The Architecture & Design Museum is moving towards a new future. The museum’s new home will become part of a new central district in Helsinki’s historic waterfront landscape due to be completed by the year 2030. The museum draws from the traditions and contemporary expressions of Finnish architecture and design. It opens a window onto global design phenomena and invites visitors to imagine more sustainable futures. It strengthens Helsinki’s profile as a design capital and Finland as a forerunner in architecture and design.
The museum’s new home will provide a unique setting for an international programme and for telling the story of Finnish design and architecture in a multifaceted way that looks forward to the future. Until the new museum opens, Architecture & Design Museum Helsinki continues to present exhibitions, events, learning experiences and inspiring encounters at its current home on Korkeavuorenkatu in Helsinki.
View from Tähtitorninvuori Observatory Hill. Visualisation: JKMM Architects.
A New Cultural Landmark on Helsinki's Waterfront
The new Architecture & Design Museum Helsinki was designed through an international design competition. The winning proposal was submitted by the Helsinki-based architectural practice JKMM Architects, renowned for its cultural buildings. Bold, people-centred and environmentally conscious, the design respects the historic waterfront setting of Helsinki’s South Harbour while introducing a distinctive new landmark to the area.
The new Museum of Architecture and Design will become an integral part of Helsinki’s evolving city centre. In the 2030s the focus of the city centre will shift towards the waterfront as shoreline areas are opened for residents and visitors alike. Located in Makasiiniranta area, the museum will form part of a continuous waterfront route encircling the southern part of the city. The adjacent Saaret complex, which comprises four distinct buildings, will further enrich the area. Together, they will create a place where people will come to enjoy spending time and connect with others.
The implementation plan created to guide the development of the new museum outlines the vision for the new national Museum of Architecture and Design and explains how it will be realised. The plan supports decision-making and serves as the project’s execution roadmap. It is the result of a two-year development process involving a broad range of experts, stakeholders and future museum users.
Read the implementation plan, published in January 2024:
The new Museum of Architecture and Design builds on the legacy of two of the world’s oldest museums in their respective fields. The Museum of Finnish Architecture and the Design Museum merged in 2024.
The design competition for the new building has been completed. The project is now in its next development phase, during which the design is being refined in collaboration with the museum’s diverse user groups and experts in sustainable construction.
The endowment capital for the new museum has been secured.
The Helsinki City Council has approved the local detailed plans for the Makasiiniranta waterfront area. Construction has also begun in the South Harbour, starting with the renewal of the quay structures. Read more
Behind the New Museum
Architecture & Design Museum Helsinki presents the classics of Finnish architecture and design alongside the most compelling contemporary practitioners.
The Foundation for the Finnish Museum of Architecture and Design is responsible for establishing the new museum and for fundraising for the project. The foundation manages the endowment and owns the national collections of design and architecture.
Real Estate Company Kiinteistö Oy ADM owned by the Finnish State and the City of Helsinki is responsible for developing the museum’s new building.
The new Architecture & Design Museum builds on the legacy of two of the oldest specialised museums in the world. The Museum of Finnish Architecture (founded in 1956) and the Design Museum (founded in 1873) merged to form the Architecture & Design Museum in January 2024. The new museum continues their work as Finland’s national museum of architecture and design. Until the new building is completed, the museum operates in its current premises in the Kaartinkaupunki district in Helsinki.
The new museum is a cultural project of national significance – unprecedented in scope – that will strengthen the global appeal of Finland and Helsinki as leaders in architecture and design. It will raise Finland’s international profile and enliven Helsinki’s historic waterfront.
This unique undertaking is made possible by the State of Finland and the City of Helsinki, together with private donors and partners.
