Shared Dreams
Sited within Helsinki’s Töölönlahti cultural precinct—alongside the Helsinki Music Centre, Aalto Congress Centre, and Kiasma Museum—Shared Dreams establishes a porous civic anchor connecting the railway infrastructure to Makasiinipuisto Park. The building's orientation responds directly to surrounding urban vectors:
The Baana Axis: The primary pedestrian and cycle highway intersects the western façade, drawing movement directly from Mannerheimintie into the main library entrance.
Park Continuity: A sequence of sloped, transparent ground-floor levels dissolves the boundary between the public park and interior lobby, hosting an active public forum featuring exhibition spaces, a café, a cinema, a sauna, an event hall, and a restaurant.
Ground-Level Forum: Operates as an open, traffic-free extension of the civic realm, welcoming high-density public events and media interaction.
Upper Collection Floors (Levels 2–3): Houses quiet reading zones, physical book archives, and digital research suites. Positioned to capitalize on natural daylight, serene acoustic conditions, and elevated views across the park.
Central Daylight Atrium: A vertical void containing the primary escalator spine and light well, wrapped by informal study lounges and lounge points that establish visual connections across all floor plates.
Shared Dreams bridges the transition toward the modern hybrid library—where physical books and digital media coexist—providing Helsinki with an adaptable, energy-efficient cultural forum built to accommodate future media evolutions.
Sited within Helsinki’s Töölönlahti cultural precinct—alongside the Helsinki Music Centre, Aalto Congress Centre, and Kiasma Museum—Shared Dreams establishes a porous civic anchor connecting the railway infrastructure to Makasiinipuisto Park. The building's orientation responds directly to surrounding urban vectors:
The Baana Axis: The primary pedestrian and cycle highway intersects the western façade, drawing movement directly from Mannerheimintie into the main library entrance.
Park Continuity: A sequence of sloped, transparent ground-floor levels dissolves the boundary between the public park and interior lobby, hosting an active public forum featuring exhibition spaces, a café, a cinema, a sauna, an event hall, and a restaurant.
Ground-Level Forum: Operates as an open, traffic-free extension of the civic realm, welcoming high-density public events and media interaction.
Upper Collection Floors (Levels 2–3): Houses quiet reading zones, physical book archives, and digital research suites. Positioned to capitalize on natural daylight, serene acoustic conditions, and elevated views across the park.
Central Daylight Atrium: A vertical void containing the primary escalator spine and light well, wrapped by informal study lounges and lounge points that establish visual connections across all floor plates.
Shared Dreams bridges the transition toward the modern hybrid library—where physical books and digital media coexist—providing Helsinki with an adaptable, energy-efficient cultural forum built to accommodate future media evolutions.
Client
Helsinki City
Program
Library, childrens’ world, Exhibition, Cinema, Public service space and office
Partner in charge
Toshihiro KUBOTA
Francisco MARTINEZ
Architect
Thoma Amarty,
Pierre Voirin,
Charlotte Thietart
Energy-technology expert
Elioth
Perspectives
Jigen
Helsinki City
Program
Library, childrens’ world, Exhibition, Cinema, Public service space and office
Partner in charge
Toshihiro KUBOTA
Francisco MARTINEZ
Architect
Thoma Amarty,
Pierre Voirin,
Charlotte Thietart
Energy-technology expert
Elioth
Perspectives
Jigen