The Joenniemi Manor site lies in the heart of Finland in a natural environment, that is characteristic of the Finnish landscape. It is a compact and clearly defined building complex harmoniously integrated with the nature. The new extension is designed to confirm this integrity. It becomes a piece of mosaic composed of buildings, park area and the natural environment in general. The beauty of museum building and the surrounding area is displayed in new perspectives.
In addition to the new quality of indoor exhibition space the new museum extension introduces the surroundings as an almost unlimited outdoor gallery thus the existing buildings and the landscape become part of the exhibition itself. The border between the new volume and its surroundings disappears and the interior and exterior become visually and functionally connected. The lifted simply shaped volume is regarded as an artistic object reflecting the surroundings. The reflection is locally distorted to achieve a partly surrealistic image. An immaterial rendering of the facade reduces the presence of the new facade and it multiplies the impact of the context on the building.
From the ground floor area where all public rooms are situated the view opens towards the entire site. This aspect allows the visitor to understand the museum with its historical, social and natural context.
The insertion of new volume supports the importance of the existing „yard“ area. Based on this solution the new Plaza emerges to provide the space for a wide range of museum activities. The exhibition room is located underneath the Plaza and it is designed with flexibility in mind. The spatial configuration and flexibility of unbroken space provides a high level of freedom in the curation of exhibitions. The newly designed exhibition space connects the existing gallery with the new museum tissue.