The New National Museum of Architecture and Design in Helsinki, located the South Port and Makasiiniranta area, is intended as an extension of public space, making the boundaries between museum and city less evident, and inviting residents and visitors to interact with the space. The building architectural design features a permeable ground floor as an extension of the public space, a canopy-shaped technical floor that defines urban relation and a main upper volume, inclined to follow the harbor line, made of semi-transparent glass blocks capturing natural light and reflecting the city. As a glass prism it houses the galleries and is capped by a rooftop that opens to the surroundings. The visitor experience begins before entering, with the facade serving as a storytelling element. Its varying transparency offers glimpses of the interior, and a multimedia system on the facade conveys information to the outside.
The compact and rational form of the building, resulting from the decision to centralize functions, allows energy loss reducing by optimizing the consumption required for the museum's needs.
GlassBrick, Maison de Verre, 1930 . Transparency from inside and light from the outside like a Lighthouse in the panoramic South Harbour .
Pattern Rasymatto, 2009 by Maija Louekari .
Fluids by Allan kaprow .
Room divided, Alvar Aalto, 1930 . Organic shape organizing the space .
Sketch for Savoy vase, 1936, by Alvar Aalto (1898-1976) . Organic shape for the form and design od the spaces .
Experimental house, 1953, Alvar Aalto . Use of the Brick with different textures .