The proposal for the Museum of the History and the Future envisages a series of volumes along its northern edge. These volumes are oriented north-south. Panromic views towards the Turku Castle frame the backdrop to the peninsula. The banks of the Aura River is a host to rich cultural and civic life and is visually dominated by the castle. The proposed museum is an extension to the envisioned cultural district.

Two new urban spaces are defined: the entrance plaza to the north and the external terrace to the south of the site. They are linked by an expansive internal street that acts as an outdoor terrace and spans the building’s length. It also links the neighbourhood to the north and the Linnanpuisto Castle Park to the east. The outdoor terrace extends the riverside promenade and accommodates various activities including open-air exhibitions and performances with the follies distributed along the new park.

The horizontal building sits low on a slightly raised platform above the river peninsula’s floodplain. It integrates seamlessly into the small-scale development proposed to the north of the site while honouring the history of the place. Characterised by the transparency of its envelope, the building respects and enhances the public use of surrounding outdoor spaces by retaining and celebrating the riverside walk and improving access to Turku’s northern cultural precinct. The new ensemble resonates with its natural environment by responding directly to its immediate surroundings in scale and materiality.

The galleries open towards the river, merging their external spaces with the riverside promenade. The proposal reinterprets the local typology of gabled houses built directly next to each other as well as their varied roofscape structures. The proposed roofscape structurally distinguishes the sequence of exhibition spaces, which can in turn be combined or divided into smaller units using additional third spaces. Skylights illuminate the north-south-oriented exhibition spaces from above.

The museum’s internal organisation is conceptualised as a “house of rooms”. The internal street accommodates all public functions, such as the café/ bar, events hall, museum shop, and museum educational services, allowing it to grow incrementally. The varying and flexible exhibition spaces are characterised by an abundance of daylight. This street can be accessed outside museum hours and becomes an integral communal space.

In the future, the complex can be expanded towards the west along the internal street, independent of the museum while remaining integrated with the park. By focusing on strategic and distinct elements, this proposal aims to create an identity for the museum and enhance the spatial relationship between the site and the Aura River and integrating it fully into the landscape of Linnanpuisto Castle Park. Through this attempt, the historical site is transformed into a contemporary Museum of the History and the Future.