{"id":10651,"date":"2015-06-25T13:26:24","date_gmt":"2015-06-25T11:26:24","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.area-arch.it\/moreau-kusunoki-architectes-sono-i-vincitori-del-guggenheim-helsinki-design-competition-2\/"},"modified":"2015-07-07T23:40:28","modified_gmt":"2015-07-07T21:40:28","slug":"moreau-kusunoki-architectes-sono-i-vincitori-del-guggenheim-helsinki-design-competition","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.area-arch.it\/en\/moreau-kusunoki-architectes-sono-i-vincitori-del-guggenheim-helsinki-design-competition\/","title":{"rendered":"Moreau Kusunoki are the winners of the Guggenheim Helsinki competition"},"content":{"rendered":"

The winners of the Guggenheim Helsinki Design Competition are a husband and wife team based in Paris since 2011. Nicolas Moreau and Hiroko Kusunoki practice under the name Moreau Kusunoki\u00a0Architectes<\/a>.\u00a0Hiroko, born in Japan, earned her degree from the Shibaura Institute of Technology in Tokyo and Nicolas Moreau studied at Ecole Nationale d\u2019Architecture de Belleville, in Paris.
\nPrior to establishing their firm, they both worked in Tokyo, where they gained expertise from a number of leading Japanese architects. They focused on the art of construction with Shigeru Ban. SANAA gave them a deeper insight into programmatic and spatial investigation,\u00a0 and they developed a real sense for materials from Kengo Kuma.<\/p>\n

The museum they propose is made up of multiple sweeping structures and a glass\u2010topped tower, all clad in shining black wood and connected by open areas that flow into the city space.\u00a0 The Japanese culture influence is visible in many different levels of the project, from the details to the relationship with the surroundings. What mostly defines the Moreau Kusunoki Architects philosophical approach is the concept of \u201cin-between,\u201d known as\u00a0ma<\/i> in Japanese.\u00a0 Between two buildings is the space of possibilities, where life has yet to develop. For the Guggenheim Helsinki, this was represented by the intersections that bring together and separate the exhibition halls. The positive user experience of the ma<\/i> is the sign of a building\u2019s success.<\/p>\n

\u201cOur work is intended to\u00a0 be timeless, and yet to establish a dialogue with the past and build links with the future, while creating a feeling of intimacy\u2026The most important question we asked ourselves as we reviewed the brief was:<\/strong>\u00a0 How to can we make the museum transparent? How can we create porosity between the museum and its surroundings to allow a free flow of visitors on the site? <\/em>\u00a0Those were our goals throughout the project. Also, the site borders the sea, so the recommendation was to avoid creating a basement.\u00a0 As a result, the operation areas of the museum are necessarily located on the ground floor. We decided to integrate those areas into the visitor experience. \u201c<\/p>\n

In fact the openness and transparency on the ground floor and promenades between the structures intend to create a direct dialog with markets, shops, and museums around the site. \u201c\u2026we can imagine having very rich outside activity nearby. Thus the character of the ground floor is the key to our project within the urban context.\u00a0 We wanted to leave the in\u2010between space undefined as much as we could. In our plans, we only gave an imaginary scale and distance that we estimated to be appropriate\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n

Another important aspect the architects focused on, was the relationship with the Finnish culture for which we used local materials.\u201c<\/strong>It was quite natural for us to reflect the Finnish traditions and culture in our concept.\u00a0 Vernacular constructions are very interesting, since many of them are still well integrated within their environment. We want to bring together traditional building methods with contemporary architecture\u2014for example, the charred wood for the facade\u2026.The use of charred wood is strongly anchored in the traditional timber construction in Finland. There is also a culture of charred timber called yakisugi in Japan. It is a traditional technique to reinforce the wood and make it more resistant to water and fire. It is very beautiful as well, especially when it has aged and developed a shiny patina. Wood may not be as strong as concrete, but it\u2019s in the cycle of nature, and harvesting and re\u2010planting trees makes the forests stronger. We really like this approach of co\u2010existence, rebirth, and the smart use of simple materials. Charred timber is a material in line with our philosophy, and it seemed like the perfect fit for a building by the sea. Together with our material experts, we aim to use Finland\u2019s timber resources in the best possible way.\u201d<\/p>\n

Last but not least the architects insists on the importance of the role of museum\u2019s visitors \u201cMost people today are looking for a unique experience when they go to a museum. Art is part of that experience, but architecture also has to play its role in creating that special moment that the visitor is expecting to feel. That is why museums are so unusual compared to other buildings.\u201d<\/p>\n