Arch2O.com

Arch2O.com - Architecture & Design Magazine
The plot for the projected Seafarers? Centre Helsinki is situated by the main entrance to the Vuosaari harbour, on the northern corner of the area. In practice the building location is the only point in the whole harbour area that contains any natural forms and elements. As the only public building in the area, its role is to serve as a place of respite; a small multipurpose building for the seamen that arrive at the harbour form afar.
Courtesy of ARK-house Architects – Photographs : Jussi Tiainen
The starting point in a David and Goliath juxtaposition has required a carefully considered architectural strategy. The infinitely small volume of the Seafarers? Centre was in danger of being completely dominated by the crushing hectare-sized steel warehouses, and the artificial landscape of tarmac fields and container seas. As a counter-point, a soft organic form language was chosen for the building, as well as a wood construction. Courtesy of ARK-house Architects – Photographs : Jussi Tiainen
The architecture of the building could be described as contextual in the wide sense of the word: the preserved hillock, with its trees and rocks, is an essential part of the architecture of the building.
Courtesy of ARK-house Architects – Model
The objective in the design of the building has been to create a unique identity, because in the best case scenario the distant traveler can take home a positive memory of...