SITE: SEURASAARI OPEN-AIR MUSEUM, HELSINKI, FINALND

The project is located in the Seurasaari Open-Air Museum in Helsinki, Finland.

Analysing the site’s surrounding context along the Seurrasarenselka waterfront promenade was a significant act in understanding the conditions of the surrounding site. Although walking for more than six hours was arduous, it was meaningful to feel the atmosphere and periphery site conditions.

The Seurasaari Open-Air Museum was founded in 1909 by Professor Axel Olai Heikel. He wanted to build a “Miniature Finland” by moving typical buildings from the various landscapes to Seurasaari Island. Thus, the Seurasaari Open-Air Museum is not a random collection of picturesque buildings; all buildings are carefully selected.

The museum transports you back to the rural landscape of the olden days, creating a relaxing and quiet atmosphere. The museum consists of buildings from the different provinces of Finland. Relocated to Seurasaari Island, they give an overall view of life in the Finnish countryside from the 18th to the 20th.

FOOTING

Thinking about how the timber structure will meet the ground is an important part of the entire project. Since the timber cannot meet directly to the ground, metal is inevitable material. To extend the curve concept of the design, a curved metal design is manufactured to allow the timber structure to be embedded in the ground.

Timber: Pine and Oak
Aluminium metal stip
Scale 1:5

STEAM BENDING X GLULAM PROTOTYPE

The steam-bending and glulam combine to strike a stable balance and enhance the structures’ strength. Thanks to innovative attempts, unexpected shapes and designs can be produced. This experiment aims to expand the area of bending timber as a design opportunity.

Timber: Pine
Scale 1:25

GLUED LAMINATED (GLULAM) TIMBER PROTOTYPE 03

The structure consists exclusively of straight or single-curvature glulam pieces. The end-to-end joints between segments are rotated to achieve out-of-plane twists and bifurcations. This emphasises the segmented quality of the intricate frames and enables the creation of customised shapes inside the solid structure of the timber.

Timber: Pine
Scale 1:25

GLUED LAMINATED (GLULAM) TIMBER PROTOTYPE 02

A large space without columns can be created thanks to the glulam technique. Glulam structures provide a significant benefit in terms of their adaptability in shape, enabling the creation of many forms and sizes. Additionally, they possess a visual attractiveness and maintain a sense of gracefulness even while covering significant distances.

Timber: Pine
Scale 1:25