// The city of Jyväskylä, Finland wants to connect in a permanent way the 2 local museums designed by Alvar Aalto. Our proposal is to connect the 2 museums through a recognisable but not invasive building, in order to keep the accent upon the Aalto’s buildings. The main material is the particular light of these latitudes. The vibrant facade, not only a homage to the Master’s industrial design, catches the different angles of the sun during the year. Also the plan is shaped by the light: in order to catch as much as possible of the winter light, it stretches beyond and above the Aalto’s museum with a big window. The extension’s roof is instead retreating to allow the light to penetrate inside the Finland Museum’s windows, and gives the interior a cozy feeling. The sharp shape of the interior combined with the tall ceiling is an expedient to enlarge and push the inner sight. We thought the particular small scale of the extension isn’t appropriate for the site, an needed a more “monumental” space. The transition from and to the 2 museums is regulated by two compress spaces that leads to the main space. This is an important issue for us: we won’t just “squeeze” or simply insert a new object, but rather build a coherent path. Not just a simple juxtaposition of spaces, but a pulsing and interesting sequence for the visitors.

The workstations, working organically in the sequence, are an active connectors between the Finland Museum and the extension since they’re accessible and visible from both sides. Furthermore, in this sequence there’s the only point of relationship with the outside of the extension, the window looking at the fountain. Last but not least, the overall landscape has been reshaped with the intention of highlight the entrances of the existing museums and the fountain, now not clearly visible. The system of wooden poles frames those elements in a clear yet transparent way, catching the eye towards them without hiding. //