Guggenheim Helsinki Museum Design Competition | Gorgona Architecture & Design

Concept Description
Guggenheim museums raised a high standard for the museum world, though in the same family, they are totally different, each having its own architectural signature, circulation and functional scheme. The challenge is to create a distinct museum, one worthy of Guggenheim name and a prominent symbol of Helsinki. Starting from the meaning of the word – “museum- an institution that cares for (conserves) a collection of artifacts and other objects of scientific, artistic, cultural, or historical importance and makes them available for public viewing through exhibits that may be permanent or temporary” , it became obvious that “viewing” is a crucial word for any museum. Yet Guggenheim Helsinki is to have a different approach from an ordinary viewing experience. The inspiration came from the city itself: the harbor with the gigantic boats, the see waves, and the portable observatory wheel across the site. Thus the idea became obvious: creating a new mix of a museum building resembling the waves of the see scaled to a cruise ship, combined with an observatory wheel to create a new viewing experience for both museum interior and exterior exhibits, and undoubtedly the city itself. The confidence that this idea is unique and a further resemblance of the concept to a sunrise/ sunset made the team continue on developing the idea. Moreover the search for associating the new museum building with other Finland signs did not stop and other prominent resemblances were found, ex: a swan, a ship, etc.
The connection to the harbor is evident due to adjoining location; however it is the viewing experience from the observatory wheel that makes the strong connection to the historic city center. Moreover the pedestrian bridge across Laivasillankatu Street makes the desired connection to the Tahititornin vuori Park and the other landmark buildings. The same bridge together with the walkable roof can be used for outside roof exposure of museum content that will drive the visitors. Moreover the wheel can be used as a frame for night illumination/fireworks installations for event celebration.
The natural texture of finishing materials such as wood decking, greenery or ceramic tiles applied on wavy structures would make visitors have a pleasant walk towards the museum entry. The innovative building materials such as composite decking will make the natural texture resist in time and suit the site climatic conditions.
Alternative energy sources such as PV panels for generating electricity or thermal panels for hot water can be installed on the roofs of the museum building. Moreover rainwater can be retained and redirected for internal use. Passive systems such as natural ventilation due to smart use of building shape can complement active systems in order to achieve a suitable state of comfort.
The museum building will not only drive the visitors to view its exhibits in new way but also become a multipurpose center, a landmark for event celebration