slade architecture shapes urban living room for guggenheim helsinki entry

blurring the boundaries of institutional and public programming in a welcoming and civic-minded gesture, the proposal provides a large public covered space, a rooftop promenade, and a world-class museum.

Emily Puhnaty edited by justin paul villanueva December 20, 2014 2 min

slade architecture shapes urban living room for guggenheim helsinki entry
all images courtesy of slade architecture

blurring the boundaries of institutional and public programming in a welcoming and civic-minded gesture, slade architecture‘s proposal for the guggenheim helsinki design competition is an iconic landmark at the water’s edge that provides a large public covered space, a rooftop promenade, and a world-class museum.

slade architecture urban living room guggenheim helsinki museum designboom
waterfront view during the day

through robust programmable public space and ambitious curatorial, educational and partnership initiatives, the institution becomes an active participant in the city. the building provides an infrastructure that can support a host of partnerships and initiatives with local artists, educators, architects, community groups, businesses and government.

slade architecture urban living room guggenheim helsinki museum designboom
waterfront view at night

the envisioned project connects the existing diverse circulation network with amenities for the society. a large, open plaza on the north side welcomes visitors, maintaining vistas and pedestrian routes. the west is cut back to create a direct axis along etelaranta between market square, esplanadi park, and tahititornin vuori park. on the south side, a sculpted expansion extends towards the raised platform at the olympic terminal drop-off area. this link covers the truck access roadway and provides a park-like surface along the waterfront, extending the public utility of the site for temporary installations, shelter, and events.

slade architecture urban living room guggenheim helsinki museum designboom
street view

the concept of an ‘urban living room’ provides a protected outdoor space on the water that can be used year-round. during long summer days, a south facing aperture fills the void with natural light. for the darker winter days, the illuminated zone becomes an inviting figure in the cityscape.

slade architecture urban living room guggenheim helsinki museum designboom
entry

the galleries are simple and flexible, allowing a changeable configuration depending on curatorial needs. natural light will be incorporated, but supplemented with artificial lighting.

slade architecture urban living room guggenheim helsinki museum designboom
the urban living room during the winter

slade architecture urban living room guggenheim helsinki museum designboom
aerial view of helsinki

slade architecture urban living room guggenheim helsinki museum designboom
site plan

slade architecture urban living room guggenheim helsinki museum designboom
rendering of the site

slade architecture urban living room guggenheim helsinki museum designboom
exploded materiality diagram

slade architecture urban living room guggenheim helsinki museum designboom
generative diagram

slade architecture urban living room guggenheim helsinki museum designboom
section

slade architecture urban living room guggenheim helsinki museum designboom
ground floor plan

slade architecture shapes urban living room for guggenheim helsinki entry - 1
gallery floor plan

slade architecture shapes urban living room for guggenheim helsinki entry - 2
roof plan

designboom has received this project from our ‘DIY submissions‘ feature, where we welcome our readers to submit their own work for publication. see more project submissions from our readers here.