Emerging French practice Moreau Kusunoki Architectes has beaten more than 1,700 entries to win the Guggenheim Helsinki Design Competition.
The winning proposal comprises a 45m lighthouse-like tower and nine low-lying pavilions, all made of charred timber and orientated in line with Helsinki’s grid layout.
‘Moreau Kusunoki has titled its proposal “Art in the City”, a name that sums up the qualities the jury admired in the design,’ said Mark Wigley, dean of Columbia University’s School of Architecture, who led the 11-member jury.
‘The waterfront, park, and nearby urban area all have a dialogue with the loose cluster of pavilions, with people and activities flowing between them.’
Guggenheim Helsinki’s design draws on Finland’s heritage in wood building and will be constructed from locally sourced timber once funding has been secured. Expected to cost more than £90 million, the new museum will also house a restaurant overlooking the city’s harbour.
Wigley added: ‘The design is imbued with a sense of community and animation that matches the ambitions of the brief to honour both the people of Finland and the creation of a more responsive museum of the future.’
Husband-and-wife team, Nicolas Moreau and Hiroko Kusunoki take home €100,000 (£70,000) for their competition win. Five other shortlisted practices, including UK architect Asif Khan and Los Angeles-based AGPS Architecture, will each receive €55,000 (£40,000).
