toshiki hirano references alvar aalto's work in museum proposal in finland

‘secret meeting of the silent creatures’ is an entry proposal designed by for the international architectural competition for an extension of the alvar aalto museum and the museum of central finland. with his project, japanese designer toshiki hirano pays homage to the design philosophy of the great architect while updating it with a new sensibility.

the interior surface is clad in locally plywood sheets, giving a sense of intimacy to the space

hirano took into consideration some of aalto’s designs that exquisitely take natural sunlight into the interior space, such as the skylights of the ‘library in viipuri’ (1935) and the roof lights of the ‘alvar aalto museum’ (1973). his main design element is a trapezoidal light tube that has a skylight window, angled at the same orientation as the roof lights of the museum. the roof structure is an aggregation of repetitive light tube units that are slightly varied in size and shape. this reminds of a differentiation and repetition technique which is apparent in many of aalto’s designs such as ‘church in vuoksenniska’ (1959) and wolfsburg cultural center(1962).

light tubes maintain the continuity, suggesting the differentiated roofscapes

the curvilinear floor plan allows for a smooth flow of people between the two museums and it echoes aalto’s use of distinct curves in the ‘finnish pavilion’ at the world’s fair (1939). the competition entry for the extension achieves not only the space that enhances the continuity between the two museums, but also intimacy to become a catalyst to connect the museums to the new ruusupuisto square.

view from the adjacent plaza

the main structural component of the light tube unit is a 9mm thick steel panel welded at an offsite factory. the interior surface is clad in locally manufactured plywood sheets, the same material used by aalto for many of his furniture. the exterior is shingled with blue tinted charcoal gray colored aluminum composite panels. its color is inspired by the color of the façade tiles of aalto’s ‘seinäjoki town hall’. vertical lines created by the shingle will resonate with the exterior of the aalto museum.

elevation

section 

site plan

continuity between the two museums 

distinct features in aalto’s designs were reinterpreted in the project

axonometric section of the spatial configuration

materials were carefully selected to harmonize with aalto’s design

each light tube unit will be fabricated at an offsite factory and assembled on site

designboom has received this project from our ‘DIY submissions‘ feature, where we welcome our readers to submit their own work for publication. see more project submissions from our readers here.

edited by: juliana neira | designboom

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