Architecture and Design Museum, Helsinki

We imagine the museum as a meeting ground where multiple biotopes intersect, welcoming both human and non-human visitors. A natural slate roof, solid timber structure, and rough-hewn stone groundscape settle into an undulating tundra that wraps the building at ground level, rising and dipping beneath the roofline. At the center, a planted patio brings daylight and subtle movement into the heart of the museum. The roof’s exposed outcrop becomes habitat for hardy cliff-dwelling species and a lookout offering panoramic views.

The AD Museum invites visitors to engage with the materials, practices, and cultures that shape our built environments—and to imagine designs for a world that requires our care. As part of this ethos, we propose a repair and reuse center adjacent to the workshop, exhibition spaces, and shop. This addition fosters attention to everyday objects, allowing them to be shared, mended, and imbued with new meaning.

Crossing the threshold of the rugged stone envelope, visitors encounter warm, inviting interior spaces. Designed as a backdrop for sharing the tools of architecture and design, the museum embraces locally sourced stone, timber, and lime plaster. Eschewing the traditional white-box paradigm, it introduces a rich variety of heights, shapes, and framed views that connect interior and exterior landscapes.