Two familiar museums together towards the new!
The Museum of Finnish Architecture and Design Museum Helsinki, with their internationally unique collections, will in the near future form a new national architecture and design museum. At the beginning of 2024, the two museums’ foundations merged to become the new Finnish Architecture and Design Museum Foundation. A museum company established by the foundation will maintain the future operations of the two museums. A new building is being planned for the new museum, situated in the Makasiiniranta area of Helsinki’s South Harbour. For the next few years, the Museum of Finnish Architecture and Design Museum Helsinki will continue with a joint programme at their familiar addresses in Helsinki. More information about the new Architecture and Design Museum can be found on the project website: admuseo.fi.
History
The Museum of Finnish Architecture is among the oldest museums in the world to specialise in architecture. It was established in 1956 to record our 20th-century built heritage and to meet the emerging international interest in Finnish architecture. The inspiration for the inception of the museum was provided by a photographic collection, which also came to include selected drawings, established by the Finnish Association of Architects (SAFA) in 1949. The Eliel Saarinen collection, donated to SAFA in 1952, formed the seminal capital and the most important individual collection of the Museum of Finnish Architecture. The Museum of Finnish Architecture has been a pioneer in its field and played a role in shaping the international image of Finland.