An international and open design competition has been launched for a new museum of architecture and design in Helsinki, Finland.
Planned to open in 2030, the new museum will merge the Museum of Finnish Architecture and the Design Museum Helsinki.
The competition brief calls for a 10,050-square-metre building located in the city’s South Harbour. The total budget of the project is around €105 million, with construction costs of the museum not to exceed €70m.
Additionally, the brief requires spaces for exhibitions and collections, as well as areas for events, conferences, workshops, a library and a waterfront restaurant.
“We want to democratise the tools of design,” said Kaarina Gould, CEO of the Foundation for the Finnish Museum of Architecture and Design.
“The new museum of architecture and design 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.”
Participants in the first stage of the competition should submit conceptual proposals, focusing on the overall concept rather than detailed plans. The deadline for entries to this stage is 29 August 2024.
An international jury will then select between three and five entries to progress to the second stage, which will open in February 2025. The result of the competition will be announced next September.
New museum of architecture and design
Mikko Aho, chair of the competition jury, said: “The open competition is a strong component of the tradition of architecture in Finland that opens the commission up to exciting concepts from designers at any stage in their career – from undiscovered talent to established names.
“This new museum will enhance Helsinki’s global profile as a capital of design by placing the subject at the heart of the urban renewal of the South Harbour, one of the city’s most significant waterfront sites.
“We’re delighted to bring this project forward to create social benefits, provide new employment, attract international visitors and generate commerce in Helsinki.”
Earlier this year, the Helsinki city council announced it will give €60 million to establish the new museum. The Finnish state will match this funding, and an additional €30m will be raised through private donations.
An online seminar for any interested participants is being held on 24 April.
Images: Sami Saastamoinen / Foundation for the Finnish Museum of Architecture and Design
