Museum
Museum of Finnish Architecture
Image: Wikimedia Commons.
Museum of Finnish Architecture is a museum in Helsinki, Finland.
About Museum of Finnish Architecture
Identity & Overview
The Museum of Finnish Architecture (Finnish: Suomen arkkitehtuurimuseo) served as the national museum responsible for Finnish architecture, established in 1956 in Helsinki. It held the distinction of being the second oldest architectural museum in the world, following the Shchusev Museum of Architecture in Moscow. The institution was founded on the basis of the photographic collection of the Finnish Association of Architects (SAFA), which had been established in 1949. Although independent of SAFA, the museum worked closely with the association and its journal to promote modern architecture in Finland. In 2024, the museum merged with the Design Museum to form the new Architecture & Design Museum, marking the end of its operation as a separate entity.
History & Founding
The museum's origins trace back to 1949 with the establishment of the Finnish Association of Architects (SAFA) and its photographic collection. This collection formed the foundation for the museum, which was officially established in 1956. Prior to moving to its permanent home, the museum was housed in a former wooden pavilion in Kaivopuisto Park. In 1981, the museum relocated to the Kasarmikatu street building, a move that allowed it to expand its operations and exhibitions significantly. The museum's founding was a pivotal moment for a young nation eager to document and promote its evolving cultural identity and modernist architectural achievements.
Building & Architecture
From 1981 until the end of 2025, the museum was housed in a neo-classical building at Kasarmikatu 24, originally constructed in 1899 for the Learned Societies. Designed by Magnus Schjerfbeck, the chief architect at the National Board of Public Building, the structure was intended to have a cubic central volume and two wings, though only the central part was realized. The building featured a library, an assembly hall with a gallery, studies, and a monumental staircase occupying a third of the space. Before the museum's arrival, the building served the University of Helsinki's Gymnastics Department, where the assembly hall was filled with equipment. The museum's relocation involved repairs designed by Marjatta and Martti Jaatinen.
Collection Highlights
The museum maintained extensive collections comprising drawings, photographs, architectural scale models, and documents. The Architecture Archive, the oldest unit, specialized in modern Finnish architecture and held digital images, black-and-white photographs, slides, and original drawings. A significant portion of the collection focused on the 1970s, featuring contemporary interior photographs of architects' homes, exhibition posters, and digitized drawings. The collection also included materials from the 'Concrete Dreams' exhibition and the publication 'Murrosten vuosikymmen'. These images are licensed under the Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0) licence, allowing for copying and redistribution with proper attribution.
Significance & Legacy
The Museum of Finnish Architecture was a key influence in continuously promoting modern architecture in Finland, working alongside SAFA and the Finnish Architectural Review. It organized exhibitions on both Finnish and foreign architecture, including touring exhibitions abroad sponsored by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Ministry of Education. The museum served as a vital source of expert knowledge for anyone interested in architecture. In 2024, the merger with the Design Museum to form the Architecture & Design Museum represented a new chapter, with plans for a future building in the Makasiiniranta area of Helsinki's South Harbour, designed by JKMM Arkkitehdit.
Plan your visit
Museum of Finnish Architecture
- Website
- www.mfa.fi
What's on
- Juha Vehmaanperä: Craft Punk Milloin:20 Feb 2026 – 6 Sep 2026
- Pako Muumilaaksoon Milloin:10 Oct 2025 – 1 Nov 2026
- Aalto Design – Hyvinvoinnin muodot Milloin:5 Jun 2026 – 3 Jan 2027