DRIFTWOOD: THE HELSINKI ARCHITECTURE AND DESIGN MUSEUM

Exterior view of the Driftwood museum from the Northern Square, highlighting timber lantern-like structures and surrounding greenery.

Project Overview

PRAX Studio has entered an international design competition for the new Helsinki Architecture and Design Museum.

Floating gently on the shoreline of ancient Eteläsatama, Driftwood is a new paradigm for contextually sensitive urban renewal in a historical maritime environment. Tightly woven into the city fabric, the building forms orientate themselves towards the key local landmarks of Helsinki Cathedral, Tähtitorninvuori, Suomenlinna and Uspenski Cathedral, putting the city itself on display as an exhibit of the new museum. Key view corridors are framed by the voluminous interior voids, promoting these spaces to the status of a gallery while also answering the requirements of visitor arrival, circulation and gathering.

Equally important is the celebration of the views from the historic city across the site. The new museum presents itself as a modestly scaled collection of loosely arranged organic timber lantern forms that from a distance read as an extension of the green space of Tähtitorninvuori down to the water’s edge.

The central concept of the proposal is for a museum that puts the historic city itself on display while integrating respectfully into the local natural and built cityscape.

The building is expressed as a collection of loosely arranged organic timber forms that recall the floating hulls of timber ships, the delicate vertical rhythms of the Nordic pine forests, a cluster of pebbles rounded by ocean waves or lanterns glowing warmly in the winter night.

Between these floating forms, a cave-like void forms a central open amphitheatre and gathering space, opening up towards the perimeter to allow sunlight to stream in while framing key vistas of the city.

The central atrium is the heart of the proposal and represents a paradigm shift for a museum building. The internal arrangement is unlike traditional museums in which rooms are visited one after the other in linear succession. Instead, visitors are invited to circulate in a loose spiral around the central open space and explore multiple paths connecting the gallery spaces. After visiting each gallery the visitor is always returned to the central atrium where carefully aligned axial corridors direct views to the iconic local landmarks, orientating the visitor not just within the building but within Eteläsatama and Helsinki itself.

View of the Driftwood museum's exterior with organic timber forms blending into Helsinki's waterfront.
Distant view of the Driftwood museum from the harbor, showcasing its integration with Helsinki's maritime landscape.
Interior perspective of the Driftwood museum, featuring a cave-like central amphitheater with natural light streaming through.
Close-up of the Driftwood museum's central atrium, emphasizing its open-plan design and organic timber elements.
Detailed view of the atrium inside the Driftwood museum, showing visitors circulating through its interconnected pathways.
Architectural drawing of the Driftwood museum's site plan and elevation, showing its spatial layout and positioning within the Helsinki waterfront.
Diagram of the Driftwood museum's circulation pathways, illustrating the visitor flow and connection between gallery spaces.
Ground level architectural plan of the Driftwood museum, displaying entrances, open spaces, and key features.
Architectural drawing of the Driftwood museum's first level, showing gallery arrangements and open atrium connections.
Plan of the second level of the Driftwood museum, highlighting elevated pathways and gallery spaces.
Sectional drawings of the Driftwood museum, showing the vertical relationships between levels and interior voids.
Detailed sectional views of the Driftwood museum, highlighting timber structures and spatial transitions.