Guggenheim
Helsinki
Team
Renante Solivar
Orod Aris
Team
Renante Solivar
Orod Aris
The Guggenheim is a cultural force of nature, an international spotlight that illuminates the city it’s surrounded by. Myth and nature informed our design for the Guggenheim in Helsinki, linking the landscape that skirts the city center to its Finnish heritage. The raised structure of the building is suggestive of a lightning bolt as a nod to Ukko, the god of the sky, weather, and harvest in Finnish mythology. Situated between Tahititornin Vuori Park and the Eteläsatama water, the design weaves the water and land together with an accessible green roof that rises out of the ground and zigzags toward two outcropping façades, beacons over the water.
The winding structure also creates four courtyards for active and passive interaction: a public space for Finland’s summer and winter festivals, Guggenheim events, and an attraction for wandering visitors, who can access the green roof as well. These public spaces operate as a reflection of Finland’s democratic culture; the building gives back to the city, creating an intricate architectural landscape that visitors can explore without going inside. The building’s asymmetrical exterior cladding wraps around the building in a ribbon-like gesture, creating scalable legibility that highlights its status as both a container of culture and a public landmark.
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