Guggenheim Announces Competition to Design Proposed Helsinki Satellite

A competition to design the newest Guggenheim outpost has been announced, but this time, it’s in Helsinki, not Abu Dhabi. More importantly, it’s real.

Last week, the Gulf Ultra Luxury Faction (GULF) created a convincing facsimile of the museum’s website to promote a non-existent “Sustainable Design Competition for Abu Dhabi Branch.” The group has been protesting labor conditions at the planned Frank Gehry-designed building (see Monday’s artnet News report).

The Helsinki competition, which is actually sponsored by the Guggenheim, will begin accepting submissions on June 4, according to the Art Newspaper. The Finnish Association of Architects is co-organizing the competition, with the Swedish Cultural Foundation in Finland serving as a sponsor.

Although city councilors rejected a proposal for the museum in 2012, a revised plan presented late last year has the support of the city and national governments.

The museum has also begun advertising for a coordinator for the Helsinki location who would be based in New York, but the Guggenheim will not make a final decision to go ahead with the Helsinki satellite until the competition is completed.