Archive

Drawings

The Museum of Finnish Architecture has around 500 000 drawings. The collection is not an official archive, but comprizes material received from architects, including sketches, official drawings, working drawings, details, etc.

The Drawings Collection includes material from over 1000 designers. The most important individual collections are catalogued item by item. In other cases cataloguing accuracy varies, but all works of which there is material in the Drawings Collection are catalogued.

The Drawings Collection mainly grows through donations. The collections of the most well-known architects are preferably acquired complete. The very oldest drawings are represented as occasional items (e.g. Engel, Höijer). From the art nouveau period and early 20th century there are several large collections, e.g. those of Sigurd Frosterus, Armas Lindgren, S. A. Lindqvist, Eliel Saarinen and Lars Sonck, and from later times several noticeable collections including those of Aulis Blomstedt, P. E. Blomstedt, Erik Bryggman, Hilding Ekelund, Jarl Eklund, Aarne Ervi, Yrjö Lindegren, Viljo Revell and Martti Välikangas.

The complete drawings archive of Raili and Reima Pietilä was donated to the Museum some years ago and has been catalogued with the support of the Ministry of Education. At the beginning of the year 2006 the drawings archive of Aarno Ruusuvuori was donated to the museum.

Alvar Aalto’s drawings are not kept at the Museum. They are in possession of the Alvar Aalto Foundation, www.alvaraalto.fi, and they are available to researchers at request.

Literary material, such as correspondence by architects, is kept in the Museum’s library.

The Drawings Collection also includes some material related to architectural competitions.

The drawings held at the Museum are available to reseachers at request. Appointments can be made by phone. Copies of drawings are delivered by order.

Contact person: Antti Aaltonen, Drawings Collection.
tel. +358 45 7731 0480
antti.aaltonen@mfa.fi

Photographs

The picture collections are arranged alphabetically by names of architects, except for the oldest buildings, such as castles and medieval churches, which are arranged thematically. The Archive also has wide street views and aerial views. The museum is currently photographing art nouveau architecture in Helsinki (Click to see a selection of photographs).

You can order digital copies of the images for publication, research and exhibition purposes. The images are of high quality, and they are delivered in about a week. The Museum holds copyrights for the majority of the black-and-white photographs, while the rights for colour pictures are mainly held by photographers. Contacts to copyright holders are given at request. Pricing varies according to respective use.

Ask about photographs: anna.autio@mfa.fi

Competitions

Architectural competitions have been organised in Finland since the late 19th century. The Archive holds a Competitions Collection including both pictures of proposals and documents, such as competition programmes and jury records. Most of the material has been received through the Finnish Associaton of Architects. The eariest competitions represented are from the 1870s and concern the present Johanneksenkirkko (St. John’s Church) and the Kirurginen sairaala (Surgical Hospital) in Helsinki.
There are some competition drawings in the Museum’s Drawings Collection, too.

Competition documents and copies of drawings can be studied in the Archive, and reprints are made at request. The documents are not loaned.

Ask about competitions: joona.rantasalo@mfa.fi

Models

The Models Collection of the Museum is one of the largest in Finland. It includes about 850 models, most of which have been received together with other materials related to architectural competitions. The Museum has also been donated individual models, and they have been received together with donations of drawings. Architects have also deposited their models in the Archive.

The oldest of the Museum’s models is from the 1890s. It presents Mikaelinkirkko (St. Michael’s Church) in Turku by Lars Sonck.

A number of models from different periods and made for different purposes are continuously on display in the Archive, illustrating the achievements of Finnish architecture. The 19th century is represented by the above mentioned Mikaelinkirkko, while the models of the Lasipalatsi building by Niilo Kokko, Viljo Revell and Heimo Riihimäki (Helsinki) and the Villa Mairea by Alvar Aalto (Noormarkku) depict the modern architecture of the 1930s. The majority of the models on display represent the late 20th or early 21st century.

Ask about models: antti.aaltonen@mfa.fi

Photographs, drawings and other documents

Images for publications (high resolution, print-ready file), including license and copyright fee

• museums and other cultural institutions, educational institutions 25€ / image (incl. VAT)
• building history surveys and inventories 25€ / image (incl. VAT)
• other forms of use for publication purposes 100 € / image (incl. VAT)

The license and copyright fee grants the right to use the image for a single form of publication. For other usage the charge will be 50% of the license and copyright fee.

Discount 25% for orders of 20 or more images.

The user will deliver to the Museum of Finnish Architecture two examples of the product in which the licensed material is used.

Expert services

Lectures, content services and other expert services 100€ / h (+ VAT)

Borrowing material from the Museum’s collection for exhibition

Original drawings and other collection items are available for loan subject to a separate agreement. We kindly request that loan requests be submitted at least 6 months prior to the start of the loan period.

Scale models: 500 €

Contact Chief Curator Anna Autio, Mon-Fri from 9 am to 4 pm.
+358 45 7731 0478, anna.autio@mfa.fi