Winner! Exhibition texts
Step into the Future – Experience the Museum of Tomorrow!
The Architecture & Design Museum is on a journey towards an exciting future. In 2030, the museum will relocate to Makasiiniranta, a vibrant seaside area near Helsinki’s Market Square. A new museum building will rise on the historic harbourfront—an open, inviting, human-scaled space designed for seeing, engaging, and experimenting.
The design will be based on an international design competition with 624 entries. From these, five finalists and a single winner were chosen.
This exhibition offers a glimpse into the museum of the future. It presents the winning design and the four other finalists, while exploring the competition’s many stages and the remarkable diversity of ideas submitted.
In 2030, the new international museum will come alive both on the Helsinki harbourfront and in the digital realm, delivering inspiring content and memorable experiences both in Finland and around the world.
We invite you to join us in brainstorming: What kind of museum serves us best today and tomorrow? What spaces would you like to explore? What stories do you want to hear?
Welcome to the museum of the future!
Towards a New Home
Finnish architecture and design—celebrated both in Finland and internationally—will soon be brought together under one roof. This long-awaited initiative responds to the need for modern museum facilities that support meaningful engagement with both fields. In 2024, the Museum of Finnish Architecture and the Design Museum merged to form one of the world’s oldest institutions devoted to design and architecture. The next step is to house the museum in a purpose-built space.
We are living in the midst of a climate crisis—an era in which every construction project must be approached with care and responsibility. But this project is about more than just bricks and mortar; it is about reimagining the very idea of what a museum can be in today’s world. Design and architecture shape our daily life in profound ways. They are powerful tools for tackling today’s most complex challenges, fostering connection, and shaping a more sustainable and equitable future. Finland’s future national museum of design will not only preserve and present the legacy of architecture and design—it will also become a space for experimentation, reinvention, and inclusive engagement with ever-wider audiences.
Did you know? The Architecture & Design Museum’s collection contains 75,000 artefacts, 550,000 drawings, 280,000 photographs, and 850 architectural scale models.
The Museum’s Century-Long Journey
1873 The Museum of Applied Arts—later renamed the Design Museum—is founded as the teaching collection of the School of Crafts (Veistokoulu), established in 1871. The initial collection consists of 732 objects acquired from the 1873 Vienna World’s Fair. The museum is today recognised as one of the three oldest museums of applied arts in the world, alongside the V&A in London and the MAK in Vienna.
1888 The collection finds its first dedicated home on the top floor of the newly completed Ateneum building, designed by architect Theodor Höijer. Today the building houses the Ateneum Art Museum.
1911 With space at the Ateneum becoming increasingly limited, the museum begins relocating its expanding collection to alternative venues, including Villa Hakasalmi and the Stockmann department store. Temporary exhibitions are introduced alongside the permanent collection. During the Second World War, the collection is evacuated and later stored at various sites across Helsinki.
1956 The Museum of Finnish Architecture is founded at the initiative of the Finnish Association of Architects (SAFA). SAFA’s extensive image archive forms the foundation for the museum’s exhibitions. The museum officially launches operations in 1957, when it moves into a wooden villa in Kaivopuisto.
1979 The Museum of Applied Arts moves into a former school building designed by Gustaf Nyström, located at Korkeavuorenkatu 23. Originally completed in 1894, the building is renovated and adapted for museum use between 1977 and 1978 under the direction of architect Olli Borg. The move is intended as a temporary measure, with discussions concerning a purpose-built museum beginning shortly thereafter.
1982 The Museum of Finnish Architecture relocates to Kasarmikatu 24, where it shares a city block with the Museum of Applied Arts. The building, designed by Magnus Schjerfbeck and completed in 1899, was originally constructed for use by scientific societies.
1987 A centre for temporary exhibitions is planned for the plot between the Museum of Finnish Architecture and the Museum of Applied Arts. It is scheduled to open in 1992 to mark the 75th anniversary of Finland’s independence. An architectural competition is held, with Tuomo Siitonen winning first prize for his proposal ‘d’. The project ultimately fails to materialise.
2001 An open architectural competition is launched for Armi House, a proposed information centre dedicated to architecture, construction, and design. The intended site is Katajanokka. The Museum of Finnish Architecture intends to relocate to this purpose-built facility. Several other design organisations participate in organising the competition. The winning proposal, ‘Lukko’ (Lock), by Asmo Jaaksi, Teemu Kurkela, Samuli Miettinen and Juha Mäki-Jyllilä, is ultimately not realised.
2002 The Museum of Applied Arts is officially renamed the Design Museum.
2008 Senate Properties (a government real estate company) explores the possibility of expanding the two museums into their shared courtyard and underground spaces. However, the report concludes that the available space is insufficient to meet the needs of a modern museum.
2012 As part of a brand refresh, the Museum of Finnish Architecture renames itself, in Finnish, Arkkitehtuurimuseo (architecture museum). In celebration of Helsinki’s designation as World Design Capital, a pavilion is constructed in the courtyard to connect the two museums. The architect, Pyry-Pekka Kantola, is selected from ten students in Aalto University’s Wood Programme.
A Peek Behind the Scenes of the Competition
An open, international, two-stage competition was held to select the design for the Architecture & Design Museum’s new building. Architects and designers from around the world submitted proposals, which were evaluated anonymously by the jury—ensuring that each entry was judged solely on its merits, not on the designer’s reputation.
In the first stage, the jury reviewed 624 entries and shortlisted five for further development. Each finalist received a comprehensive summary of recommendations for further development from the jury. They also received feedback from the public and a panel of experts, using these insights to refine their proposals. From these five, the jury ultimately selected Kumma (JKMM Architects) as the winning design.
Ecological, social, and cultural sustainability are central goals in the design and construction of the new museum. Every aspect of the project also supports Helsinki’s broader commitment to becoming a carbon-neutral city by 2030. The objectives for climate-smart construction in the design competition are even more ambitious than the standards set by building regulations or the city.
The competition was organised by Real Estate Company ADM and the Foundation for the Finnish Museum of Architecture and Design, in collaboration with the City of Helsinki and the Finnish Association of Architects (SAFA).
The Competition Jury
Chair of the Jury: Mikko Aho, Architect SAFA, Real Estate Company ADM (Vice Chair of the Board)
Vice Chair of the Jury: Juha Lemström, Architect SAFA, Real Estate Company ADM (Chair of the Board)
Gus Casely-Hayford, Director, V&A East
Beatrice Galilee, Architect, Executive Director, The World Around
Kaarina Gould, CEO, Foundation for the Finnish Museum of Architecture and Design
Salla Hoppu, Architect SAFA, Leading Architect, City of Helsinki
Riitta Kaivosoja, Master of Laws with Court Training; Director General, Ministry of Education and Culture, Department for Art and Cultural Policy (until June 2025)
Beate Hølmebakk, Architect, Professor, Partner, Manthey Kula Architects
Matti Kuittinen, Architect, Associate Professor, Aalto University
Miklu Silvanto, Chief Design Officer, ŌURA
Anni Sinnemäki, Vice Chair for Helsinki City Council; Deputy Mayor for Urban Environment (until June 2025), City of Helsinki
Sari Nieminen, Architect SAFA, Architectural Office Sari Nieminen
Hannu Tikka, Architect SAFA, Professor, APRT Architects
Explore the Competition Brief
The purpose of the competition was to select a design solution and a design team for the new museum building. The aim was to create a space that meets the functional demands of a contemporary museum—encompassing not only exhibition galleries, but also facilities for learning, projects, workshops, relaxation, restaurant services, a library, and retail.
The designers based their proposals on the official competition brief, which you can explore both online and in this exhibition. A key feature of the brief was its ambitious focus on environmental and sustainability criteria. The design was also required to respond sensitively to the museum’s culturally significant location—set within an iconic urban landscape and the buffer zone of the Suomenlinna Sea Fortress, a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
As the competition was international, the brief is available in English only.
Read the Jury Report
Preparations for the competition began a year before the official call for entries was announced. The competition itself spanned nearly eighteen months. The international jury conducted its evaluations both remotely and onsite in Helsinki.
Key evaluation criteria included architectural quality and integration with the cityscape and urban structure; the building concept and its added value for the museum’s mission; visual identity and atmosphere (“feel and look”); functionality, flow and flexibility; sustainability; feasibility, and overall project costs.
The Jury Report presents the jury’s final decision and the reasons for their choice.
A Tradition of Fair and Equal Competition
Finland has a proud, longstanding tradition of open architectural competitions, with the first held nearly 150 years ago. In an open competition, anyone who meets the eligibility criteria specified in the brief is welcome to participate. Proposals are judged anonymously, ensuring that the designer’s identity has no bearing on the outcome.
Over the decades, open competitions have played a key role in promoting equality within the architectural profession. Because entries are evaluated solely on their merit, factors such as reputation or gender present no barriers to success.
The Finnish architectural competition model is internationally respected. Its strengths include a high level of transparency, the continuous refinement of protocols, and the systematic archiving of competition materials. As Finland’s national museum for architecture and design, the Architecture & Design Museum bears responsibility for preserving the country’s archive of architectural competitions.
Design as Dialogue
As part of the competition, the public was invited to give feedback on the finalists—complementing expert appraisals and insights from a wide range of voices, including teachers, police officers, skateboarders, event producers, exhibition curators, and restaurateurs. The goal was not only to help shape an optimally functional museum building, but also to pilot an entirely new model in the history of open architectural competitions.
Traditionally, proposals in open competitions are developed based solely on written feedback from the jury. In this competition, however, finalists had an unprecedented opportunity to engage directly with museum experts to discuss the user experience prior to submitting their final competition entries—while the jury, organisers, and museum staff remained outside these conversations to preserve impartiality.
Design today is increasingly collaborative, with clients, end users, and the public all contributing to the co-creation process. The earlier this dialogue begins, the better the final result.
Learn more about the process: Scan the QR code or visit https://admuseo.fi/en/reimagining-architectural-competitions/
During 2021–2025
83 museum professionals took part in planning the new museum
357 people participated in the project’s preparatory phase
3522 museum visitors shared their ideas for the new museum
585 people participated in workshops, discussions, and events
624 competition entries took part in the first stage
138 experts gave statements or commented on the entries
2444 city residents commented on the entries online
Architecture Glossary
Below is a selection of terms and concepts related to design, architecture, and architectural competitions.
- In an architectural competition, architects and designers submit proposals for a construction project—such as a building or urban plan—with the aim of selecting a designer for the final commission.
- An open competition is one in which anyone may participate, provided they meet the eligibility criteria specified in the competition brief, which may include professional qualifications or nationality requirements.
- An invitational competition is open only to designers who have been specifically invited by the organiser.
- The competition brief defines the rules, objectives, and requirements of the competition, including essential details such as the design goals and information about the competition site.
- Competition anonymity ensures that the jury evaluates each proposal solely on its merit, free from any bias. In anonymous competitions, submissions are made without disclosing the designer’s identity.
- The room programme details the types of spaces required within the building or site, including their sizes and intended functions.
- A site plan is a map that shows the location of property boundaries, buildings, streets, and green spaces in a specific area, indicating what can be built and where. In Finland, the planning system also incorporates broader frameworks such as the master plan and regional plan.
- A rendering is typically a realistic drawing or digital image that visualises what the completed building or site is expected to look like.
- A section is a drawing that presents a vertical slice of the building, indicating the height, structure, and spatial relationships of its interiors in profile.
- A floor plan is a scaled drawing viewed from above that shows the layout and relative sizes of rooms within a building. It illustrates how spaces are arranged and connected.
- An elevation drawing depicts the vertical, above-ground exterior view of a building, showing its appearance as well as the façade materials and surface treatments.
- A circulation diagram illustrates how different spaces are connected, showing movement flows, passageways, and service routes.
VOITTAJA
Voittajan 3D-mallin elämyksellinen digituotanto
Seinäteksti
AV.02b
Step Inside our Virtual Museum!
Be among the first to explore our future museum—set to open in 2030! This virtual model allows you to move freely through the space and experience its proportions, views, and atmosphere long before the physical museum itself takes shape.
The model also highlights how digital tools can support urban planning. Technology makes it possible to simulate changes throughout the day and across seasons, as well as under varying weather conditions—an especially valuable feature in a country like Finland, known for its pronounced seasonal shifts.
One of the latest innovations adopted in urban planning is the adoption of gamification technologies inspired by video games. These tools can help residents, designers, and decision-makers visualise how new buildings will integrate into the urban fabric.
This virtual model was created in collaboration with Younite AI.
Käyttöohje
AV.02a
How to move around in the new museum and its surroundings
- Use the joystick to look around (up, down, left, right)
- Navigate and explore the museum building by moving between checkpoints (top buttons)
- top right: next
- top left: previous
- View the environment in different conditions (lower buttons)
- lower right: next
- lower left: previous
AKT.03
Aktiviteetti: mahdollisuus kommentoida voittajaehdotusta
Give Feedback on the Winning Entry
We want to hear from you!
What matters most to you about the building’s design—and your future museum experience?
Love it?
Tell us what excites you most about the winning proposal
Ideas?
Share your suggestions to help improve the design
Concern
Let us know what we need to fix
Dream
What would you love to do, see, or experience in our new museum?
Your feedback may inform the future planning of the museum building and its operations. Contributions may also be archived and used in the museum’s research, communications, or marketing.
Exhibition spaces
Restaurant
Courtyard
Common areas
Workshops and project spaces
Library
Shop
AKT.01
LEGO
Join the Museum’s Design Challenge!
What kind of furniture or seating area would you design for the new architecture and design museum’s interiors or courtyard? Build your idea using Lego bricks, then share a photo of your creation on social media using the hashtag #admuseo.
AV.01
Haastatteluvideot
In the Words of the Architects
The finalists reflect on architecture, the architect’s role, and their approaches to their own competition entries. To watch, simply press the button to start your chosen video.
1. City, Sky and Sea
2. Kumma
3. Moby
4. Tau
5. Tyrsky
Duration: approx. 5 min per video
Subtitles in Finnish, Swedish and English