Architectural intersections: Museum of Contemporary Art, Helsinki

Steven Hollwon an international competition for the Museum of Contemporary Art in Helsinki, Finland, based on the concept of intertwining or ‘chiasma’. That idea stems from the museum's site, which stands at the point where the city and Töölö Bay, the commercial core and the Parliament building come together. Intertwining also characterizes the form of the building, in which a gallery wing twists over and around a rectangular block, separated by a tall, curving entry hall dominated by a broad ramp. The museum has a few functional lapses, but is generally successful.