Telescope

At a time when the very concept of the museum is being redefined — amid environmental urgencies, new modes of engagement, and transformations of public space — Park proposes a poetic, inclusive, and reflective architecture in Helsinki. Telescope is not merely a building, but a living organism: a habitat where culture is not only contemplated, but inhabited. Submitted as part of the international "Museum of Future Building" competition promoted in the Finnish capital, the project was awarded an honourable mention for its ability to reinterpret the museum as a dynamic, accessible, and osmotic environment, where functions intertwine, thresholds dissolve, and space opens up to the city as a natural extension of its urban and social fabric. “Museum as Habitat” is the foundational principle of the project: a porous, ever-evolving space where museum functions blend with everyday urban life, breaking down the distinction between visitor and spectator. Architecture becomes both a frame and a catalyst for encounters, processes, and the production of thought. In this sense, Telescope is a museum that not only exhibits, but happens — a place where narratives unfold before the eyes of an active and engaged community. The project is organised along a large longitudinal axis, accessible from all sides of the site, with a central promenade crossing the entire building and transforming into a covered plaza to be lived in year-round. Along this spine are the main programmatic elements: double-height exhibition halls, a library and resource centre, workshops, event spaces, a café, and a restaurant. The aim is to fluidify the relationships between functions while maintaining an organisational clarity that makes the experience intuitive and inclusive. Each space is designed to welcome, inspire, and connect. The architectural language of Telescope dialogues with the Nordic context through a compact and recognisable — yet never rigid — volume. The geometry of the roof shifts in response to the surrounding heights, while the interior unfolds in narrative sequences defined by continuous, essential materials — concrete, wood, metal — and subtle colour accents, leaving room for the expressiveness of the works on display. But it is the building’s skin that transforms the museum into a reflective and poetic object. Inspired by fishing nets, the facade is made of a mesh embedded with small glass elements suspended on cables, which shimmer in the port’s wind and light, returning to the urban environment an image in constant transformation. A sensitive gesture that echoes the reflections of water, smoothed stones, and the ongoing dialogue between nature and artifice. Beyond its cultural vocation, Telescope also plays a civic and community role. The library and workshops are conceived as open platforms for students, children, citizens, and professionals — spaces for the production of ideas and exchange, rather than mere consultation. A panoramic terrace overlooking the UNESCO-listed islands hosts public events and gatherings, opening up new possibilities for use and new perspectives on the landscape. In this sense, the museum is not a closed object, but a window onto the world — an optical device that reflects, connects, and amplifies. With Telescope, Park delivers a project that goes beyond the competition, contributing to a broader reflection on the role of architecture within contemporary cultural and social processes. In a context shaped by ecological transition and the rethinking of collective spaces, the museum reclaims its central place — not just as a site of conservation, but of activation. A shared laboratory, a landscape to traverse, a vision aimed at the future.