Uima — Sean McGillicuddy

Initial Thoughts

Vertical movement is a critical component of the design.

Considering the sun.

Path and human movement through the site.

The LVL wood beams are constructed like so.

The wood beams are connected to a metal plate mounted at ground level by a metal bracket.

Considering the interaction between sky, land, and sea through the idea of path.

In Helsinki, daylight hours vary widely between the summer and winter months due to its northern latitude.

The relationship between the three elements of the program was important to consider.

The wood beam meeting the ground plane.

The site contains several programs. A theater, an outdoor amphitheater, a forestry patch, a cafe, a storage space, a kayak launch, swimming docks, and a running path. The design works to mediate between all of these programs.

The alley between the theater space and the cafe space

When designing this building there were two important considerations. The first was the differences in the sun throughout the year. In Helsinki, daylight in the summer lasts 18 hours a day, while in the winter it can last only 6. The angles at which sunlight enters the building also varies widely. The sloped platforms were designed to mitigate glare in spaces exposed to the low winter sun.

The other important consideration was the use of the site. The site was a small island park just off the main city. The many paths and trails were popular with runners, and maintaining the existing pathways was important. Beyond this, the building integrates it’s own looping pathways into the existing ones.