The Cluster


The Guggenheim Effect
Guggenheim is the successor of the Contemporary museums of the late twentieth century. The Guggenheim Effect (also known as the Bilbao Effect), is famously known as the urban catalyst to the regeneration of a city. The term defines how vision and imagination can transform a city into an international cultural center.

Museums in the 21st century no longer serves merely as a venue to hold art pieces, but are appropriated into dynamic centers that doubles as an urban facility that provides learning, creativity and enjoyment opportunities.

The Helsinki Guggenheim will amplify the city’s strong individuality and distinctive characters, where culture and social interaction will be streamed into the great metropolitan, improving and encouraging the creative industry and young art entrepreneurs - a projection for the growing demand for the creative industry and the advancing social environment.

Helsinki Guggenheim
The Helsinki Guggenheim will offer the opportunity to host public events, between the neighboring museums, Olympia Terminal, the Market Hall, Palace Hotel, Helsinki Cathedral and Esplanadi Park.

The proposed Helsinki Guggenheim building is composed of two major elements – the suspended Port Extension connecting the Market Hall, Olympia Terminal and Tahitiornin Vuori Park, and the emerging Museum blocks housing a range of museum spaces.

Guggenheim Plaza
A public plaza – the Guggenheim Plaza is located in the center of the three emerging museum blocks and the suspended port extension. The Guggenheim Plaza is an essential addition to the many pieces of urban element of Helsinki. The Plaza will act as the predominant connection between the Eteläsatama harbor and the rest of the city.

The Guggenheim Plaza is 9.6m above sea level and on approximately the same level of Bernhardinkatu Street adjacent to Tahititornin Vuori Park. A foot bridge is introduced into the project and acts as a key linkage between the various museums, galleries and creative institutes in the city, the park and the Helsinki Guggenheim.

The Guggenheim Plaza, placed on higher grounds, has a generous panoramic view of the South harbor. The perimeter of the plaza is lined with seating spaces and viewing platforms. This provides the plaza with social meeting spaces and an abundant capacity for events and public installations. Some of the foreseen public events include skating rink, art (Christmas) market, open sky cinema and concert, which makes the plaza an all-year round space. The civic aspect of the Guggenheim Plaza contributes as a social platform for interactions between the artists, their practices and the general public.

The Emergence Wooden Museum Blocks
The Emerging Wooden Museum blocks houses a range of programs – exhibition galleries, multi-purpose zones, lobbies and restaurants… According to the program interaction, the wood block is detached and separated into three different blocks. The scatter results in a mellower disturbance to the view passing from Tahititornin Vuori Park and the surrounding neighborhood into the South harbor. Located in a wind-prone habour area, the three masses acts as wind breakers for the surrounding area.

Viewing from Skeppsbrogatan Street from the city side, the walls of the wood masses are lined with wooden panel stripes. The façade lining resembles the natural appearance of basalt cliff typical to the Nordic landscape. LEDs (light-emitting diodes) are integrated into the wooden panels, which continue on the surface of the block, giving the building a distinctive identity. During the night, the lighting devices can be activated without the obvious traces of LED usage. A good example of this type of light installation would be Jenny Holtzer.




Architects
Toshihiro KUBOTA
Francisco MARTINEZ
Yves BACHMANN

Perspectives
Jigen

Intern
Andrea NG