Finalists selected in design competition for Finland's new architecture and design museum

Five entries have been selected to proceed to the next stage in the international design competition for the new architecture and design museum building planning for a site in Helsinki’s South Harbour. Of the 624 total entries that were submitted, the competition jury selected the entries Tyrsky, Kumma, Moby, Tau and City, Sky and Sea to continue on to the second stage of the competition.

The entries are available for public viewing on the design competition’s website. Members of the public are also invited to comment on the proposals until 31 January 2025 at kerrokantasi.hel.fi/ad-museo(Link leads to external service). A summary of the public discussion will be delivered to the competition design teams to support development of their entries.

Helsinki’s South Harbour will soon be home to an inspiring museum that meets the sustainability demands of the future

In April 2024, a general and international design competition for the new museum was launched, resulting in a total of 624 submitted proposals. The second phase of the design competition will begin in February 2025, during which time the selected proposals will be developed based on feedback from the jury and a team of experts.

“We are immensely grateful for the response to our international design competition and want to thank each of the 624 teams that answered our call and submitted their ideas for a new museum building on our extraordinary site in Helsinki’s South Harbour. Reducing the list to just five entries has been a challenging yet inspiring exercise in identifying the greatest potential amongst hundreds of interesting approaches. A massive thank you also to fellow jury members for their commitment – the work continues,” said Kaarina Gould, CEO of the Finnish Architecture and Design Museum Foundation and member of the competition jury.

“The five finalist projects represent different visions for an inviting and inspirational museum situated on one of Helsinki’s most important sites. What these entries share is their potential to be buildings of extraordinary and lasting architectural quality. It is the jury’s opinion that they all have distinct urban presence and exceptional spatial properties that allow the new museum of architecture and design to organize the rich variety of exhibitions and events their ambition calls for. In the next phase these projects will be further developed to meet the demands for a sustainable future,” said Beate Hølmebakk, who is also a competition jury member, as well as an architect, professor and partner at Oslo’s Manthey Kula.

During stage 2, special attention will be paid to the buildings’ low carbon footprint and adherence to circular economy principles, for example through carbon footprint calculations. To better cultivate the buildings’ ultimate usability, a series of workshops will be arranged between the design teams and representatives of various user groups.

Find more information in Finnish, Swedish and English on the selected entries, the design competition and the competition jury at the admuseo.fi website.

The final outcome of the competition will be announced in September 2025.

The design competition is organised by the city and state-owned Real Estate Company ADM together with the Foundation for the Finnish Museum of Architecture and Design. The new museum is made possible with funding from the City of Helsinki, the Finnish State and generous donations from several private foundations.

The selected entries

Tyrsky

The curved-roofed building, clad entirely in green copper, blends seamlessly into the waterfront landscape and respects the existing surroundings with its moderate height. The structure consists of several rectangular interlocking volumes, creating a small inner courtyard that allows daylight to reach the center of the building. The undulating curved roof signifies that this is a public building, distinct from the neighboring blocks. The proposal is an excellent example of the use of mass timber in load-bearing structures and interior finishes. 

Kumma

The new museum building has been designed as a compact and low structure, preserving important views from Tähtitorninvuori Park towards the Market Square and Katajanokka. Despite its low height, the building has a strong character. It is beautifully proportioned, with slanted, stepped walls and triangular openings that reference timeless historical themes. Unlike the other proposals, the building can be accessed from both the Market Square and Laivasillankatu sides, allowing visitors to enter directly into the ground-floor exhibition space. 

Moby

The proposal takes an exceptional stance on views from the site and the museum’s role as a public building alongside the blocks planned for Makasiiniranta. The new building has a wedge-shaped footprint, leaving space on the side for views from the waterfront toward Tähtitorninvuori Park. The movement of museum visitors between spaces has been carefully designed, and the views opening in different directions from the building have been thoughtfully considered. Thanks to its compact form, logical structural system, and use of recycled materials, the building is resource-efficient.

Tau

The building is sculptural in its extreme simplicity. It demonstrates that to stand out from the surrounding urban fabric a landmark status can be achieved without relying on unconventional shapes, or distinctive materials. The design emphasizes the role of the new museum as an extension of the Market Square, welcoming visitor flows along its entire northern façade, which connects seamlessly to the water mirror of the Vironallas basin.

City, Sky and Sea

Thanks to its curved wall and roof surfaces, the new building appears tent-like and lightweight
in the waterfront landscape, where it fits naturally in front of the existing block frontage. The museum is designed with a distinctive and strong spatial structure: the exhibition spaces surrounding the central hall offer carefully selected views of the sea and the surrounding city.