Project Description
The new Guggenheim Museum will create an important venue to expand the tradition of great architecture and design in Helsinki. Around the globe, Guggenheim museums became symbols of their host cities with their meaningful presence and inspirational architecture. They bring millions of people to their host cities and create a context for public education and interaction.

The South Harbor maritime setting of the new museum has the potential to become the gateway to this ‘Pearl’ of the Baltic Sea, extending the boundaries of the urban settlement in Helsinki and public spaces towards the South. Access to the most important artists of the world through its position in the Guggenheim constellation, Guggenheim Helsinki will be the center for artistic creativity an exemplary institution of art and culture around the Baltic Sea.

Our building is conceived as an extension of the Tahititornin Vuori Park. We propose two nods within the Park and the Kaivopuisto neighborhood, reinforcing the geometry of the 1816 Carl Ludwig Engels Neo Classical plan of the city. By allowing entrances from the hill and connecting the park to the current edge of the waterfront, our simple parti has emerged, creating a well-proportioned main courtyard connected to the hill at two levels and to the edge of the water.

A new public plaza and a pool extending the presence of the water into the site, the front of the museum sets up an urban space with a powerful civic character, rejuvenating the area between the historic city and the docks.

The glass wall/promenade facing the water’s edge provides a symbolic gateway to the city from the Baltic Sea. The public will be able to view the harbor and reach all levels of the museum from the glass promenade.

This proposal provides a flexible environment for display of art in traditional and contemporary/multidisciplinary forms, at times expanding into the main courtyard, providing a venue for the significant international exhibitions, Finnish design and artistic inquiry. Responding to and re-generating its context, the building invites the public to this waterfront with numerous public program spaces, cafes, and retail.

Helsinki is the center of sustainable design in this region of the world. The proposed Helsinki Guggenheim building works with the most advanced sustainable techniques relevant to this location, harvesting the precious sunlight, rainwater and taking advantage of the warm micro-climate created between the building and the hill for outdoor activities. When the sunlight is available, all public spaces bathe in the natural sunlight, while the galleries are protected from the UV exposure. LED lighting replaces the daylight in the large skylights extending the life of the building during the short days of winter.

Under the large green roof that serves as an extension of the Tahititornin Vuori Park, rain water is retained and collected for the use of the building. The roof top is planted with native grasses that would not require any irrigation. Low-flow fixtures, efficient electrical light fixtures and appliances are proposed for use in the entire building.