Sara Hildén Art Museum — Tampere, Finland
with Twelve Forty One (UK)
Status:  Competition 

Everything often starts from a very simple gesture that eventually turns into something magical, sophisticated.

The ability of every form of art is to play with our imagination, modeling our perception to guide our experience through a different, unexpected journey. Masses, matters, contrasts, colors, these are often the tools to play with, finding balances, proportions. The way to experience them is the prelude to something surprising, or better said, yet unknown. While the genesis and the conclusion of every form of art, is attached to what just described above, architecture often finds itself to relate to the same principles.

Gestures define spaces, moves depict movements, materials create atmospheres, thresholds allow for a subconscious sound perception. The design of the new Sara HildénArt Museum revolves around the finding of a balanced proportion within those components, striving to generate a space that connects to the city and the neighborhood at large, without hiding its strong lineaments in pursuing of an educate identity. The whole neighborhood is currently experiencing a vibrant change of scenery, historic buildings have been adapted to house young businesses, attracting investors, generating a progressive form of urbanity much more educated and sensitive to the understanding and appreciation of the heritage through a dynamic form of experiencing contrasts.
The ground floor of the new Sara Hildén Museum anchors to that kind of newly educated urbanity, offering a set of public functions, such as a cafe, museum shop, public workshop, foyer, and street gallery accessible to the whole community. Mostly transparent the entire floor act as a plinth that supports the volumes above, allowing a see through without obstructing the view to the park and simultaneously establishes a strong connection with the TR34 headquarters across the street, a building defined by a distinctive set of historic lineaments. Above the plinth are the galleries volume that liberate themselves through the expression of gentle moves like a synchronized dancing. Shapes and masses are then emphasized by the delicate casted shadows that gently lay on the brick surfaces.

The central volume acts as a landing lounge at every floor allowing for a pause while experiencing the exhibitions. The two volumes at the left and right hand side house the galleries, a landscaping set of walls create a sharp contrast with the curved surfaces at the perimeter. The Harmonic contrast creates dynamism, a sense of movement, embracement, and belongingness. While the brick surface constantly works as a backdrop, walls will breakdown the space generating a layout that offers an interactive yet mysterious experience through a sequence of not yet revealed spaces capable to emphasize the expectation towards something that it is just about to happen. The walls articulation creates in-between spaces, making rooms for several opportunities. These buffer zones amplify the spatial organization of the galleries creating a set of unique moments often enriched by double-height spaces, openings and targeted views to the surrounding landmarks.