Inspired by the Finnish landscape and the Kalevala epic, the Guggenheim Helsinki is conceptualized as a Landscape for Art. The building is envisioned as an abstract landscape, weaving together the multi-dimensional fabric of Helsinki and the experience of the museum’s exhibition into one. Linking the park to the waterfront, the Guggenheim appears as a cascading form which catches the light and gently rises towards the city centre on one side, the sea on the other, a subtle iconic inflexion to the city skyline.

The placement of the public programs responds to the network of pedestrian movement along the harbour-front while the gallery space is experienced as a continuous ramped loop which opens up towards monumental vistas of the sea and the city. The Guggenheim Helsinki brings together social interactions and the experience of art into one, in a facility that is global in outlook, yet Finnish in spirit.

This competition entry was prepared in 2014, and the project was subsequently aborted.