Guggenheim Helsinki

A Local Wood Frame For a Global Icon

Text by Matthias Hollwich

Status  DESIGN

Location  HELSINKI, FINLAND

Size  133,000 SF

Client  GUGGENHEIM MUSEUM

Scope  COMPETITION

Team  MATTHIAS HOLLWICH, ROBERT MAY, SCOTT MILLER, GAGANDEEP SINGH, ALBERTO GARCÍA PÉREZ

Our design for the Guggenheim Helsinki proposes a subtly geometric three story space that sways to follow the curve of the harbor. Visitors enter through a dramatic entry that leans out toward the water to form a new pedestrian plaza.

The frame of the structure is made from beams of indigenous Finnish Pine, Spruce, and Birch wood that wrap continuously around the space. A mechanically operable wooden facade would control the flow of natural light to the museum’s galleries and reveal the collection to passersby along the harbor.