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Helsinki, Finland
Competiton
Anthony Meier
Contemporary Museum
107,640 Square Feet
The Granary (AITTA) is traditionally a communal storehouse of firm build for goods of value to the village. In this new conception of a village at the edge of the forest and the sea, four buildings cluster around a courtyard with edges porous to the city.
This modern aitta stores the objects documenting the rich history of Finnish Design and Architecture, as the seeds to grow the next generation.
Organized as four “houses” around a central courtyard, the buildings are designed to support each other while operating independently as needed. The architectural space is intended to be landscape like, free from a central focus and crowned by a timber tower to anchor the experience of the visitor.
As a living museum for Architecture and Design, we feel it is imperative that the construction methodologies for the museum are clearly legible to the visitor. With this in mind, each building explores a variation on construction culture in Finland, from timeless masonry to cutting edge mass timber.
The site lies at a crucial juncture where the trees of Tahtitornmaki meet the waters of South Harbor. The project weaves together these two natural conditions with the creation of a new urban space, a charged void between four buildings. This new public space will serve both residents and visitors alike as they visit the museum.
Recycled brick, natural copper and mass timber were selected for their low carbon footprint, long life span and ease of maintenance in an urban, maritime environment. While the four buildings vary in scale, they are consistent in form, rhythm and material.
Exactly as the Medieval cities once upon a time lost their fortification walls and them modern city grew out beyond them, the concept of the city today is in the process of shedding its constraints. But this time it is happening, not to lead once again to the creation of the larger unit, but rather so that the city will become part of the countryside.
- Alvar Aalto
T.W. Ryan, Thomas Ryan
Local Architect:
Jonathan Man
Contractor:
Euda Construction
Photography:
Michael Arnaud