50 years of student housing

1971 - PSOAS is founded

Higher education in Oulu took a leap forward when the university’s main campus was built in Linnanmaa. A large number of students followed, but where would they live?

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PSOAS was born to solve the student housing shortage.

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1975 - New student village

The Linnanmaa university campus grew and developed together with PSOAS, as the first student apartments rose next to the main campus. Literally.

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T-shirt works just fine in winter – The first houses of the student village remain popular to date.

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1979 - PSOAS enters the restaurant business

The Student Union of the University of Oulu, the Oulu Student Aid Association and PSOAS together shook hands and founded Reidar Oy, with the aim of offering students affordable services. The restaurant became a popular meeting place, and in the summer the atmosphere was “black-widow-like”. What on earth happened?

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The legendary Reidar was a popular student hangout – featured strippers and dance orchestras during summers!

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1982 - The construction of Virkailijakylä begins

When Finnish rock took over the radio playlists, the construction of the PSOAS Virkailijakylä started in Oulu. However, these apartments were not for students. Can you guess whose housing situation the apartments were supposed to improve?

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Virkakatu was a close-knit community

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1984 - Syynimaa gets its first inhabitants

Finland received its first refugees in the 1980s. For the first time, PSOAS was also building for the needs of families with children, but also people from Vietnam moved to Syynimaa. What was going on?

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Student houses became homes for families and refugees

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1990 - Recycling

Although an economic depression overshadowed the Finnish economy, PSOAS’s paper collection operations expanded further. In the same year, composting of biowaste and more precise waste sorting were also started. What does waste have to do with student housing?

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PSOAS values are present in all activities

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1991 - Puistomanne is completed and Kuntopalatsi established

The foundation’s office premises were moved from Välkkylä’s “basement” to Puistomanne, which was completed next to Rauhala. However, the Välkkylä and Linnanmaa service points were still operational. In addition, PSOAS decided to expand its services with completely new activities. What was it about?

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Many ways to enhance the wellbeing of students

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1993 - The first group of exchange students

The University’s first exchange students arrived in Oulu and settled in Tirolintie. Conflicts could not be avoided when different cultures met. How did the students settle in the new country and city?

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Student exchange became a significant part of everyday life at universities

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1996 - First website

As the Internet became more widespread, PSOAS began to take advantage of the opportunities it brought and created its first website. With the online site, finding an apartment was easier than ever, but how was everything accomplished?

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Website becomes the primary method for house-hunting

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1997 - The first student apartments in the city center

In the late 1990s, PSOAS built and renovated several sites for student housing in the downtown area. Some of the repaired apartments were particularly exceptional. But in what way?

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Green house at the seaside turned into student apartments

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2000 - Electronic customer satisfaction survey

As we entered the new century, the use of information technology grew at a rapid pace. PSOAS also joined the development by conducting the first electronic customer satisfaction survey. The survey is still a part of PSOAS operations, but what kind of changes has it brought?

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PSOAS responds to the tenants’ wishes

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2002 - CampusNet in use

Social media and Wikipedia began to rise at the beginning of the new decade as the internet was a hot topic among citizens. Students wanted to make more use of the connections, but how would a functional connection be ensured for all students?

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CampusBaana for everyone – PSOAS took on a tough challenge

2008 - Domus Botnica merged into PSOAS

When Martti Ahtisaari’s Nobel Peace Prize was celebrated in Finland, Oulu was also happy about the merger of two strong foundations. Domus Botnica is still strongly present in the daily life of PSOAS. Do you know how?

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Oulu’s oldest student house is home to many a story

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2010 - OmaPSOAS

The new decade began with PSOAS moving its reservation and communication systems from the bulletin board to the internet. Over the years, the service has developed into a versatile information package and communication channel, but where did the idea originally come from?

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OmaPSOAS was created at the students’ request

2013 - Aurora & electromechanical locking

Built in the heart of downtown Oulu, Aurora was the first of its kind. Over the years, however, the situation has changed and today there are apartments like Aurora all over Oulu. So what kind of apartments are we talking about exactly?

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Smart locks open your bike and front door

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2018 - PSOAS Lounge & PSOAS Bikes are launched

As the people of Britain prepared for the wedding celebrations of Prince Harry and Meghan, the opening of PSOAS Lounge was celebrated in Oulu. At the same time, all exchange students got access to something that is owned by almost every resident of Oulu. Can you guess what that it is?

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PSOAS enables students to enjoy Oulu’s much-praised cycling route network

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#environment