Our proposal is that of a simple, but elegant wooden volume quietly and confidently inhabiting its front row seat in the city. The building’s primary rectangular timber structure is the essential foundation on which the climate objectives of Turku can be achieved. But it’s not merely a box, rather it offers an array of indoor and outdoor spaces for gathering, celebrating, production and contemplating. Large spaces and small spaces. More importantly the architecture of our proposal is born out of a rich palette of references designed to spark a world of associations and connections in the human mind: Some might recognize a traveling Circus visiting the City of Turku, an elongated, tent-like structure that has been put up at the edge of Castle Park along the Aura River. Others might think of the materiality of vernacular architecture native to Turku as found in the Luostarinmäki open-air museum, when experiencing the fragrant tar-treated board cladding of the archaic shaped museum. A third person might recognize the digital screen that encompasses the top of the museum - a canvas of communicative possibilities - as something belonging to a state-of-the-art contemporary institution keeping in touch with the zeitgeist. This open-endedness is the exact intention of the design in believing, that a building, which is clearly defined in its appearance but simultaneously ambiguous and open to interpretation, has more narratives to offer the city within which it is located, and therefore also vital for the inhabitants and visitors of Turku.

The continuous, tarred filigree wooden structure and the horizontality of the Museum form a balanced contrast with the solid, pale, vertical appearance of Turku Castle. Well placed openings and alterations of this ‘canvas’ connect the museum and its interior to its immediate surroundings, allowing visitors spectacular views of, for example, Turku Castle and the Aura River. Large canopies on the southern corners mark the main Entrance facing East towards the city and the Café & Restaurant facing West towards the archipelago and the evening sun. Along the perimeter of the museum, an array of guy rope-like wooden posts root the building in place and evoke images of both naval and marquee-character. On ground level, the façade provides comforting shelter as well as passive sun-shading. From here a publicly accessible Terrace on top of the Restaurant can be reached, after which a tucked away outdoor stairway leads up to a Roof Terrace. There, the playful route to the top of the building concludes in a marvelous panoramic view of the bay. A spectacular outdoor space with potential to become an event space under the stars.