Art Museum in Southern Finland by JKMM Architects

The Chappe Art House is a three-storey museum extension in the historic centre of Tammisaari on the south coast of Finland. The small town with 15 000 inhabitants was founded in the 16th century and is now a popular holiday resort and tourist destination. One of the main attractions is the listed old town, which took shape in the 19th century and is now one of the largest ensembles of historic wooden architecture in the country.

A roof truss made of glued laminated timber spans the two exhibition rooms on the upper floor. © Tuomas Uusheimo

This was the context faced by Helsinki-based architects JKMM when they were commissioned to extend the museum. The new 1200 m² building complements the Raseborg Museum, which was founded in 1906 and has exhibitions on local history and the art of the Finnish painter Helene Schjerfbeck (1862 – 1946), as well as a contemporary art collection. The museum was founded by Albert de la Chapelle, a doctor, molecular biologist and art collector who died in 2020. He grew up in Lindö, just 20 km away. The museum project was closely linked to his family history, and remains so today as the art foundation he established is run by his son, Henrik.

From the street, it is clear how much consideration JKMM gave to the context of the old town when designing their museum building. © Tuomas Uusheimo

With its black, profiled spruce wood facade, the museum extension blends into the cityscape while clearly standing out in colour. The asymmetrical gabled roof, with its two striking dormers, is a contemporary reinterpretation of the surrounding tin roofs. The museum extension is connected to the old museum building underground, while the two above-ground floors appear as a separate structure. An asymmetrical wooden roof truss spanning the two exhibition rooms can be found on the upper floor. Daylight filters in from above through the oversized dormers and roof beams. In addition, facade windows on both floors open up views of the immediate neighbourhood. The significantly flatter ground floor features a large multi-purpose room that can primarily be used for events.