The faculties and departments are mainly located on three campus areas: the Main Campus area in the city centre - where the original Teacher Seminary has first started - as well as Mattilanniemi and Ylistönrinne Campuses on opposite shores of Lake Jyväsjärvi, united by a bridge, some 10 minutes walk from the Main Campus area. Several buildings in the main campus area were designed by famous Finnish architect
Alvar Aalto. Aalto received the commission to design the College of Education campus following a competition held in 1951. Aalto played on the idea of Jyväskylä's image among the town's inhabitants as it being the "Athens of the North", and layout of the campus reflects principles of Greek acropolis layouts. His scheme even included a Greek-style open-air theatre, though executed in minimal form. Buildings in the campus area designed by Alvar Aalto: • Teachers Training School 1951-54 • Staff housing 1951 (now offices of the Jyväskylä University Museum, Building G) • Student's Hall of Residence 1952-54 (Building Philologica, P) • Lozzi and Lyhty staff and student refectories (P) • Main Building 1954–1956, Building C • Swimming Pool 1954–1958, 1964, several alterations (called Aalto-Alvari) • Physical Education Building 1971 • Library 1957 (now the Aalto Reading Room) In 1969-1970 an architectural competition was arranged for the design of new university campus sites at Mattilanniemi and Ylistönrinne. The competition was won by architect
Arto Sipinen, who had previously worked in Aalto's office. Sipinen also designed new buildings for the main campus, including a new main library (1974). The three campus areas of the university - Seminaarinmäki, Mattilanniemi and Ylistönrinne - constitute a multifaceted cultural and natural environment. The Seminaarinmäki area is of particular interest as it depicts over 100 years of history of this institute of higher education. The three distinct eras in the history of the university, first as a Teacher Training College (Seminar) 1863–1937), then as the Jyväskylä College of Education (1934-1966), to its present-day university status (1966-) are reflected in the buildings dating from the different periods. The Teacher Seminary complex comprised five red brick buildings from 1879 to 1883 by architect Constantin Kiseleff. The old Seminar buildings and the college buildings designed by Alvar Aalto are all listed as buildings protected by the law. Because of the need to build more facilities for the university, new buildings have been designed, many of them by architect Arto Sipinen. The Faculty of Education and Psychology has the most recently designed facility, Ruusupuisto ("Rose Park", 2015) by SARC Architects Ltd. The building got its name from a former park from the beginning of the 20th century. It was named after the many luxuriant rosebushes planted on its southern hill. ==Student Union==