sarc+sigge designs Turku Museum of History and the Future
Finland’s oldest city, Turku, has unveiled the design for its soon-to-open cultural landmark, the Museum of History and Future, celebrating nearly eight centuries of history and future-focusedness. The winning proposal by Sarc+Sigge, called Squāma (Latin for “scale”), connects past, present and future with a thoughtful approach to context, scale and form. A cluster of six interlocking volumes stretches across the entire harbour entrance, alternating protruding and receding, connecting the city’s maritime heritage with its evolving urban masterplan.
“it was a challenge to integrate history and the future while considering the site and the architectural concept. we wanted to have a traditional style but with a contemporary twist,” pekka mäki, project leader at sarc+sigge, tells designboom. “we also wanted to respect our culture so we looked to tradition, taking inspiration from fish shelters, ship docks and warehouse architecture,” he continues. the building’s profile is low, with a gabled roof, and the traditional wooden structure is wrapped in a copper shell that glistens in the sun.
All images courtesy of Sarc+Sigge
Squama: A landmark linking the past, present and future
Squāma’s concept has flexibility and adaptability at its core, accommodating an expected and evolving programme of showcasing the most creative and innovative scientific research, audiovisual technologies and multi-sensory exhibitions. The structure is envisaged to provide an open and inclusive space, with permeability that encourages experimentation and circulation, catalysing the transformation of Turku’s post-industrial riverside district into its first arts district.
It is a single-storey building to ensure universal access and has a gabled roof architecture to match the surrounding landscape. “Our goal was to create a museum building that matched the scale and architecture of Turku Castle. The spaces are arranged on one level, so that the museum building and its surroundings function as a seamless whole,” says Pekka Mäki.
Construction of the Museum of History and Future is scheduled to begin in 2027 and be completed in 2029, coinciding with the celebrations of Turku’s 800th anniversary. By this year the city also aims to achieve carbon neutrality, and will continue to work towards carbon negative after that. “In line with the city’s green agenda, we wanted to use soil energy in this building,” Pekka Maki told Designboom. “And underneath these copper seeds we will have solar cables. And of course we also use wood, which is a lot of material in Finland. Given the climate, wood is also a good insulator.”
