Plans to join together two landmark buildings by Alvar Aalto in Jyväskylä have stirred interest in international architectural circles. An architectural competition for the new structure has attracted a record number of entries.
Finland's best-known architect designed both the Museum of Central Finland (1961) and the next-door museum bearing his own name (1973). Now the museums are to be connected by a new structure that will include a corridor, shop and technical facilities.
The contest staged by the Alvar Aalto Foundation and the south-central city of Jyväskylä for the Ruusupuisto ("Rose Park") between the buildings has drawn 674 entries. That is the largest number ever submitted to a Finnish architectural competition besides last year's contest for the proposed Guggenheim Helsinki art museum.
Aim to boost architectural magnetism
City officials aim to create a major new museum complex and raise the city's profile as an architectural centre. Jyväskylä, Aalto's hometown, boast more of his buildings than any other city. These include his earliest public building, dating back to 1925, and the University of Jyväskylä campus, which is near the museums.
"What adds to the interest of this is that we will be adapting new architecture to fit in with the museums designed by Aalto. And it's worth noting that with a relatively small annex we will be significantly affecting the functionality of the future museum centre," says Tommi Lindh, Director of the Aalto Foundation, which also operates two smaller Aalto museum buildings in Helsinki.
The jury stresses that the new structure must suit this cultural environment of national significance while finding a natural connection to Aalto's own architecture.
The jury includes five city officials along with the directors of the two museums and two representatives of the Finnish Association of Architects (SAFA).
The winners are to be announced on Alvar Aalto's birthday, 3 February 2016.
