The National Museum of Finland is located in the heart of Helsinki close to the Parliament building and opposite Alvar Aalto’s Finlandia Hall. The main building is considered a National Romantic style masterpiece and is well over 100-years-old.

In 2019, an international architecture competition for a new annex for the museum was won by JKMM Architects. Due to be completed in 2027, the new museum will comprise of a new main entrance annex placed in the center of the court-yard with expansive new museum spaces placed beneath that link below-ground to the modernised old building. The renewed garden will be open to the public throughout the year.

The defining feature of the design is the monumental structure that forms the round main entrance to the museum with its monolithic cantilevered concrete roof. The new spaces beneath are sculpted into the earth, linked by a generous stepped “public square” that leads the visitors around the new spaces and into the old museum building. The architecture is simple, universal and even primeval. The revitalisation of National Museum will transform it into a modern landmark which is truly capable of housing Helsinki’s largest exhibition spaces.