The museum is a drop-out—a figure erased from Helsinki’s waterfront. Its spherical underbelly is cut by the ground and the building’s facades to create curved profiles that are different in plan and elevation. These profiles form new circulation patterns, frame views of the harbor and the city, and arrange the museum’s internal organization.

At street level, the building covers large exterior spaces and two expansive interiors. The entire level is open to the public. The upper level contains the largest single contemporary art gallery in Northern Europe, which provides extraordinary curatorial flexibility. Museum facilities, offices, and storage occupy a band of rooms around the perimeter of the gallery.
Proposed for the Guggenheim Helsinki design competition.