Helsinki, Finland
In 2014, BOKA Powell completed a design competition for the Guggenheim Museum in Helsinki, Finland. The overall building form from a cityscape scale addresses its relationship to the city side by opening up to Tahititornin Vuori Park and to the harbor side by establishing an edge to the definition of the harbor, but from a human scale perspective, the pathways from the roof to the lobby and to the plaza, while using light as guiding indicator for interconnecting places, facilitate holistic experience of the building and the city. The main gallery space cantilevers over the plaza below and resides, discreetly, below the roof park above. Hovering between the two public spaces allows the gallery to be among the artful spaces. The public realms of the project: the roof park and the plaza serves as canvas for conception of ideas and impromptu events for the city, while the exhibition gallery carefully resides among the activated spaces, bringing the richness of the world into the city of Helsinki.