The Solomon R. Guggenheim Foundation launched an open, international competition for the design of a proposed Guggenheim museum in Helsinki. This is the first time that the Guggenheim Foundation has sought a design through an open competition. The keenly anticipated two-stage competition is expected to draw submissions from a wide range of firms and individuals—emerging and internationally famous—from around the world.
“It is essential to the Guggenheim’s mission to engage directly with people throughout the world, to affirm the transformative potential of art, and to fuse the experience of contemporary art with great architecture,” stated Richard Armstrong, Director of the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum and Foundation, at the formal competition launch event in Helsinki on June 4. “This competition advances all of those goals, with the aim of inspiring an exemplary museum of the 21st century that is also a meaningful addition to the landscape of Helsinki.”
The Guggenheim is organizing the architectural competition in consultation with the City of Helsinki, the State of Finland, and the Finnish Association of Architects (SAFA). The competition is managed by the London-based firm Malcolm Reading Consultants, a specialist in architectural competitions for arts, heritage, and nonprofit organizations.
An eleven-member jury selected by the Guggenheim, the State of Finland, the City of Helsinki, and SAFA will review the submissions. The jury is chaired by Mark Wigley, professor and Dean of the Graduate School of Architecture, Planning and Preservation of Columbia University, and includes:
- Mikko Aho, Director of City Planning and architect, City of Helsinki
- Jeanne Gang, Founder and Principal, Studio Gang Architects
- Juan Herreros, Professor and Founder, Estudio Herreros
- Anssi Lassila, Architect, Founder, OOPEAA Office for Peripheral Architecture
- Erkki Leppävuori, President and CEO, VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland
- Rainer Mahlamäki, Professor and Founder, Lahdelma & Mahlamäki Architects
- Helena Säteri, Director General, Ministry of the Environment, Finland
- Nancy Spector, Deputy Director and Jennifer and David Stockman Chief Curator, Solomon R. Guggenheim Foundation
- Yoshiharu Tsukamoto, Founder, Atelier Bow-Wow
- Ritva Viljanen, Deputy Mayor, City of Helsinki
Note: Guggenheim Director Richard Armstrong will attend the jury’s deliberations in an honorary, non-voting capacity.
Anonymous submissions for Stage One of the competition are due September 10, 2014. The jury will meet in Helsinki and select six finalists from the submissions made during Stage One. Submissions will be judged on the basis of their architectural design, relationship to the site and the cityscape, practicality for users, sustainability (including criteria for the use of materials), and feasibility. An online exhibition will enable the public to view all entries in the first stage, with special prominence given to the 30 highest-rated submissions.
In November 2014, the Guggenheim will announce the finalists and Stage Two of the competition will begin. Shortlisted firms or individuals will have until March 2015 to make final submissions, and the winner will be announced in June 2015. The City of Helsinki and the State of Finland are expected to deliberate on whether to proceed with the construction and development of the museum after the competition concludes.
For further information, the public and interested architects are invited to visit the competition website.
Related Stories
Sponsored | Steel Buildings | Jan 25, 2022
Structural Game Changer: Winning solution for curved-wall gymnasium design
Sponsored | Steel Buildings | Jan 25, 2022
Multifamily + Hospitality: Benefits of building in long-span composite floor systems
Long-span composite floor systems provide unique advantages in the construction of multi-family and hospitality facilities. This introductory course explains what composite deck is, how it works, what typical composite deck profiles look like and provides guidelines for using composite floor systems. This is a nano unit course.
Sponsored | Reconstruction & Renovation | Jan 25, 2022
Concrete buildings: Effective solutions for restorations and major repairs
Architectural concrete as we know it today was invented in the 19th century. It reached new heights in the U.S. after World War II when mid-century modernism was in vogue, following in the footsteps of a European aesthetic that expressed structure and permanent surfaces through this exposed material. Concrete was treated as a monolithic miracle, waterproof and structurally and visually versatile.
Urban Planning | Jan 25, 2022
Retooling innovation districts for medium-sized cities
This type of development isn’t just about innovation or lab space; and it’s not just universities or research institutions that are driving this change.
Sponsored | Resiliency | Jan 24, 2022
Norshield Products Fortify Critical NYC Infrastructure
New York City has two very large buildings dedicated to answering the 911 calls of its five boroughs. With more than 11 million emergency calls annually, it makes perfect sense. The second of these buildings, the Public Safety Answering Center II (PSAC II) is located on a nine-acre parcel of land in the Bronx. It’s an imposing 450,000 square-foot structure—a 240-foot-wide by 240-foot-tall cube. The gleaming aluminum cube risesthe equivalent of 24 stories from behind a grassy berm, projecting the unlikely impression that it might actually be floating. Like most visually striking structures, the building has drawn as much scorn as it has admiration.
Sponsored | Resiliency | Jan 24, 2022
Blast Hazard Mitigation: Building Openings for Greater Safety and Security
Coronavirus | Jan 20, 2022
Advances and challenges in improving indoor air quality in commercial buildings
Michael Dreidger, CEO of IAQ tech startup Airsset speaks with BD+C's John Caulfield about how building owners and property managers can improve their buildings' air quality.
Architects | Jan 17, 2022
OSPORTS adds Robert Hayes to lead operational and business development efforts
Hayes will guide the OSPORTS organization in its mission to offer a unique perspective to designing world-class facilities.
Architects | Jan 13, 2022
Hollywood is now the Stream Factory
Insatiable demand for original content, and its availability on a growing number of streaming platforms, have created shortages — and opportunities — for new sound stages.
Architects | Jan 13, 2022
Robert Eisenstat and Paul Mankins receive 2022 AIA Award for Excellence in Public Architecture
The award recognizes architects, public officials, or other individuals who design distinguished public facilities and advocate for design excellence.
