the entrance foyer

Serlachius Fine Arts Museum

Gösta Extension to the Serlachius Fine Arts Museum which will add four times the exhibition space of the existing building

Mänttä, Finland

2011

The objective was to propose an architectural design for the Gösta Extension to the Serlachius Fine Arts Museum which is located on a 10-hectare estate in South Central Finland –on the north shore of a lake, surrounded by a creek, and including an Island. The Gösta Extension covers 4 to 5 times the size of the present museum, therefore care had to be exercised not to overwhelm the existing Manor and site landscape. The site's beautiful, pristine setting had to be preserved and the natural environment had to be highlighted.

The new building, the Crystal Pegasus extension, offers a self-contained, harmonious, functional environment. Yet, it at all times offers a discreet reminder of the presence of the majestic Manor. The galleries at the basement of the manor extend naturally through a corridor to the galleries of the extension facilities. Equally importantly, the entrance foyer, with its domed glass ceiling brings the outline of the Manor right into the new facility as though the two entities are in a constant and harmonious dialogue.

The triangularly-shaped site offers three 'axis'-lines in forming the shapes of the built environment. From the interior, the space is unified and free-flowing. From the outside, it gives the impression of a triangularly-shaped crystal with one side parallel to the lake shore, adjacent to the service road, the north side adjacent to the original access road, and the third side facing the Manor; wrapped around by a flowing form that houses the entrance, the foyer, the conference room, and leads to the Crystal Building for the Traveling exhibition. Thus, the visitor has a clear route to follow.

The foyer level has an atrium that brings diffuse northern daylight down to the basement. Glass surfaces to the south bring the beautiful outdoor feeling of the landscaped garden and the lake indoors. Through an enclosed overpass, the visitor can cross the waterway and reach the Taavetinsaari Island where he will find the Restaurant with a miraculous view of the pristine Finnish waterscape.