TURKU SMILE
Museum proposal extending public life from waterfront to roof park in Turku, Finland.
Turku, Finland · Museum · International competition · 2024 · 9,500 m²
Details
Turku Smile is a competition proposal for the Museum of History and the Future in Turku, Finland. Located between the Aura River, Castle Park, the boardwalk, and the emerging Linnanniemi art district, the project turns the museum into a continuous public landscape rather than a closed cultural object.
The proposal draws on Finland’s “freedom to roam” by extending public space through a transparent lobby and up onto a planted roof park. Flexible black-box exhibition halls sit behind the public hall, allowing the museum to adapt to different curatorial formats while the roof, terraces, auditorium, restaurant, and waterfront edges remain active civic spaces.
Project
Turku Smile
Location
Turku, Finland
Type
Museum / Public landscape
Status
International competition
Stage
Competition proposal
Year
2024
Size
9,500 m²
Program
Museum, flexible exhibition halls, public lobby, café, restaurant, auditorium, workshop, roof park, terraces, boardwalk spaces
Collaborators
Studio Sang, visualization
Role
KOSY project
Waterfront museum
The proposal turns the museum into a public landscape between the Aura River, Castle Park, and Linnanniemi’s emerging art district.
District threshold
The museum sits between the boardwalk, Castle Park, the river, and Linnanniemi’s future art district.
Thesis
Turku Smile gives more public space than it occupies. The museum extends pedestrian life through a transparent lobby, flexible exhibition halls, and a planted roof park overlooking the river, Castle Park, and Turku Castle.
Public roof landscape
Public movement continues through the lobby and up onto the roof, turning the museum into an extension of the boardwalk and park.
Public hall
The lobby works as an open civic room, connecting café, workshop, play, events, and exhibition spill-out beneath a large timber roof.
Flexible exhibition plan
Ground-level exhibition halls connect to the public lobby, allowing galleries, events, and large installations to operate together or separately.
Transparent public realm
A timber-steel roof shelters the lobby and waterfront edges, creating a continuous public space between museum interiors, park, and boardwalk.
Waterfront threshold
The museum opens to the boardwalk as a public room, with the roof sheltering arrival, gathering, and views across the river.