Architecture has created the demarcation of importance since man built his first home 

thousands of years ago. Historically significant locations are speckled with imaginative structures 

that depict the innovative brilliance of minds throughout time, and Helsinki, Finland, is no 

stranger to neither history nor innovation. The competition site is placed in the center of the 

historical city, facing a magnificent harbor that services millions of people each year. The 

location is ripe with young minds that feed on the nature of the city and thrive off what each 

building has to offer to Helsinki's cultural experience. 

Our proposal intends to strengthen the community's presence within the city and contribute to 

the deeply rooted historical surroundings of the harbor. The proposed building will draw 

precedents from the adjacent architectural typologies and warp the established design ideals 

into a contemporary example of historical architecture. The concept driving the design starts 

with the people of Helsinki, and the introduction of the community into rigid architectural 

structures. The proposed building will act as a social gathering zone, creating a new node of 

importance within the urban fabric of the city while respecting the historical skyline. 

The proposed design takes an orthogonal rectangle with an interior courtyard and breaks the 

rigidity of the shape, allowing the public to freely move in and about the structure. Two opposite 

corners of the rectangle are pushed upward and downward respectively, forming a continuous 

avenue from the city, through the site, and onto the waterfront. The courtyard then becomes an 

open public forum and gathering space, creating paths and passageways through the site 

without ever impeding the natural pedestrian flow of the community. 

The introduction of the sphere marks the entry while simultaneously disrupting the earth, 

displacing the land and shaping the site work around the building. The sphere crashes into the 

site, forging a rippled effect of the surrounding land, which begins to form seating areas, 

outdoor gallery exhibit locations, public gathering spaces, and vehicular access to the intended 

locations of the building. The natural elements of the public space also become a living part of 

the building proposal. As the rectangle splays upward and downward, it acts as a displaced 

piece of land forced upward by the impeding sphere, shaping views and creating a traversable 

green roof for the patrons of the museum and community. 

The concept for the interior of the building is reminiscent of Frank Lloyd Wright's New York 

Guggenheim. Through a series of ramps, visitors are able to fully traverse the various exhibit 

spaces, each one having a unique progression through the artwork. The exterior walls are solid 

to protect the artwork from sunlight, while the interior walls are fully transparent with strategic 

shading in order to experience the exterior courtyard with different views and vantage points of 

the building and the city. The new building is meant to be viewed as a piece art that has skillfully 

morphed with its surroundings and put a twist on the regimented historical architecture of the 

city.