extension between museums

ruusupuisto, finland

The aim of this international competition was to create a link between two existing works by renowned modern architect Alvar Aalto: The Alvar Aalto Museum and the Museum of Central Finland. The space is meant to act as a “connecting gateway” between the second level of the Aalto museum and the ground level of the Museum of Central Finland. By joining the two buildings, visitors may freely move between the museums through a new shared gift shop without being exposed to the elements. 

Timber and other wood products have historically played a major role in the economy of central Finland, as well as having an important place within Alvar Aalto’s work. Therefore, it was clear that wood should be the dominant material throughout the design. As a result, an abstracted “forest” of birch posts is created on both the interior and exterior of the extension. Within the space, the ceiling of birch fins create an undulating canopy that visually guides visitors between the existing museums and through the gift shop. The cross section of the ceiling results from deconstructing the curves found in Aalto’s Savoy Vase, and the organic nature and materiality of these forms directly contrast with the more austere white stucco exterior massing of the extension and existing structures.