guggenheim helsinki floating white leaves board...

GH-7055511025BOARD 1GUGGENHEIM HELSINKI FLOATING WHITE LEAVES

CITY

SEA

PARK

PUBLICSPACE

PORT

Between city and the seaThe historical grid abuts the trapezoidal void that is South Harbour where land meets water, city meets sea. Ships larger than city blocks glide in and out of the protective harbour and come to rest at the harsh line of the harbour wall. The hard edge of concrete that defines the transition between solid and liquid. A physical signifier of a change of state.

The city blocks are stationary, fixed to a rigid grid, immovable.

The promenade is generous and wide, an open space for public gatherings, a place to arrive, a place to depart. It maybe the first and last place on earth, it is charged with potential.

Ships and ArtFinland has a proud heritage of shipbuilding, an industry that crowded South Harbour with sailboats in the 19th Century. Following the war traditional timber boat forms transformed into metal-hulled vessels and Finland entered the last half of the 20th Century with a new technical ambition.

The Guggenheim Foundation mirrored this progression with a similar artistic ambition, from Wright’s spiral in 1950’s New York to Gehry’s titanium fish at Bilbao the Guggenheim strives to educate and inform an increasingly hungry public about international and local art.

A hubSouth Harbour Helsinki is a reclaimed harbour in a relatively new city, re-built after the fires of the eighteenth century. The gallery is the latest addition to occupy a location between park, city and sea.

The proposed gallery borrows from these conditions. Conceived as layer of fallen leaves in response to the adjacent parkland, a metal-clad vessel to echo neighbouring ships and with proportions to match the city blocks with which it shares the harbour view.

A visitorThe city blocks, public-park and promenade presently enjoy uninterrupted vistas of the open sea and distant horizon. The city edge does not require a barricade or blockade, there is no need for another rectilinear city block or inhabited wall. The new gallery is a visitor to these shores and as such must respond to its location. It must respect the views from park and city the freedom of the promenade, whilst sheltering public from bitter winds and precipitation.

A sculptureThe gallery is a fish out of water, a ship in dry dock, a link between land and sea. A morphology of two cultures the freedom of the seas and the formalism of the city. It is a building in motion, eroded landscape, sculpted rock, smoothed by waves. It is stratified geology, exposed iceberg, weathered bone, fused spine. It is symbiotic fungi, gnarled wood, flotsam and jetsam, fallen leaves. It is cuttle fish, mutated boat, billowed sail, moored ark.

It’s sculpture form is purposefully enigmatic, to create interest. It is a beacon, a generator, an attractor.

top - Historical map of Helsinki; the proposed site of the GUGGENHEIM HELSINKI is vacant: a public space.right - Satellite photograph of Helsinki‘s South Habor with the proposed GUGGENHEIM HELSINKI.far right - Series of diagrams illustrating urban context and access to the museum.

far top - Series of form-finding sketches: floating leaves.top - A sea of taut white sails. Helsinki’s South Harbor Bay circa 1900.

top - Aerial Photograph of the South Harbor and the proposed GUGGENHEIM HELSINKI.

Seafront elevation with the proposed GUGGENHEIM HELSINKI.


right - Separate and distinct, the administrative wedge shelters beneath its larger sibling. Indicative collage of a new public space. far right - Massing study. Building as sculpture.

right - Principal section and principal floor plans.

top - Helsinki South Harbor Bay by night. Gallery as beacon.

The galleryThe proposed Guggenheim Helsinki lightly touches the ground with minimal footprint, enough to satisfy circulation requirements and rises immediately like a ships bow to the main exhibition area, a piano nobile freed from the earth and sea. A liner’s deck. It repeats and repeats again this sinuous extrusion. Three leaves atop each other, three separate and distinct architectural landscapes. This form allows for generous views through the cantilevered hulls, above and below each bow through to sky and sea. Like wind through autumn leaves. This white expanse perched on one leg like a dormant flamingo is gallery space, exhibition and dining hall. The large open volumes can support numerous activities from open performance space to closed exhibitions rooms. From singular cell to matrix of rooms. Rooms within rooms.

SupportAdministration is separate and distinct. A black wedge in contrast to the milky whiteness of the gallery. The wedge is adjacent to the park purposefully sited below the datum of the raised parkland, with gently raked roof that falls toward the dominant built form. The roof maybe raised terrace, external exhibition area. It is a small raft from which to enter the tall ship. Underground access allows for continued and discreet maintenance of exhibitions, with gallery floors reached by an independent service lift.

Flexible spacesThe independence of the administrative wedge ensures that it can operate with or without its larger sibling. It is cafe and shop, ticket hall and cloakroom. It is the support before the main event, the agent. Small and efficient it can operate throughout the year, throughout the day. Advertising things to come, celebrating things that have been, or a meeting place for the present.

In contrast the gallery is multi-layered, three hulls with a common vertical axis. The layers can be progressed through independently or closed off from one another, so that exhibitions may wax and wane throughout the building, throughout the year depending on season, depending on content.

AttractorThe gallery provides shelter, within and without. It shades the promenade defining a new public square beneath its underbelly. Whilst at its uppermost levels it affords views across the park and harbour from a dining area and roof terrace. It has the potential to invigorate the harbour and Helsinki beyond.

ENTRANCE EXHIBITION BUILDING

EXHIBITION GALLERIES LEVEL 1

RESTROOMS/SERVICES/STAFF AREA

DINING



MULTIPURPOSE ZONE

LABORATORY/SERVICES/STORAGE

KITCHEN/LOBBY/SERVICES

VIEWING TERRACEFLEXIBLE PERFORMANCE/

CONFERENCE HALL

RETAIL/VISITOR SERVICESOPERATIONS/STAFF SERVICES

OFFICES

CONNECTOR TUNNEL

LONGSECTION

0 1m 2m 3m 4m 5m 10m 15m

N

RETAIL/VISITOR SERVICES/TICKETING

CAFE

OPERATIONS/STAFF SERVICES

MAINTENANCE/MANAGEMENT

COLLECTION STORAGE/MANAGEMENT

LOADING ACCESS

VIP&DISABLED ACCESS ENTRANCE LOBBY/SCREENING

STAFF PARKING

VIP&DISABLED PARKING

ENTRANCE LEVEL

0 1m 2m 3m 4m 5m 10m 15m

PUBLIC SQUARE/SCULPTURE GARDEN

PUBLIC SQUARE/SCULPTURE GARDEN

N

EXHIBITION GALLERIES 1000m2

MATRIX OF ROOMS (OPTIONAL)EXHIBITION GALLERIES 450m2

OPEN PLAN (OPTIONAL)


0 1m 2m 3m 4m 5m 10m 15m

N


MATRIX OF ROOMS (OPTIONAL)MULTIPURPOSE ZONE/


EXHIBITION GALLERIES LEVEL 2&3

0 1m 2m 3m 4m 5m 10m 15m


bottom left - Flexible spaces – Moveable partitions allow for a variety of spaces open and closed, modern and traditional.bottom right - Rooms within rooms. Interior of Finnish house circa 1900.

top - Interior view of an exhibition gallery with vistas over the South Harbor.

top - A blank canvas, the charged void.far left - Spatial reference. The public square as auditorium. Piazza del Campo, Siena, Italy.left - Structural reference. The vessel, traditionally constructed schooner with timber ribs and keel.

The VesselThe gallery is a vessel, an empty space, the charged void ready for transformation. Art requires neutrality. The exhibition areas provide this with large white expanses, a blank canvas. The ceiling and floors conceal an infrastructural grid of power lines and anchor points to support mobile partitioning for subdivision of spaces and the creation of smaller, intimate exhibition rooms. Partitions may be blank or textured, wrought or natural to suit the ambience required, built as freestanding sets to best exhibit the work. Rooms may be open to the curved interior of the vessel or closed off with stretched fabric ceilings. They may be spaces to walk through, halls of sculpture and art, or terminal rooms for reflection and solitude. They may be light or dark, big or small, may hold collections or single pieces. The vessel allows for this flexibility and ensures that the artist or curator can create a series of unique spaces.

Rooms within roomsPartitions may be arranged to create singular rooms, separate and distinct within the vessel, or combined in an intricate matrix to allow movement through rooms from one to another. Internal courtyards, rooms within rooms, niches and alcoves or freestanding walls accessible from all sides provide a rich experience for the exhibited, exhibitor and visitor alike.


top right - Timber ribs in traditional schooner construction.middle right - Metropol Parasol, Plaza de la Encarnacíon in Seville, Spain. Demonstrates advances in timber technology.bottom right - Stillness and light. The subtle curves of a Finnish boat on calm waters (circa 1900).

bottom - Helsinki Park, an extension of the gallery perhaps…

top & right - The vessel unclothed. Lightweight anodised aluminium panels tightly skin the Glulam timber lattice supported off cantilevered concrete floors and central structural core.

Section illustrating the programmatic use of the building; The levels can be progressed through independently or closed off from one another, so that exhibitions may wax and wane throughout the building, throughout the year depending on season, depending on content.

SustainabilityThe manufacture and construction of the building can be achieved with labour and resources local to Finland. The technologies necessary to realise the gallery are readily available in Finland and will continue to enhance the reputation of Finnish engineering. Ruukki, Finlands principal steel manufacturer, has recently completed work on the Friends Stadium in Malmo Sweden designing and engineering a large cantilevered stadium roof.

Shipbuilding remains a mainstay of Finnish industry this together with a continued increase in the mining and production of metals (both industries important to the Finnish economy) presents an opportunity to construct a structure without need of excessive imports thus dramatically reducing the carbon footprint of materials. A reduced manufacturing and construction industry struggling from a prolonged European recession can be rekindled through the construction of an iconic building on Helsinki’s waterfront that will reinforce Helsinki as a major tourist destination.

The use of native timber for the extensive glulam lattice, flooring and ceiling finishes utilises valuable local resources, with Finnish forests maintaining an excellent reputation for sustainability as well managed forests continue to grow year on year. The creation of a large wooden ribbed frame not only echoes the rhythm of traditional shipbuilding but advertises the potential of Finnish wood at a time when sales from traditional paper making industries are in demise due a decrease in worldwide print sales and the continued dominance of the internet and digital media.

Sleek anodised aluminium cladding with its subtle double curvature speaks of a Finland’s growing modern industry of elegant cruise ships built for comfort and speed. Finlands metal industry can provide aluminium sheets, rails and fixings again reducing the carbon footprint of such a large building and providing employment to local industries.

The inherent cellular design of the gallery building with it’s three separate layers and the master and servant relationship between administrative ‘wedge’ and sculptural gallery enables the building to be heated and lit in distinct zones. These zones can be independent from one another, allowing the building to shrink or expand depending on use or season, thus reducing energy bills in winter months when tourism ebbs and waters freeze. Whilst the smaller wedge can continue to function as shop and café to support the regeneration and diversification of the harbour.

Sustainability is all encompassing. It is not about the embodied energy of a single product but about a commitment to use local resources, labour and technology to produce a wholly individual building worthy of the Guggenheim Foundation, worthy of Finnish art and architecture, worthy of Helsinki.

PSTAFF

VIP &

PORT ACCESS

Timber TechnologiesFinland has a rich history of shipbuilding and a strong connection with timber and associated industries with 75% of Finnish land covered by forests. Traditional timber ships were laid out in lofts and shipyards, timber was cut, joints scarfed, profiles refined and shaped with adzes. Ribs and frames raised atop keels and fixed into place with a taut skin of precisely worked and molded planking.Timber ships gave way to iron and steel, timber-framed houses to brick and mortar. Forests were no longer managed for construction but pulped for paper and board.

Modern advances in CNC routing, computer controlled cutting machines and complex CAD software have reestablished timber as a primary construction material. Cross-laminated sections and intricate joints and fixings have enabled the construction of large-scale single material structures with sinuous forms. Finland with its vast natural resources and technological expertise is perfectly placed to utilize these new technologies. The structural frame can be designed, manufactured and constructed in Finland with timber sections prefabricated off-site prior to construction.

The timber lattice framework integral to the gallery’s structure echoes industries of the past whilst looking to Finland’s future. The demise in paper production accelerated by digital media and recycling agendas requires an industrial shift. The Guggenheim Helsinki provides an opportunity to show the world Finnish construction expertise with native timber worked and molded like the ships of old.

Heat and PowerThe coldest European country, Finland excels at the production of energy through combined heat and power plants that account for 80% of district heating. Sustainably managed forests provide an endless supply of raw materials for the provision of heat and power to the Guggenheim Helsinki and neighboring buildings.

White City of The NorthThe proposed gallery is clad in sustainably sourced white aluminium (100 percent recyclable) with glazed areas kept to a minimum to ensure heat is kept within the gallery spaces. There are no vast glazed atriums, but discreet light slots that follow the contours of the building. With six hours of winter daylight compared to eighteen hours in the summer months the requirement for a computer controlled artificial lighting system together with managed natural light is essential in providing the required lighting conditions to exhibit art whilst minimizing energy consumption. Similarly natural ventilation encouraged by the structural core’s stack effect will further ensure that mechanical extracts are kept to a minimum.

Life CycleThe combination of sustainably sourced local materials, energy efficient heating, lighting and power controls, natural ventilation and connection to Helsinki’s combined heat and power district will ensure that the Guggenheim Helsinki will positively contribute to Finland’s green agenda and Helsinki’s local economy. The building can achieve LEED® Gold Certification through its careful use of daylighting, energy conservation, and low-toxin, locally sourced, and largely recycled materials.

Similarly the ability to close off sections of the building during the winter months to reduce the overall volume further demonstrates a commitment to energy efficiency and the reduction of maintenance costs throughout the life cycle of the gallery. It is a considered approach to the management and maintenance of the building that adapts the internal spaces and associated infrastructure according to a use that may fluctuate drastically from the cold, dark winter months to the sudden and welcome influx of tourists during the extended summer period.

BudgetThe gallery is modest in size, dwarfed by modern cruise liners. The separation of administrative functions to a smaller, simpler building offsets the increased costs inherent in a gallery structure that is both unusual and visually complex. Internal finishes and external cladding are readily available, whilst materials and technologies involved in the production of the building can be locally sourced, thus reducing imports. The proposed scheme will meet the budget requirements of the brief.

LandscapeAn overriding factor in the design of the gallery was to allow uninterrupted views around, through and between the building’s envelope. There is an inherent stillness and calm in its sinuous, milky form that belies the structural complexity of its timber lattice. The building lightly touches down with minimal footprint, maintaining the generous promenade and direct access to the adjacent parkland. No false gestures of green roofs are needed here it has minimal impact on the ground below and stands in close proximity to natural park and rolling sea. It is of the site, like arctic ice, like billowed sail, like floating white leaves.

bottom left - Vehicular access to on site parking facilities and the Port

guggenheim helsinki floating white leaves board...

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