After a long debate and controversy on funding of the Guggenheim Helsinki Museum, the Helsinki City Council has decided not to fund the construction of the Guggenheim Helsinki Museum, which needed to pay $138 million with a mixture of private and public money. 

The construction plans for the Guggenheim Helsinki Museum has been cancelled by majority of votes, 53 to 32, in a meeting of the Helsinki City Council last week. 

''The Solomon R. Guggenheim Foundation and the Guggenheim Helsinki Supporting Foundation have agreed not to draw up another proposal for funding the museum project, Ari Wiseman, the deputy director of Solomon R. Guggenheim Foundation,'' said Helsingin Sanomat, according to Helsinki Times. 

Paris-based architecture firm Moreau Kusunoki Architectes won the competition in 2015 from 1,715 entries, but, there were lots of debates about the financial strategies of the project, which were all ambiguous until recently. The City Council also reported that ''the main objections to the project presented by Council members included the project’s excessive cost for the Finnish taxpayer; inadequate private funding; and the proposed site, which was considered too valuable for the project.''

Speaking to World Architecture Community today, Moreau Kusunoki Architectes said that ''Guggenheim Helsinki was an extraordinary adventure despite the disappointing result of the vote from the City Council of Helsinki.''

Here's a full statement about the rejection of the Guggenheim Helsinki Museum sent by Moreau Kusunoki Architectes:

Guggenheim Helsinki was an extraordinary adventure despite the disappointing result of the vote from the City Council of Helsinki.

The reflections we had in conceiving the 21th-century museum in Helsinki were thought-provoking and revelatory, such as the participatory and social dimensions of the museum, the studies on in-between spaces and flexible use, and the use of charred-wood cladding. 

This journey was also an opportunity to meet exceptional professionals, whose commitment to promoting art and architecture we deeply admire.

We are confident that this project represents a stepping stone and the possibility of an exciting future for our firm and for the field of architecture. It encourages new thoughts towards competitions, including openness and transparency, for an upcoming generation of architects. 

The record number of participants in the competition and the high degree of international media interest towards the process demonstrate how people, despite the vicissitudes of life and economic difficulties, continue to find art and culture essential to life.

with kind regards,

Nicolas Moreau

Top image: Nicolas Moreau and Hiroko Kusunoki, image courtesy of Moreau Kusunoki Architectes

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