MHKA, Museum of Contemporary Art

The new MHKA reflects the museum’s rich and complex identity through a layered vertical design.
Rather than a singular aesthetic, the building is composed of stacked volumes, introducing rhythm and variation over monumentality. Transparent layers slip between solid masses, offering lightness and connection—a contemporary take on the classic triptych of crown, body, and base.
A monumental billboard crowns the structure, turning it into a metropolitan landmark. Below, transparent skyrooms with generous terraces open to sweeping views, offering moments of calm above the city. The cubic tower defines the museum’s silhouette, housing the collection and overflow exhibitions. Midway, a glazed pavilion and roof garden form a “second ground floor”—a generous threshold between museum and city, hovering just above the rooftops and oriented toward the river and park.
The third floor showcases the museum’s adaptability. A neutral, open space with a 6m–16m–6m structural rhythm enables diverse scenographic configurations—a modern reimagining of nave and side aisles.
At street level, a transparent plinth anchors the museum in its context. A continuous urban forum stretches from riverbank to park, with dual entrances and a lively mix of reception, bookshop, and café. A clear grid with large spans ensures flexibility, supporting future evolution without compromising openness.
Between the building’s three core program clusters, outward-looking spaces engage the city. These extroverted gestures soften the boundary between museum and metropolis. Porous layers and a central spiral stair connect mezzanine, terraces, galleries, and auditorium. A public stair along the river leads up to the collection levels, promoting flow and engagement.
The façades form a layered play of openness and enclosure. A fully glazed plinth and mezzanine animate the base, shaded by movable screens. Above, undulating ceramic and glass elements wrap the building, while upper galleries are clad in corrugated metal for climate control. At the top, deep glazing and shading restore transparency, with a shimmering metal crown concealing technical functions and housing the digital billboard.