Hometown Firm JKMM Wins Bid for New Helsinki Museum of Architecture and Design
Rendering of Kumma, Finnish firm JKMM's competition-winning proposal for a new national Museum of Architecture and Design on Helsinki's South Harbor.
A proposal by award-winning Helsinki firm JKMM has won a global design competition for the city’s new Museum of Architecture and Design. Slated to open in 2030, the roughly 100,000-square-foot facility will be dedicated to “democratizing the tools of design,” and will bring together two national institutions that previously operated independently, the Museum of Finnish Architecture and Design Museum Helsinki, under a single roof in a revitalized area of Helsinki’s historic South Harbor. Key features of the new museum—as mandated in the competition brief—include a design library, public summer terrace, and exhibition areas to showcase a combined collection of roughly 90,000 design artifacts, including items from famed Finnish practitioners such as Aino and Alvar Aalto, Eero Aarnio, Eliel and Eero Saarinen and iconic brands like Marimekko.
Aerial view of future Museum of Architecture and Design on the Helsinki waterfront. Image © JKMM, rendering by MIR
Of the 624 proposals entered to the closely watched—and anonymous—two-stage competition that launched in April of 2024, roughly a fifth were submitted from Finnish firms. A large share of entries also came from practices in Italy, the United States, France, and the United Kingdom. Joining JKMM’s winning Kumma concept on the competition shortlist were proposals by Belgian-Portuguese studio Cossement Cardoso, Swiss practice Lopes Brenna, and, in fourth place, an unnamed collective of Finnish architects. French studio Atelier Orda was also recognized for its contribution. JKMM was awarded roughly $70,400 in prize money, while the runners-up were bestowed lesser—but not insignificant—sums for their finalist proposals.
The JKMM team (pictured from left to right): Marko Salmela, Teemu Kurkela, Päivi Meuronen, Juha Mäki-Jyllilä, Samuli Miettinen, Asmo Jaaksi, Samuli Summanen. Photo by Paavo Lehtonen
Established in 1998 by Asmo Jaaksi, Teemu Kurkela, Juha Mäki-Jyllilä, and Samuli Miettinen, who led the team for the competition-winning proposal as principal designer, JKMM is one of Finland’s most celebrated—and prolific—contemporary architecture and interiors firms, rarely working outside of the county (save for Finnish pavilions at far-flung Expos and an in-progress expansion of Norway’s Lillehammer Art Museum). Many of the Finlandia Prize-winning firm’s projects have been published internationally, including by RECORD. These include the Chappe Art House on Finland’s southern coast, Seinäjoki Library in Western Finland, and the Amos Rex Museum and Academy of Fine Arts, both in Helsinki. A major project currently underway for JKMM is an expansion of the National Museum of Finland, due to open in 2027.
"I hope that the planning and realization of the new Museum of Architecture and Design can show the way for how new things can be built responsibly and with skill,” said Miettinen in a statement. “Architecture and design are deeply human—they are born from dreams and longing, and they gain their meaning in the places where we can experience and live together."
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View of the museum shop. Image © JKMM, rendering by MIR
The competition jury commended JKMM’s Kumma proposal for “its characteristic of sitting harmoniously within the surrounding urban fabric, while still standing out as an original and clearly identifiable public building.” It also won high marks for responding strongly to the competition’s request for a museum building that “serves as a benchmark for climate resilience and accessible, inclusive design.”
Main lobby view. Image © JKMM, rendering by MIR
“Kumma blends into the cityscape, protecting valuable views of the historic waterfront, while at the same time standing out as a recognizable landmark,” said Mikko Aho, chair of the 13-member jury, which also included Beatrice Galilee and V&A East director Gus Casely-Hayford. “The use of recycled brick on the facade brings sculptural, architectural warmth and the terrace surrounding the building strengthens the connection to the city.”
The competition for Helsinki’s Museum of Architecture and Design has been a markedly high-profile one, and not because the competition process or project itself has been mired in controversy. It’s because another museum project planned for the same waterfront site, the Guggenheim Helsinki, was wildly contentious and ultimately scrapped. As previously reported, that larger predecessor project failed due to widespread public opposition, conflicts of interest, and concerns about the project’s financial feasibility. The original plan was first introduced to Helsinki City Council in 2011 and rejected the following year. A main point of contention was the $30 million licensing fee, drawn from public funds, required by the Guggenheim Foundation for the proposed museum to use its name. A rejiggered plan was hatched in 2013, with a similarly high-profile international design competition kicking off in 2014; French-Japanese firm Moreau Kusonoki Architectes ultimately triumphed. In 2016, however, the project was nixed altogether by Helsinki City Council due to opposition over the partial use of public funding for the project.
View of exhibition space. Image © JKMM, rendering by MIR
As for funding for the Museum of Architecture and Design, an early milestone was reached in February 2024—a month after the merger of the museum’s two predecessor institutions—when its foundation announced that it had secured roughly $140 million in public funding—half from the City of Helsinki and half from the State of Finland. This is supplemented by approximately $35 million to be raised from private donors. The museum’s inaugural director, Pilvi Kalhama, formally began her role last month.
Site plan and section of the future museum site. Drawing courtesy JKMM, click to enlarge
© JKMM, video by Younite AI
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