Helsinki Design Week

Location: large exhibition hall

The largest multidisciplinary design festival in the Nordic countries, Helsinki Design Week, returns to the city and online platforms. The Design Museum and the Museum of Finnish Architecture will host an extensive array of events throughout the festival. The main summer and autumn exhibition, FIX: Care and Repair, will be open for the duration of the event week.

The annual theme of the festival is “Underneath” with both the Museum of Finnish Architecture and the Design Museum contributing through various events and exhibitions.

You can explore the festival programme of the museums on this page. Welcome to join us!

Events at the Design Museum and Museum of Finnish Architecture from 6–15 September 2024

FIX: Architectural Walk
Polished Pearls and Oiled Mechanisms – Care and Repair in Urban Spaces

Tuesday 10 September 2024, 17:00–18:30 Language: English
Wednesday 11 September 2024, 17:00–18:30 Language: Finnish
Thursday 12 September 2024, 17:00–18:30 Language: English
Friday 13 September 2024, 17:00–18:30 Language: Finnish

On this architecture walk, we will explore Helsinki city centre from the perspectives of care and repair. The tour will cover current infrastructure projects in the city centre as well as landmark sites that have undergone extensive renovation or changes in use.

The architecture walk begins at Museum of Finnish Architecture (Kasarmikatu 24, 00130 Helsinki) and ends at Restaurant Cajsan Helmi (Kaisaniemenranta 6, 00170 Helsinki). The duration of the walk is approximately 1 hour 30 minutes. 

Participation

Adults 10 €
Students, pensioner and job seekers 5 €
Members of DAMY – the Friends of Design Museum and the Museum of Finnish Architecture 5 €
Children under 18 years old 0 €
The museum card is not accepted as a means of payment at the architecture walking tours.

A total of 25 participants are accepted for the architecture walk. Places are filled in order of arrival. The fee is paid before the start of the architecture walk at the customer service desk of the Museum of Finnish Architecture.

Farewell to Pollinators – Alusta Pavilion Closing Event
Tuesday 10 September 2024, 17:00–20:00
Museum Courtyard
Free

Office Pong 2024
Annual Ping Pong Tournament for Designers and Architects
Wednesday 11 September
Design Museum
Invitation Only

Fill This Museum
Friday 13 September 2024, 16:00–22:00
Museum of Finnish Architecture and Design Museum
Free admission for under 25s, 0/12/20 € or Museum Card

FIX: Drop-in Workshops for Children and Adults
Saturday 14 September 2024, 15:00–17:00
Museum of Finnish Architecture, Functional “Cleaning Closet” Space (2nd Floor)
Languages: Finnish, English
20/12/0 € or Free with Museum Card, Unemployed and Under 18 Free | Non-stop

Come and build compositions from various cleaning tools with the assistance of instruction cards and a workshop facilitator! You can photograph the compositions in the Functional Utility Closet space. Feel free to bring a camera, if you wish. 

FIX: Into the Loop Workshops for Youth and Adults
Saturday 14 September 2024, 15:00–17:00
Design Museum, FIX Stage (2nd Floor)
Languages: Finnish, English
20/12/0 € or Free with Museum Card | Non-stop

Public Guided Tours

Guided Tours in Finnish

Tuesday 10 September
Design Museum at 17:00
Museum of Finnish Architecture at 18:00

Saturday 7 September and 14 September
Museum of Finnish Architecture at 13:00
Design Museum at 14:00

Guided Tour in English
Saturday 7 September
Museum of Finnish Architecture at 14:00
Design Museum at 15:00

Guided Tour in Swedish
Saturday 14 September
Museum of Finnish Architecture at 14:00
Design Museum at 15:00

Online Guided Tour in English
Wednesday 11 September 2024
Design Museum at 17:00

Exhibitions

Fix: Care and Repair
Museum of Finnish Architecture and Design Museum
26 April 2024 – 5 January 2025
Free admission for under 18s, 0/12/20 € or Museum Card

The joint main exhibition of the Museum of Finnish Architecture and the Design Museum focuses on maintenance and repair, exploring how the passage of time impacts architecture and design. The public is invited to engage in discussions about maintenance-related issues. Discover the exhibition.

D-Ark Lab
Design Museum Gallery
25 May 2024 – 31 January 2025
Free admission for under 18s, 0/12/20 € or Museum Card

Join us in creating the museum of the future! D-Ark Lab is an experimental space by the Museum of Finnish Architecture and the Design Museum, inviting you to interpret the museum’s collections with us and share your perspectives. Explore the exhibition.

Alusta Pavilion
Museum Courtyard / Free

Experience the splendour of over a thousand plants in the museum courtyard between the Museum of Finnish Architecture and the Design Museum this summer. The Alusta Pavilion by Suomi/Koivisto Architects invites reflection on our place within a broader community. Explore the Alusta Pavilion on the Museum of Finnish Architecture’s website.

New Museum of Architecture and Design in Helsinki Design Week

Thursday’s theme is architecture, and together with the new Architecture and Design Museum, we will discuss radical concepts related to the museum’s implementation. In the afternoon, we will hear a presentation by MoMA’s Paola Antonelli on the role of museums as agents of change. Thursday will culminate in the popular House by an Architect evening event, where well-known architects will talk about their favorite residential buildings – those they wish they had designed themselves.

See the full programme at Paasivuorenkatu 3 here.