Alvar Aalto Museum

This project was a competition entry for an international architecture competition, The new-built part has been designed as a 'connector' between the existing Alvar Aalto Museo and the Central Museum of Finland in Ruusupuisto, inspired by Alvar Aalto's architecture, paintings and design philosophy.

Design Approach

A sculptural outer skin and green roof respond to Aalto's originally intended continuous flow of landscape and water between the buildings. The new extension remains somewhat concealed, wait-ing quietly behind the landscape screen to be explored from inside - inviting visitors over and through - with a light visual and physical footprint.Contextual response

- Spiralling internal and external ramps generate an inclusive, legible, continuous, organic, daylit visitor journey.- The Green Roof is a people's park.

- A waterway emulates Aalto's original design demonstrating a 'living' model for urban water col-lection, cleansing, storage and reuse.

- Water used in ponds and water/ice wall recirculates through wetlands for treatment.

Architectural form

- Organic layering of internal and external forms reflects mountainous pine covered ridges.

- Sustainable timber structural canopy combines layered CLT panels (Cross-Laminated  Timber) sculpting a timber landscape inside and out.

- A folded plate perforated wind screen parametrically designed for light, view, wind and solar ac-cess extends Alto's ponds to vertical plane forming a natural seasonally-responsive backdrop

- The folded screen becomes a Waterwall in Summer / Ice Wall in Winter, creating a visual and auditory anchor - summer waterfall, winter icicles – with a changing patina seasonally and over time.

"Humanising Architecture"

- Daylight filters through the perforated screen and reflects from south facing skylights washing visitors with shifting light play throughout the day.

- Natural materials – timber, recycled copper screen, earth roof – welcome visitors with human-scale textures ever-changing with seasons.

- Activated, flexible circulation space through the shop using 'crochet' curtain.

- Layered skin - wind-shielded, highly insulated, airtight - stabilises internal temperature.

- Controlled heat-recovery ventilation and Passivhaus technology with geothermal heat pump for heating and cooling (backed-up by district heating) integrated in CLT interior.