The design of the Guggenheim Helsinki and its woven landscape
are based upon a sensitive and sympathetic approach to the context and nature
of Helsinki. The design encourages people to flow within a new cultural core
that is linked to the rest of the city, through the port promenade and the
pedestrian footbridge to the Observatory Park. This flexible access welcomes
not only the visitors but also serves as a key cultural destination for the
community.
The museum skyline is composed by independent volumes, highlighted
by a landmark tower. These fragmented art exhibition spaces allow strong
integration with outdoor display and events, while the lighthouse offers a new
perspective over the city. This new museum concept together with the charred
timber fa?ade echoes the process of regeneration that occurs when forests burn
and then grow back stronger.
The scheme proposed a collection of linked pavilions, each
orientated to respect the city grid, and anchored by a lookout tower. The
building would cohere around a covered street landscape that expanded and
contracted according to its interaction with the discrete pavilions and is
animated by different activities. The Jury found the design deeply respectful
of the site and setting, creating a fragmented, non-hierarchical, horizontal
campus of linked pavilions where art and society could meet and inter-mingle. The connections between the pavilions have been well considered to permit a
continuous gallery experience, if required.
The waterfront, park, and city each had a dialogue with the
building yet the forms and materials were distinctive and contemporary, without
being iconic. The drawings were imbued with a sense of community and animation
that matched the ambitions of the brief to honour both the people of Finland,
and the creation of the museum of the future.
It was recognized that further work would be needed to resolve
vertical circulation, use of the main terrace, and the construction of the
roof, but these issues were considered to be a normal part of design development,
and the Jury had confidence in the strength of the design concept. The concept
is extremely flexible and is designed to embrace evolving urban, museum, and
technological requirements.