Serlachius Museum Gösta

At the moment, the Joenniemi Manor area, comprising of its buildings and its park, create a unique ensemble, where the qualities of buildings and nature reinforce each other. The manor’s main building, the residential palace built by Gösta Serlachius, is the natural focal point of the ensemble and hosts since 1945 the Gösta Serlachius Art Collection, one of the Nordic countries’ most significant private collections. The total area of the extension to be built on Joenniemi Manor´s surroundings will quintuple the currently available museum space.

In order to fit the relatively large amount of program in the character and scale of the existing manor, the program was divided into several small buildings. The new buildings, dedicated to offices, ticket sales and the museum shop complete the urban ensemble on the Northern side of the manor and form a square with the existing buildings and hedges: Serlachius square. This square is the formal and functional entrance of the Joenniemi Manor area and the museum site.

The extension of the museum is located on the adjacent Taavetsinsaari Island, and is divided into a covered path and several rooms. The path follows the height line on the island and is sometimes narrow, giving the visitor a feeling of walking through nature, while on other occasions the path widens and gives space for the entrance lobby, restaurant and assembly hall.

The rooms located adjacent to the path contain the exhibition spaces (temporary exhibition spaces and permanent collection) and the rooms on the inside of the path contain the supporting functions (wardrobe, toilets, handling, art storage, preparation kitchen, archives and conservation). A bridge that used to connect the existing manor with the island will be restored, bringing together the Serlachius square and the new museum.