PRECEDENT STUDIES

of the surrounding buildings and allow exhibitions to be lit with natural light if the curators choose. The shape of the domes is expressed in the topography of the newly landscaped public square which sits above the galleries, as a series of gently rolling forms clad in concrete tiles. The construction team had to dig out 460,000 cubic feet of rock for the new museum. In the weeks leading up to the museum opening, locals peered down into the exhibition space while using their hands to block out the summer sun, trying to catch a better glimpse. The existing restaurants and shops within the Lasipalatsi will continue to trade and will help contribute to the life and activity of the public square, which is a focal point for the social life of Helsinki city center and one of the most important public spaces in the shopping and entertainment district. The square also provides an opportunity for Amos Rex to create a program of outdoor events to support its gallery shows.

Precedent Studies

As the city plan would not allow an extension to the building above ground, the museum and JKMM developed a plan to extend the building beneath its courtyard, which was formerly used as a bus station. Over 2,200 square meters of gallery space were created in a series of domed spaces underground. The structural domes extend into the square above and are punctuated with angled projected skylights to create a uniquely shaped public space. The largest of the domes contains the art museum's principal gallery space, which will be used to accommodate large-scale works of art such as Team Lab’s opening digital installation. (Amos Rex’s Bulging Underground Galleries Create Playful Landscape in Helsinki Plaza, 2018) A look into one of the underground rooms. Light streams through the futuristic-looking windows located aboveground. (Gallery of Amos Rex / JKMM Architects - 40, 2018.)

PRECEDENT STUDY: 02

3.2. Lowline, New York City’s First Underground Park:

It’s not an urban sci-fi fantasy: a leafy underground park building below Delancey Street on Manhattan’s Lower East Side.

3.2.1. Concept

The Lowline is a plan to use innovative solar technology to illuminate a historic trolley terminal on the Lower East Side of New York City. Their vision is to stunning underground park, providing a beautiful respite and a cultural attraction in one of the world’s most dense, exciting urban environments.