Which architect won the international competition for the Guggenheim Helsinki project?

Moreau Kusunoki won the international competition for the Guggenheim Helsinki project. The Paris-based architectural practice was selected in 2015 for a proposed museum design called “Art in the City.”

The competition attracted 1,715 entries from 77 countries, making it one of the largest open architectural competitions ever held. Moreau Kusunoki’s winning proposal envisioned a group of dark timber-clad pavilions near Helsinki’s South Harbour, connected by public space and an elevated walkway.

The proposed museum was intended to expand the Guggenheim’s international network and present modern and contemporary art in Finland. It generated substantial public and political debate, particularly over financing, governance, and the use of public land.

The project was ultimately rejected by Helsinki’s city council in 2016. Moreau Kusunoki therefore won the design competition, but no Guggenheim Helsinki museum was built.