We have focused on capturing the essence of daily life and events within the museum. Finland is renowned for its abundance of sauna facilities, which hold a significant place in their culture. Saunas are even utilized during meetings between heads of state. We envisioned merging the nature of an art museum, which hosts special events in everyday life, with the sauna, a commonplace facility. By combining events and daily life, we aimed to ensure the museum's continuous functioning. Recognizing the importance of the central square, we designed a staircase plaza in front of the museum. This area serves as an open-air theater for occasional events and as a resting place, rather than a passageway. For the sauna building, we planned only the core structure up to a height of 10 meters, leaving a vast square space. The plaza of the everyday sauna building acts as a large vessel for daily activities, akin to a living room for the surrounding area.
To establish a seamless connection between the two buildings, we created an underground space between the museum and the sauna, with circulation starting at the stair square. This internal circulation system fully integrates the two structures. Within the museum, a central staircase connects all exhibition rooms, offering visitors an intuitive flow. The volume of the museum is divided at its center, revealing the central staircase. This design feature establishes a visual and physical connection between the museum, the park, and the cityscape. Citizens can observe the museum's functioning circulation system from the central staircase.
Additionally, we planned an external sauna on the top floor of the building, allowing users to enjoy sauna sessions while admiring views of the museum and the sea. Our project aspired to create a facility that seamlessly blends a plaza and a sauna, infusing the museum with an everyday character alongside its special events.
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