Accessibility at the Museum of Finnish Architecture

The Museum of Finnish Architecture building was built in 1899. Not all parts of the old building are wheelchair-accessible. The main door of the museum is heavy to open, and the building has thresholds and stairs.

Assistants

Assistants accompanying visitors with physical disabilities or visitors requiring special guidance and assistance due to disability or illness are not charged for admission.

Service dogs

Service and guide dogs are welcome in the museum.

Wheelchair-accessible entrance

The museum does not have an entrance with no access barriers. The most convenient entrance for disabled visitors is located in the inner courtyard of the building. The courtyard door is kept locked. Visitors must ring the buzzer to have the door opened.

There is one stone step of roughly 5 cm in height by the entrance, with a metal ramp providing better access. The doorway also has a roughly 4-cm-high threshold. Inside the museum, a ramp with a slope of 10 degrees (1:10) and one intermediate landing leads to the lift.

Lift

The exhibition floors can be accessed with a lift. The lift does not meet accessibility requirements. The door is not automatic, but museum personnel will assist visitors when needed. The lift doorway is 88 cm wide and the lift cage 115 cm deep.

Induction loop

An induction loop is not available at the museum.

Public transport

The public transport stops closest to the museum are provided by HSL tram no. 10 and HSL bus no. 24. The stop is located by the Design Museum.

Language options

The exhibition texts for exhibitions produced by the museum are provided in Finnish, Swedish and English. Touring exhibitions arriving at the museum may offer a more limited range of language options. Further information is available at Customer Service.

Prams and strollers / baby changing room

The most convenient access for visitors arriving with prams or strollers is via the courtyard entrance. There is one stone step of roughly 5 cm in height by the entrance, with a metal ramp providing better access. The doorway also has a roughly 4-cm-high threshold. There is a buzzer by the door. Inside the door, a ramp leads to the lift. Baby changing tables and potties for young children are available in the museum’s visitor WCs.

Resting spots

Seating dedicated to resting is placed on the ground floor and on the landings between floors. Stools are also available in the exhibition rooms.

Ticket desk / admissions

The ticket desk is located on the ground floor. The ticket prices are graded. Check the current prices from this link.

Parking

There is a parking area with sett paving in the museum’s inner courtyard. You can collect a free parking permit for the duration of your visit at the customer service.

The museum does not provide accessible parking. The parking spot recommended for visitors with physical disabilities is located on the Ullanlinnankatu street side of the museum. The distance from the parking spot to the courtyard entrance recommended for disabled visitors is roughly 10 metres. The parking area is paved in concrete block. The path to the entrance is paved in asphalt.

Magnifying glasses

Magnifying glasses equipped with lights are available in the exhibition rooms. You may also borrow a magnifying glass for the duration of your visit from the ticket desk.

Cloakroom

A coat rack and lockable storage boxes that require no deposit are located on the ground floor.

WC

Men’s and ladies’ rooms are located on the ground floor.

A larger WC equipped with handrails is located in the museum’s basement level. This WC can be accessed with the lift upon a separate request. There is 60 cm of clear space to the right and 50 cm of clear space to the left of the toilet seat. The WC is in unisex use.

Information on accessibility in the Museum of Finnish Architecture

The street address of the Museum of Finnish Architecture is Kasarmikatu 24. There are two steps by the front entrance. Visitors arriving via the main entrance access the main lobby via a straight corridor. There are stairs with 10 steps along the way.

Visitors with prams and strollers, wheelchairs or physical disabilities may enter the museum via the entrance on the museum’s inner courtyard. This entrance has one 5-centimentre stone doorstep and a 4-cm threshold. The doorstep has a ramp. There is a buzzer by the door – museum personnel will open the door to visitors.

The ticket desk is located to the right of the entrance on the ground floor. Coat racks and visitor WCs are also located to the right of the entrance. The coat rack area has lockable storage boxes that do not require a deposit.

The museum library is located on the ground floor to the left of the entrance. The library is open to the public.Customers visiting the library do not need to pay the museum admission fee. The museum collections are located in the ground floor and basement facilities. The stairway to the basement level has 16 steps. The basement level of the library facilities is not wheelchair-accessible.

There is a lift in the main lobby, leading to the exhibition floors and, upon separate request, to the WC on the basement level.

The second floor of the museum houses the facilities for temporary exhibitions. The doorways leading to the exhibition rooms have thresholds.

The third floor of the museum is dedicated to the permanent exhibition and image archive. The doorways leading to the exhibition rooms have thresholds.

Accessibility of Public Programmes of the Museum of Finnish Architecture

The Museum of Architecture organizes events, workshops, guided tours and offers other services.
Information about the events can be found here
Information about the workshops and guided tours can be found here

The language of the programme organized by the Museum of Finnish Architecture is mentioned in the event information. If the programme is interpreted, tranlated or live-captioned, it will be mentioned separately in the event information. For some events, pre-registration is available by using an accessible Surveypal form.

On site at the museum

The programme at the Museum of Finnish Architecture is mainly organized in exhibition halls or on the first floor of the library. The seats used in the exhibition halls have armrests. The seat height is about 45 cm and the width, depth and height of the backrest are about 37 cm. The seats is wooden and their armrests are made of plastic and metal. The seats in the library vary in size, shape and material.

Outside the museum

The Museum of Finnish Architecture also organizes the programme outside the museum. In these events, venue availability information is added to the event information. If the event is held in a public urban space, the event description includes a separate accessibility description.

Online

The online program of the Museum of Architecture is held in Zoom or on the museum’s social media channels. Instructions for participation can be found in the event information and technical instructions are given at the beginning of each event.

Video recordings published by the Museum of Architecture are always subtitled in the original language. Other language options may be available per recording. The streaming content of the Museum of Finnish Architecture is not subtitled.