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
| Dec 10, 2013
16 great solutions for architects, engineers, and contractors
From a crowd-funded smart shovel to a why-didn’t-someone-do-this-sooner scheme for managing traffic in public restrooms, these ideas are noteworthy for creative problem-solving. Here are some of the most intriguing innovations the BD+C community has brought to our attention this year.
| Dec 9, 2013
Tips for designing higher education's newest building type: the learning commons
In this era of scaled-down budgets, maximized efficiencies, new learning methods and social media’s domination of face time, college and university campuses are gravitating toward a new space type: the learning commons.
| Dec 9, 2013
Does technology help or hinder innovation?
Whether digital technology will help or hinder workplace insights remains a topic of ongoing debate. FastCo.Design features insights from business scholars on both sides of the issue.
| Dec 6, 2013
French concert hall includes integrated musical elements [VIDEO]
La Métaphone, a concert hall in Ognies, France, is a 1,980-sm facility with the unique characteristic of being a structural musical instrument. The solar-powered building incorporates musical elements in its walls, which can be played by musicians inside or outside the facility.
| Dec 6, 2013
Goettsch Partners selected 2013 AIA Chicago Firm of the Year
Architecture firm Goettsch Partners (GP) has been named the 2013 Firm of the Year, as conferred by the Chicago chapter of the American Institute of Architects (AIA Chicago). The award is the highest honor a firm can receive from the chapter.
| Dec 5, 2013
Maximizing the impact of online marketing
Because most professional services firms exist to help their clients reduce risk and navigate an uncertain future, they tend to approach the world of online or digital marketing with some caution. Here are four tips for maximizing the impact of online marketing.
| Dec 5, 2013
Translating design intent from across the globe
I recently attended the Bentley User Conference in Vejle, Denmark. I attended the event primarily to get a sense for the challenges our Danish counterparts are experiencing in project delivery and digital communication. One story I heard was from a BIM manager with Henning Larsen Architects in Denmark, who told me about a project she’d recently completed overseas in the Middle East. She outlined two distinct challenges and offered some interesting solutions to those challenges.
| Dec 3, 2013
‘BIM for all’ platform pays off for contractor
Construction giant JE Dunn is saving millions in cost avoidances by implementing a custom, cloud-based BIM/VDC collaboration platform.
| Dec 3, 2013
Historic Daytona International Speedway undergoing $400 million facelift
The Daytona International Speedway is zooming ahead on the largest renovation in the Florida venue’s 54-year history. Improvements include five redesigned guest entrances, an extended grandstand with 101,000 new seats, and more than 60 new trackside suites for corporate entertaining.
| Dec 3, 2013
Creating a healthcare capital project plan: The truth behind the numbers
When setting up a capital project plan, it's one thing to have the data, but quite another to have the knowledge of the process.
