Art in the City, by Paris-based Moreau Kusunoki, has won the Helsinki Guggenheim architecture competition (Credit: Moreau Kusunoki Architectes / Guggenheim)
Last year entries were invited for the Solomon R. Guggenheim Foundation’s competition seeking a new Guggenheim museum for Helsinki, Finland. A winner has now been selected: Art in the City, by Paris-based firm Moreau Kusunoki.
Moreau Kusunoki’s design comprises nine low volumes and a lighthouse-like tower that is connected to a nearby park via pedestrian footbridge. The building would be clad in locally-sourced charred timber, and would aim to offer an open, welcoming atmosphere. According to Dezeen, Art in the City is expected to cost €130 million (around US$45 million) to construct, and will comprise a total floorspace of roughly 12,100 m2 and boast 4,000 m2 of exhibition space.
“Rarely has such a concentration of architectural intelligence been directed at a single design challenge,” says Richard Armstrong, director of the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum and Foundation. “Nearly 2000 designers from around the world turned their thoughts to the future of Helsinki’s South Harbour and the possibilities of a museum for the twenty-first century.”
Moreau Kusunoki will receive a cash prize of €100,000 for its efforts, while the five runners-up will each receive around €55,000. Local officials will now decide whether to give the go-ahead for the proposal to be built.
