Guggenheim museum

Helsinki,  -Finland-

2015

Design competition

"You should not go from home to work without having to cross a forest". These words spoken by Alvar Aalto to a Danish journalist who asked him what features should have a city, summarize the extraordinary relationship between architecture and nature in the Finnish Nordic culture. The play of light and shadow, the rarefied atmosphere that create metaphysical landscapes, the long alternating with long sunny days, are the elements that characterize the design of the new Guggenheim Museum in Helsinki. Three long wooden slats are positioned on a granite base, following the natural rotation of the site. The first north aligns with the nineteenth-century urban layout of the suburbs; while to the south is related to the sea with the lines of the port. While the other two are attached to the ground this issuspended and engages the others in some points that are central to the complex. This elevation provides a better permeability and usability of the outdoor square and doesn’t interrupt the flow that from the street and from the park go down to the sea. The square of the museum follows on the west side, the development of the road and pedestrian path adjacent to the lot. So, it puts in direct relation the urban life with the public square of the Guggenheim Museum, which becomes a large outdoor area used for outdoor installations, and that puts the art in close relationship with the city. To the south of the area, a wall with aramp separates the port area from the public square of the museum. Adjacent to the cue of the building to the north, a paved path cuts a portion of the lot, it crosses the road and goes back for a few meters up thehill of the park and it puts in connection the area of the museum with the footpaths in the countryside and with the other museum area of the city to the west. The three blocks made of recycled steel structures arecovered with wooden slats that draw the facades of the entire museum. Here, it’s clear the reference to the themes of the Finnish forest and to heterogeneous alternation of full and empty spaces. Moreover, this system is inspired by the traditional use in northern cities, of the copper roof: it allows the canalization of hot water for melting snow on the roof during cold periods and with subsequent generation of hot waterand heating of the museum. On the outer surface of the building, between the laths of the facade, are inserted small blades of micro-wind that produce electricity sustainable for a total of about 20Kw. Throughthese technological solutions (reuse of rainwater on the roof, with particular attention to the use of the materials chosen and the considerations made about the use of renewable energies and sustainability of the site) , the Guggenheim Museum will acquire the label "GOLD" in reference to the international protocol LEED, satisfying the energy requirements established by the announcement.