Issue link: https://read.dmtmag.com/i/496780
132 CULTURED In its current state, South Harbor is an environment of broad strokes: Makasiini Terminal and surrounding buildings and parking lots sweep across the landscape. This proposal divides Guggenheim Helsinki into pavilions, which better integrate the site with downtown, while a lighthouse tower component provides the museum with its symbolic center. The segmentation in this design reminds us of the new engineering school building designed by Moreau Kusunoki Architectes for the Université Savoie Mont Blanc. Another similarity: Individual rooflines feature upturned corners, not unlike the Paris-based architecture studio's design of the new Théâtre du Beauvaisis. Whereas the presumable Moreau Kusunoki design fosters a connection between Helsinki and the museum by breaking into more traditionally scaled volumes, this concept threads dynamic public space through a monumental form. Why does it have AGPS Architecture's name written on it? The Los Angeles- and Zurich-based studios' extensive planning experience lends itself to the sophisticated portrayal of city life on display in this design. Meanwhile, architecture projects like the Adidas KITA & Gym and Integra H2/4 suggest that AGPS generates urban energy with straightforward geometries and rhythmic façades. This proposal may be the most intricate proposal on the shortlist. Five reverse-tapered towers, clad in locally fabricated wood shakes, would literally elevate the visibility of Finnish craftsmanship. The design is not focused solely on identity, however, given that the towers surround a courtyard intended for events. The clustering of crystalline shapes evokes an asymmetrical series of volumes called Skinterpreter, which SMAR Architecture Studio had designed for a site in Taipei. The Western Australia- and Madrid-based studio has a penchant for attention-getting forms, and for activating the built environment to social and political ends. ALL IMAGES COURTESY OF MALCOLM READING CONSULTANTS