Learning and exhibition laboratory for the Academy of Fine Arts inside an old factory building in Punavuori, Helsinki.

Exhibition Laboratory is a rediscovered robust industrial space hosting an experimental laboratory for contemporary art. The contrast formed by the rough “factory” and the state-of-the-art laboratories gives the space a unique character. The old cast-in-situ concrete is revealed and clinical white is added as a complementary material. The space is reprogrammed and the spatial arrangement is simplified in order to regain continuity within the space. Here the old meets the new and the future confronts tradition.

The new exhibition space is a framework for expression and encounters, adapting to the constantly changing needs of the Academy of Fine Arts by providing flexible space for exhibitions, workshops, seminars, art laboratories and different kinds of unofficial meetings. The project aims to trigger new ways of making and experiencing art and strengthens the Academy's vision as a forerunner in academic research