighttime use

If a person needs to use facilities outside of the official opening hours, a teacher of a course or a curator of an exhibition submits an application on behalf of the whole group. As for employees, the unit supervisor is the one submitting the application. An individual employee or a student cannot submit an application for nighttime use by themselves. As for the Student Union, the secretary general is the one submitting the application.

There needs to be a justified reason to authorise the nighttime use of facilities, and the application must be submitted at least one month before the start of the nighttime use of facilities. Applications are submitted to Facilities Manager Kari Karlsson (kari.karlsson@uniarts.fi), who will process them in cooperation with the academy dean.

Entry to the Helsinki Music Centre at nighttime

Students and employees can enter the Helsinki Music Centre facilities any day of the week between 6:00 in the morning and 23:30 using their access tags.

At nighttime between 00:00 (midnight) and 6:00, the use of the Helsinki Music Centre facilities is permitted only to staff in specific load-in/load-out situations and for other arrangements. At nighttime, employees’ tags work only in the Helsinki Music Centre part of the building, while the Sibelius Academy side is closed.

Students’ access tags do not work at the Helsinki Music Centre at nighttime. Night-time codes for entering the building are no longer in use by the Sibelius Academy entrance. At nighttime (=between 23:30 and 6:00), students use the Helsinki Music Centre loading dock or the entrance on the Kansalaistori Square side of the building if they need to haul gear for concerts or return instruments.

During nighttime, instruments must be returned exclusively to the storage room on the second floor.

How to use the Helsinki Music Centre entrance on the Kansalaistori Square side of the building at nighttime

When you arrive at the entrance by the Kansalaistori Square, call the security control centre, tel. 020 7070 420
A security guard will come and accompany you to the second-floor storage room
When you leave, a security guard will escort you out of the building

How to use the loading dock at nighttime

You can enter the loading dock using the Aimo Park entrance gate on Karamzinranta 2 (the street behind Finlandia Hall).

The folding doors are open

Mon-Sat: 07:00–22:00
Sun: 08:00–22:00
At nighttime, drive close to the gate and the gate will open automatically

Drive into the tunnel and take the first right.

You will arrive at the doors leading to the loading dock of the Helsinki Music Centre. The doors will be opened for you after you have called the security control centre, tel. 020 7070 420.

Go through the doors and turn right to go to the upper floor. You will then arrive at the loading dock.

The entrance, door K1201a, is on the left side of the loading dock. Call the security control centre, tel. 020 7070 420, and they will open the door for you.

You can find the service lift on the right side of the door. Take the lift to the 2nd floor and move your items and instruments to the storage room. The storage rooms or halls on the other floors are not in use at night.

You can exit the Helsinki Music Centre by the same route via the loading dock. The doors in the tunnel will open automatically.

For more information on the use of the loading dock and how to access it, please contact the Sibelius Academy info desk at the Helsinki Music Centre.

Give feedback

You are welcome to send feedback on opening hours and your views on the effects of the change on musical instruments, for example, using the general feedback form on the Students’ Uniarts website. The feedback is forwarded to the right persons within the facilities team, and they will contact the person who gave the feedback.