A design competition has been launched for a 10,050 sq m architecture and design museum in South Harbour, Helsinki.
The development will be called the Museum of Finnish Architecture and Design, and it will be located on a dockside site near the Suomenlinna Sea Fortress.
The city council and the Finnish government are contributing €120m to the scheme, and €30m will come from private donors.
The building will host 900,000 items including objects, models and photographs. They will include works by architect Alvar Aalto, textile designer Maija Sofia and brands such as Marimekko and Nokia. Half of the museum’s space will be dedicated to public use, the rest for storage and administration.
The competition is being run by the City of Helsinki, the Foundation for the Finnish Museum of Architecture and Design, the Finnish Association of Architects and property company ADM.
Kaarina Gould, the chief executive of the foundation, said: “Finland has a rich and fascinating history of design that is deeply embedded in our national identity and our living culture.
“We want to democratise the tools of design. The museum will engage the public in activities and experiences that broaden the understanding of design as a tool that empowers people to participate actively as citizen designers. Successful designs for the museum will need to embrace and advance the model of the museum as a site for active engagement with ideas and practice, as much as for the display and interpretation of artefacts.”
The project will fill the space previously earmarked for the Helsinki Guggenheim, before the cancellation of that project in 2016 by Helsinki City Council.
More information about the project is available here.
