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When Andy Johansen first visited Helsinki’s Oodi Library in early 2020 he was struck with amazement by the elegant three-story mass of wood, steel and glass, and the labyrinth of wonders within it.
“I think it’s so creative and innovative,” says Johansen, a 41-year-old Dane who at the time was working as a social worker in the Finnish capital. “I’ve never seen anything else quite like it.”

Two steel arches span over 100 meters to create a fully enclosed, column-free public entrance space; the timber facade is clad with 33-millimeter-thick Finnish spruce planks….