Image © MXSI architectural studio

The site is understood as a green plateau where the manor’s monolithic figure stands imposingly along a landscape axis, sloping gently to the banks of Lake Melasjärvi. 

The strategy consists in placing the building out of the zone in between the manor, the plateau-park and the Taavetinsaari island, in mimicking the new building within the forest, and finally in respecting the recently renovated park, as well as the formal garden design. 

Image © MXSI architectural studio

The new premises are located in parallel to the access, manor and garden axis, on the west side of the principal axis. It uses the parameters of topography and distance to accommodate the program. In this sense the Joenniemi Manor keeps being the dominant built structure of the area. 

The location of the new entrance reinforces the existing spacious access yard as access plaza of the whole intervention. 

The outside spatial quality is brought inside the new building. The heart of the building - foyer and restaurant - have the best view towards the lake and the island similar to the existing house main areas. The simple horizontal body of the extension building gathers all main areas in one great plateau: entrance, foyer, connection and exhibitions which facilitates visitors’ orientation. The new building is organized by a spacious foyer, placed at the same level of the ground floor of the manor. This space obtains visual continuity between outside and inside by introducing incisions of landscape to the main building body. 

Image © MXSI architectural studio

To allow flexibility of exhibitions layout, the structure of the building is part of the façade liberating the whole space. All walls in the exhibition zone can be used for exposing. The project as a densified abstract forest. 
The forest in the placement where the new building will be constructed is conceptually transformed in an abstract way of parallel frames. In one hand they define the overall geometry of the new building, but at the same time they also allow transversal permeability. The result is that the parallel pattern of the structural frames is maintained from outside and inside structuring the whole building. The use of wood is a reference to the local industry’s history.

Image © MXSI architectural studio

Image © MXSI architectural studio

Project Facts

Status: Completed on june 2014 
Competition 1st. prize, June 2011 
Location: Mänttä, Finland 
Budget: EUR 19,000,000.00 
Area: 5,700sqm 

Client:Serlachius Fine Arts Foundation 
www.serlachius.fi 

Architect:MXSI architectural studio 
Boris Bezan + Héctor Mendoza + Mara Partida. (design architects) 
Oscar Fabian Espinosa Servin, Olga Bomac, Elsa Bertran, Mariona Oliver (project team) 

Local partners:Huttunen-Lipasti-Pakkanen Architects Oy, Helsinki, Finland 
www.h-l-p.fi 
Pekka Pakkanen (chief designer) 
Uula Kohonen, (project architect) 
Risto Huttunen, Jorma Kuparinen, Francesc Palomeras, Tiia Ettala, Seppo Tusa, Petri Herrala, Satoshi Ohtaki (project team) 

Structural Consultant:A-Insinöörit Oy 
www. ains.fi 
Launo Laatikainen, Engineer 
Juhani Nurmi, Engineer 

HVA-Consultant:AIRIX Talotekniikka Oy 
www.fmcgroup.fi 
Erkko Aattela, HVA-Engineer 
Petri Anttila, HVA-Engineer 

Electrical Consultant:Sähkötekniikka Kari Siren Oy 
www.sahkotekniikka.fi 
Kari Siren,  Electrical Engineer 
Juha Siren, Electrical Engineer 

Fire Consultant :Pöyry Finland Oy 
Timo O. Salmi 

Landscape Architect :Maisemasuunnittelu Hemgård 
www.hemgard.fi 
Gretel Hemgård, Vilja Larjosto 

Geo Consultant :Ramboll Finland Oy 
www.ramboll.fi 
Timo Raitanen, Geo Engineer 

Sign design :Petitcomite 
www.petitcomite.net 
Joaquim Massana i Esteve 
Yolanda Martin 

Construction company :Jämsän Kone- ja Rakennuspalvelu Oy

Heat and Plumbing:Jämsän Vesi ja Lämpö Oy 

Ventilation:MHS-Asennus Oy 

Electricity:Are Oy 

Wooden structural elements:Late-Rakenteet Oy 

Metal and glass facades:Teräselementti Oy 

Wooden and glass interiors:Inlook 

Photos:Pedro Pegenaute Tuomas Uusheimo

> via MXSI architectural studio