Konstmuseum in Ekenäs

The purpose of this Master's thesis was to plan an art museum in Ekenäs, for the Pro Artibus foundation, which was established in 1989 by the Svenska Kulturfonden (Swedish culture foundation) to curate its art collection and promote visual arts in the Swedish speaking part of Finland. The layout design for the art museum evolved from literary studies on art museums of a similar size, discussions with representatives of the Pro Artibus foundation, the Amos Andersson Museum of Art, and the spatial program for the architectural competition of the Aland Marine Museum. The layout was adjusted during the project, in collaboration with Pro Artibus. The basic assumption was that the museum would function independently. The net room area is 1 608m2 and the total area is 2330m2. The building site is in the Br6tet area next to South Bay in Ekenäs. It consists of a sand field, which in summer is used as a parking area, and in winter as a place to dump snow. Bordering the plot to the north is a beautiful, partly wild park, to the northeast is housing block 40, and from the east, to the northwest, is the Ramsholmen-Hagen natural wildlife reservation and South Bay. Housing block 40 is quite exceptional architecturally. For example, it contains Villa Skeppet planned by Alvar Aalto. The site lies on the axis referred to as the Ekenäs cultural axis, which starts in the city centre and ends at Villa Snacksund. The art museum is situated apart from the neighbouring block, on the border between the park area and the natural wildlife reservation, close to the shoreline. The art museum exits onto the public boardwalk that begins at Knipan Restaurant and passes through the Old Town. The art museum consists of three parts: exhibition spaces on two floors, public areas on one floor, and administration and workshops on two floors. The public areas on one floor are glass enclosed, reminiscent of a pavilion. This part of the museum harmonizes with neighbouring buildings in terms of height, whereas the two relatively high wooden volumes clearly distinguish the complex as a public building. The exhibition spaces provide a limited view on the surroundings, while the other public areas have a near complete open view on South Bay and the park to the north