Alvar Aalto Museum Connection
Jyväskylä Finland
The project looks at connecting two Alvar Aalto masterpieces, the Alvar Aalto Museum and the Museum of Central Finland in Jyväskylä’s Ruusupuisto park.
The building presents itself as a series of discrete elements, subservient yet in dynamic equilibrium with its adjacent counterparts.
Hollow glass, cylindrical facade elements continue the theme of the light fragile ceramic tiles or ‘Halla’ found on the existing adjacent facade. This material sensitivity was a notable enrichment of Alvar Aalto’s formal language as the 1950’s approached.
The structural tectonic facade of our proposal continues this undeniable rhythm. The building floats atop an existing brook, while its plan acknowledges the natural and subtle play of Aalto’s genius, making the new connection appear as a semi transparent glacial block, glistening in the low Nordic light.
We would be happy for the design to be seen as presenting a neutrality that allows the existing buildings themes and language to happily re-assert themselves.
