For more than 10 years, there has been a discussion in Helsinki about how and where to be the new branch of the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum of Contemporary Art.
The Solomon Guggenheim Foundation agreed to build a museum in Helsinki in 2012, at the request of the mayor of Helsinki.
Back in 2014, a competition was announced to develop the concept of the Guggenheim Museum, located on the shore of the southern harbor in the port of Helsinki, not far from the historic city center. 1715 anonymous projects from 77 countries took part in the open selection competition. The Helsinki Museum Design Competition was exclusively privately funded and organized by the Solomon R. Guggenheim Foundation in collaboration with the city of Helsinki.
The Paris-based firm Moreau Kusunoki Architectes has become the winner of a truly epoch-making competition. The result was announced on June 23, 2015. The competition jury chose a project called Art in the City. The €150 million building, designed by the Paris-based architectural firm Moreau Kusunoki Architectes, was to be the third Guggenheim museum in Europe.
However, the 130 million euro project caused serious controversy - many residents of the city considered such costs for contemporary art to be unreasonably high. On December 1, 2016, the Helsinki City Council decided to cancel the construction, primarily for financial reasons.
But the failed museum continues to excite architects and designers around the world. And if our habits change over time, then why not change the decision on the museum in modern realities? Have you ever heard of "regenerative architecture"?
This is a concept that, in addition to eliminating the negative impact of construction on the environment, also has a positive impact.
The Real Architecture Guggenheim project is a great example of this.
With a little more effort, they turned a simple museum into a factory that generates energy, purifies water and air, and recycles materials. All excess energy and water is sent to the environment, and clean air is released into the atmosphere, which reduces pollution.
Realiza Arquitetura e Urbanismo (Brazil) presented regenerative architecture as a design proposal for the Guggenheim Museum. With its help, this paper solves the problem of restoring ecological systems in urban environments. In addition to meeting technical, aesthetic and functional requirements, the regenerative building is intended to become a spatial dominant and a prototype of the architecture of the future.
The horizontal main building creates a great space experience, while the vertical extension is responsible for the ecological, energy and economic autonomy of the museum building, as well as its regenerative capacity, returning excess drinking water, energy, unpolluted air and recyclable materials to the benefit of the Helsinki community. It takes on a vertical shape that multiplies the potential of the sun and wind. The iconic vertical element creates a belvedere-style exhibition gallery where the view of the city of Helsinki is a work of art. This urban landmark is able to symbolize the connection between the main city attractions. At night, it becomes a real beacon of knowledge.
There are connections to the surrounding parks, buildings, and harbor through footpaths, design, landscaping, visual communication, and museum building openings, allowing for both visual and spatial integration.
