Foundation stone of extension to National Museum of Finland laid with Finnish president’s greeting to the future

The largest construction project in the more than one hundred year history of the National Museum of Finland was celebrated on 17 May 2024 with the laying of the foundation stone of the extension to the museum. In addition to construction of the extension, a partial renovation of the main building is underway. The complex consisting of the historic main building, the new part and the courtyard park will open to the public in spring 2027. The developer is Senate Properties, which is responsible for state-owned properties.

The foundation stone was laid with President of the Republic Alexander Stubb’s greeting to the future. In his greeting, the President describes our era in the midst of escalating crises and conflicts, and also mentions the uncertainty in our country’s cultural field.

“Hopefully, we did our best for Finland. So that you can now life in a safe, tolerant Finland, where everyone has the opportunity to pursue their own dreams,” Stubb concludes his letter.

Minister of Science and Culture Sari Multala emphasised the importance of culture in her speech.

“The vitality of Finnish society stems from our culture. Museums are more popular today than ever, attracting visitors form near and far. Investments in culture and in cultural heritage are indeed investments in the future, in a sustainable and prosperous society. This positive development must be collectively safeguarded.”

The extension to the National Museum of Finland is one of the most important cultural projects of our times. Since 1916, the museum has served as a symbol of our national culture. The extension to the museum now brings new opportunities to carry out the museum’s mission in a timely manner.

“Our vision is to create the most welcoming place to improve the world. History, culture and art are a tremendous spiritual resource for society and for all of us. The new museum complex will provide a backdrop to enjoy a varied programme of exhibitions and events, discover our national cultural heritage, organise events or even just pop into a restaurant, café or museum shop,” says Elina Anttila, Director General of the National Museum of Finland.

In addition to the President’s greeting, the foundation stone included a time capsule containing the building’s charter, coins in circulation, the days newspapers Helsingin Sanomat and Hufvudstadsbladet, and the main drawings for the project. Drawings by students from Pasila Primary School depicting a good future, as well as a smartphone replacing several everyday items, were also laid with the foundation stone. The inclusion of a time capsule is a tradition intended to pass on knowledge about today’s society to future generations.

The foundation stone of the iconic main building of the National Museum of Finland was laid with great ceremony on 18 June 1906. The event was attended by a wide range of government members and media representatives of the day. Designed by the trio of architects Herman Gesellius, Eliel Saarinen and Armas Lindgren, the National Museum opened to the public in 1916.

The architecturally ambitious extension will provide the museum with plenty more exhibition space and is mostly underground

The impressive, architecturally and constructionally ambitious extension is located in the courtyard park of the National Museum and is mostly underground. The new and old museum buildings are connected underground. When it opens, the museum complex will be one of Finland’s largest museums and is likely to attract significant international interest. The extension was designed by JKMM Arkkitehdit Oy.

Senate Properties, which manages state-owned properties, is responsible for the construction project management. The new building will provide the National Museum of Finland with plenty more public space and an elegant glass-walled restaurant pavilion above ground. The additional space will enable international exhibitions and the hosting of large events.

The extension has a total area of around 5,900 square metres, with around 2,500 square metres of cultural spaces open to the public. Some 90% of the new spaces are underground. The final height of the event premises will be around 7 metres.

The extensive excavations carried out at the site since last autumn are expected to complete in June. So far, there have been 142 blasts at the site and around 2,500 truckloads of blasted rock have been removed from the site.

”The construction site is located in a challenging location in the middle of the Helsinki district of Töölö, next to the historically important main building of the National Museum of Finland. Construction-wise, the extension is ambitious. We have minimised disruptions to the neighbourhood and ensured the work does not damage the historical main building. The work has progressed to schedule and in good cooperation with the neighbourhood. The new part is being implemented by a network of top-class professionals,” says Jukka Lallo, Construction Project Manager at Senate Properties.

Courtyard part to be returned to a green event area 

A significant part of the construction project is the restoration of the courtyard park surrounding the restaurant pavilion into a green event area open to everyone.

Some of the trees in the courtyard park had to be felled at the start of construction, while others have been preserved by moving them away from the construction site. A condition survey revealed that the trees suffered from elm chaga disease (Inonotus ulmicola), which is why they would have been felled anyway. Cuttings have been taken from old trees, and new seedlings have been grafted from them to be planted in the museum’s courtyard park.

The over one hundred year old main building of the National Museum of Finland was last restored and renovated in 1995–2000. The partial renovation now being carried out includes modernisation of the National Museum of Finland roofs, façades and ventilation.

The museum complex will open to the public in 2027

The new extension to the National Museum of Finland has progressed over three government terms. Planning of the new part began in 2019, when the government allocated funding the National Museum’s architectural competition, which was won by JKMM Arkkitehdit Oy.

SRV is the lead contractor for the new extension. The project is being implemented as part of Senate’s flagship alliance at a total value of around €55 million.

NCC is the lead contractor for the renovation of the historic main building. A consortium of Arkkitehtitoimisto A-Konsultit Oy, Arkkitehtuuri- ja muotoilutoimisto Talli Oy and Wilhelm Helander, Juha Leiviskä, the Finnish Association of Architects SAFA was responsible for the main and architectural design. The cost estimate is around €35 million.

The complex comprising the historical main building, new part and courtyard park will open to the pubic in spring 2027.

Photo: Matti Kilponen, The Finnish Heritage Agency

Information about the activities of the National Museum of Finland, the project design and aims: https://www.uusikansallinen.fi/sve-eng