The walls around us are changing – will we?

HYY and the organisations operating under it are facing a major change with student activities moving from Mannerheimintie to Leppäsuo in May–June 2026. In this blog post, Members of HYY’s Board Juuso Försti and Iida Niva-Vesala reflect on what the move actually feels like.

One bang of the gavel was all it took: students’ financial power in downtown Helsinki was history. For over a century, we students have partied, had meetings, laughed and fallen in love within the same old stone walls. The cold exterior of the New Student House has hidden a warm heart: a living room with a cosy atmosphere where everyone has been able to feel welcome. It is no wonder that the current situation stirs all kinds of strong emotions. Some are angry about what has been allowed to happen, while others feel wistful about the past. Some might even feel nervous or excited about the future.

It has now been a while since the real estate transactions were agreed, but no one has probably yet fully processed what all this actually means for us students. It goes without saying that the Student Union’s financial influence is taking a huge hit, the lively bustle around the student houses downtown will dissipate and the festive atmosphere surrounding students will move from the city centre to Etu-Töölö at the other edge of the 00100 postal code.

Domus Gaudium, also known as DG, is the ‘third student house’ built by the Student Union in 2008. Even the darkest corners of the building have seen student life from their very first days – after all, the building was built for us. Now both the Student Union’s administration and all organisational activities will be moving to the building, making it their new home. The library building, located in the same city block, will host organisational activities in premises rented by HYY.

What will happen at DG and the library building in the future?

People will meet their friends, have meetings, take part in their organisations’ routines and party – just like they have before. Organisations and student nations already operating at Domus Gaudium will also have to bid farewell to the premises they have long considered theirs, as we disband the clusters. Instead of each organisation having its own space, the premises will be shared by the entire Student Union. The premises will include space organisations can reserve for their use as well as space where students can freely meet one another. With all organisations operating under the same roof in the future, we will have the opportunity to build a new, more united student union as well as the world’s most cross-disciplinary student house.

Even though the change has some positives too, it is understandable that people can feel distressed, pissed off, annoyed, sad or angry. However, you should not let negative feelings take over or wallow in them for too long. To ensure that the move to DG succeeds and we all find our second home there, we must now turn our eyes to the future. The move taking place in May and June has been on everyone’s lips since November. How will it actually happen?

The move is coordinated by HYY, but people involved in organisations also have a large share of the responsibility. No one knows your own activities or what your cupboards contain better than you. Now is the time for cleaning and making an inventory: go through your property, send any documents that need to be archived to the archives, organise the items you need and list anything you have that is worth keeping in our shared inventory.

Daily work at HYY’s office also currently revolves around going through documents and storage space, measuring tables and chairs and preparing for the move. Moving over one hundred organisations, a few student nations and one student union does not happen in a day – it requires systematic work over several months. We need to conduct competitive tendering processes, inventories, calculations and instructions for the new operations. We need to pick suitable furniture, ensure that fire safety requirements are met and account for the safety of the premises as the number of users increases. Our goal is that when new freshers arrive in the autumn, the day-to-day life of our community can run just like it has before, albeit surrounded by different walls. While the move is still under way, we should also make plans for the future. What do we want to do in the future and what are the things we need for that?

Before the move, we will also have time to enjoy the last spring at the New Student House and DG in their current forms. The Student Union, organisational activities and student life are so much more than just the walls protected by the Finnish Heritage Agency. Party on, enjoy the clusters and make all the memories you can! It is not possible to take too many photographs right now.

Juuso Försti
Member of the Board (organisations, chair of the Financial Committee)

Iida Niva-Vesala
Member of the Board (events)