Architect: Steven Holl Architects

Client: Finnish Ministry of Public Building

Location: Helsinki, Finland

The Kiasma Museum is in the heart of Helsinki and was completed in 1998. The project is the result of an architectural design competition held in 1992. The winning entry was by Steven Holl Architects and it was selected from 516 participants. “Kiasma” is the Greek word for crossing and this notion of intertwining and exchange was the root of Holl’s design concept (4). Holl wanted to physically connect the building to the city and metaphorically he wanted to create a place where different cultures would meet and exchange. This is reflected in the shape and mass of the building as it is deigned to intertwine with the geometry of the city and its landscape.

The building is made up of two blocks one is rectilinear and the other is a curving block that is larger. The two blocks are aligned until the bigger block curves and intersects the smaller block, connecting them together. The curvilinear line in the larger building implies a cultural link that connects building to Finlandia Hall while the straight line of the smaller rectilinear block creates a straight line that’s connects the building back to the landscape and Töölö Bay.(5)

The behaviour of light influenced and guided the architects when they were designing the Kiasma Museum. Steven Holl was fascinated by how natural light behaved in Finland, how it was constantly changing with the time of day and with the seasons. For this building, the most important material was light. Each of the 25 galleries in this museum are exposed to natural light. In Helsinki, the angle of the sun is low and would never reach above 51 degrees. In order to get as much natural light possible, the architects designed the curvilinear wall to capture and reflect light to illuminate the galleries inside (6). At night during the snow seasons, natural light reflects off the snow and the museum to give light to the building’s surroundings.

Daylight permeates the Kiasma Museum as there are an abundance of skylights present in the building. These skylights are not like regular skylights, but they are designed to work with the curving, irregular lines of the building in order turn light into a sculptural element. There are horizontal ‘light-catching’ sections along the ceilings and the upper walls which deflect and diffuse light from the skylights and clerestory windows down into the museum spaces, this is an example of great daylight  design as it allows natural light from a single roof opening to penetrate through and illuminate multiple levels in the building (5). The artificial light in the museum adapts to how natural light changes, reducing the use of artificial light and maximising the use of daylight

When visitors enter the museum, they meet a spacious lobby with a glazed ceiling. This lobby is the starting point for stairways, ramp, and corridors that curve off to lead into the rest of the building. The vertical circulation in the museum is an architectural promenade that emphasizes the visit of the Kiasma Museum. The long and curved ramp links the different floors in the building to allow the visitors to gradually immerse themselves in the atmosphere of the museum. As visitors make their way around the museum, they discover different view of the city. This experience is enhanced by the delicate natural light filtered by the sandblasted glass roof. (5)

The Kiasma Museum of Contemporary Art provides a variety of rooms each with their own character and unique spatial experiences. The architects made this building very functional as they anticipated to suit the space for a range of different contemporary works. They designed the museum to provide the needs of a variety of artists, this included artists who may need a space that has a quiet atmosphere in order to bring out the full intensity of their artwork. Each space was made with unique using light, the characteristics of the light changes as it depends on the direction it is coming from. The rooms all have 3 sides with one curved wall, the curved wall creates a “silent yet dramatic backdrop” (5) for the artwork in that space. The design of the rooms in the Kiasma Museum are meant to be silent in order to not take away from the artwork.

Light also permeates Kiasma through an abundance of skylights. More than simple punctures in the ceiling, the skylights work with the curving, irregular lines of the building to turn light into a sculptural element in itself. Horizontal ‘light-catching’ sections along the ceilings and upper walls deflect and diffuse light from skylights and clerestory windows down into the museum spaces; this system allows natural light from a single roof opening to penetrate through and illuminate multiple levels. The principal used material used in the Kiasama Museum of Contemporary Art are zinc, aluminium and glass. The museum’s large curved glass wall is made from Reglit glass u-blocks, which has a greenish element, this element has been removed from the building’s glass walls and from the gallery windows in order to ensure that the light that enters the building is natural daylight. Many of the windows are composed of translucent glazing, which diffuses the Scandinavian sunlight as it enters the interior of the museum. The rest of the windows are composed of fully transparent glass which allow the occupants a view of the city. Majority of the glass surfaces are also sandblasted using aluminium oxide or silicon dioxide instead of sand, this creates a prismatic surface that refracts light into the museum beautifully. The windowless vertical elevations are made from aluminium. Aluminium is a material that is suitable for the environment as it resists the maritime climate in Helsinki. The aluminium has been sandpapered by hand horizontally in order to refract light. (7)

The Kiasma Museum was awarded the National AIA Design Award in 1998 (4)

Steven Holl is a New York based architect and watercolourist. He started an architecture and urban design office called Steven Holl Architects in 1977. Steven Holl Architects is recognized for their ability to shape space and light with great contextual sensitivity. The firm emphasizes sustainable building and site development to be fundamental in all their designs. “Space is oblivion without light. A building speaks through the silence of perception orchestrated by light. Luminosity is as integral to its spatial experience as porosity is integral to urban experience” (6).  This is a quote from Steven Holl which depicts how he views light and the significance it has in his designs. In 2016 they were awarded the Velux Daylight Award for Daylight in Architecture.

4.         Kiasma | Architectuul [Internet]. [cited 2020 Oct 27]. Available from: http://architectuul.com/architecture/kiasma

5.         AD Classics: Kiasma Museum of Contemporary Art / Steven Holl Architects | ArchDaily [Internet]. [cited 2020 Oct 27]. Available from: https://www.archdaily.com/784993/ad-classics-kiasma-museum-of-contemporary-art-steven-holl-architects

6.         ArchitectureWeek - Building - Lighting with Steven Holl - 2011.0713 [Internet]. [cited 2020 Oct 27]. Available from: http://www.architectureweek.com/2011/0713/building_1-1.html

7.         Kiasma - Materials [Internet]. [cited 2020 Oct 27]. Available from: https://kiasma.fi/en/about-kiasma/architecture/materials/