Guggenheim Helsinki

There is a folk tale called The Pied Piper of Hamelin. It involves a wandering piper, dressed in pied clothing, that played beautiful music. The music was so enchanting that people to follow him wherever he went. In this project, we wondered if architecture could be a pied piper. We hope to seduce through the music of geometry: a series of cones playing against the architectural element of the roof. We are interested in how using this fundamental architectural element of the roof and the elemental geometry of the cone can create relationships to the internal programs. The cones are a series of architectural "beats" that act as spatial generators, technical chambers and optical devices that play against roof to create a variety of spatial tones: some loud, dissonant and chorus-like, others calmer, gentle and melodious. We first listened to the context of the site - a sandwich between waterfront park and existing buildings. This set the initial tone of the architecture - a low and flat horizontal roof that allows the open communication of views between its neighbors. A scatter of cones manipulate the roof surface. The intention is to create of spatial rhythms to the space underneath and visual rhythms that add to the visual character of the city. The rhythm of the space underneath can be thought of in two parts: the Urban Gallery (chorus) and the Art Warehouse (melody). The roof element, now animated through the beat of the cones, also becomes one point of entry for the public. A bridge connecting Tahititornin Vuori Park to the roof provides the passengers with a direct yet distinct way of entering the building and adds to the visual rhythm of the city horizon.