Rysä is the project for the new Museum and Science Centre in Oulu proposed by Andrea Tabocchini Architecture and JKMM Architects. An innovative and inviting building located near the center of the Finnish city and the Oulujoki estuary.

The proposal has been awarded as one of the 5 best entries among the 95 submitted to the international competition launched by the City of Oulu. The design takes shape through two strategies: on the one hand, the ambition to establish a dialogue between the industrial preexistence and the new addition – enhancing the former power station and its old water tower; on the other hand, the desire of creating a new lively town square that improves the surrounding neighborhood – proposing a linear plaza that relates to the urban fabric.

The project expands the museum with a simple, clear, and iconic gesture: the facade of the existing industrial building is stretched creating a fascinating transition from old to new. At the junction between the preexistence and the new volume, a glazed courtyard made of light and air welcomes visitors and inhabitants alike: conceived as a public passage through the building, this multifunctional space functions as a covered square, event space, meeting place, and entrance to the Museum.

At the same time, the facade of the new volume is conceived as a modular system of prefabricated ceramic bricks that refer to the material of the industrial building: a skin that is elegant and modern, abstract and vibrant, translucent and three-dimensional. The result is a sensitive and refined building that tells stories about the past and the future of the city. An architecture that aims to be simple enough to leave room for content and activities. An open platform for everyday life.