Finland’s natural context between the sea and its rugged landscape became a critical influence in establishing our vision for the Guggenheim Museum competition in Helsinki.
The site represents the multiplicity of Helsinki’s unique context; the urban, along its northern edge, the forest and park to its west, the South Harbor to its east and the busy port terminal to its south. The museum buildings work to reconcile those competing elements by first, welcoming in the landscape from the west to spill toward the harbor wall allowing a strong visual connection to the wooded landscape.
Like a series of rock outcroppings, the multiple museum buildings are nestled in this new landscape and oriented toward its context in a series of embraces. Simple, open-sided boxes serve to frame a series of views in to the site. At the main entrance, the largest box lifts itself up to allow visitors inside while capturing a small arbor of trees.