Quiet Animal
Our proposal takes the form of a Helsinki city block rotated to the harbour front.
Helsinki city blocks in the 1800s were named after wild animals. The proposed new block will have the tactile familiarity of a pet’s fur.
Six timber-clad galleries are stacked over two levels and flanked by a seventh for administration and retail. Public spaces are formed between these and an intelligent textured glass skin wrapping the entirety to precisely diffuse light, translucent below, and transparent above.
The ground floor galleries can join to form one super-space, enabling a wide range of curatorial approaches. Two distinct staircases - one convivially wide, the other helical, enable visitors to wayfind without retracing paths. The wider staircase is also used for film screenings. “Art Kioski” annex for young Nordic art twins the northern market hall and the service pavilion encloses a sculpture garden to the south.
