Verstas Architects awarded shared third prize in The Museum of History and the Future Competition

We are happy to announce that Verstas Architects’ proposal “Airut” has won the shared third prize in The Museum of History and the Future competition! The open, international competition was organized by the City of Turku and received over 400 entries.

Our design resonates with the nature of the archipelago, the ships in the harbor and the historic Turku Castle. The perceived scale of the large museum building has been carefully tailored to fit the granularity of Linnanniemi area. The central lobby space with its entrances opens to all main directions of approach, thus the building has no backside. From the sea, the museum building forms a pedestal for the Turku Castle.

The dialogue of the monolithic masses, the lobby space carved in between them and the open ground floor forms the architectural identity of the new museum. The reflections from the waves of the seafront turn the museum building into a living piece of art.

The Jury commended the design: “The unique museum building reinforces Turku’s image as an archipelago city and is a unique addition to the chain of cultural buildings along the River Aurajoki.”