Upon entering the museum, the visitor is faced with an image that shows the horizontal slabs of the floor and ceiling and the columns of variable cross-section in a regular rhythm. The columns do not touch the slabs, they are distanced by a void of the circle. In this way, the light penetrates through the entire structure of the building. Horizontal load-bearing beams connect to the columns in three directions, dividing the circle into three parts, alternating on each floor. There is no clear boundary between the column and the beam, their connection forms a segment of a circle. The radius of each segment that turns the column into a beam is equal to the radius of the circle that defines the void around the column. Such a contradiction between the main load-bearing elements, that do not touch each other, is thought provoking. This dialogue can be a valuable experience that the visitor takes with him when leaving the museum.
Client: City of Helsinki
Gross surface area: 10 056 m2
Site area: 5 275 m2