JKMM Architects’ Amos Rex Art Museum set a new standard for what an art museum can be, redefining the museum as a space for both art and social interaction, whilst at the same time presenting an innovative and exciting architectural experience in the centre of Helsinki that actively invites public participation.
Faced with a challenging urban site that included the 1936 Functionalist Lasipalatsi (“Glass Palace”) and its adjoining square, the architects’ masterstroke was to insert the new Amos Rex galleries below the two, allowing the museum’s street-level roof to continue to serve as a public space. Skylights appear as a series of undulating hills, hinting at the gallery spaces below and adding a contemporary historical layer that distinguishes the new building from its surroundings.
