JKMM Architects has won the competition to design a new museum in the sea side town of Tammisaari outside Helsinki. Organised by the Albert de la Chapelle Art Foundation, the competition aims to create a museum for the foundation's art collection with space to exhibit the work. JKMM’s entry was designed to act as a landmark and beacon for the city's cultural quarter to invite the public from the town’s main square.
As a popular summer destination on the Baltic, Tammisaari is home to a number of cultural institutions. The new museum will be located in Tammisaari’s cultural quarter among an existing art center and galleries. JKMM’s winning entry was mad to complement how these buildings work as a whole and help build a cohesive streetscape. The upper windows of the main exhibition hall will also act as a beacon within the surrounding area. JKMM opted for natural and traditional materials, utilizing concrete and timber for the structure of the new build. Stained spruce has been selected for the elevations to respond to the timber architecture of its context.
The design is inspired by Tammisaari’s traditional double story townhouses with their pitched roofs. The new museum spaces are articulated in the design with exhibition galleries over three floors. The ground floor entrance leads onto a multipurpose space that can be used for events. The first floor houses the main exhibition space, a distinctive hall and space that's also suitable for temporary exhibitions. The third exhibition space is made up of subterranean galleries linking the museum to the existing facilities for the Foundation. The historic context of the site has also been preserved with circulation routes above ground retained.
