The exterior is like a huge wave.
The facades glimmer in the colours of the surface of the sea.
Someone has said that architecture represents constructed state of mind. Architecture creates the setting and arouses feelings. The basic idea in the architecture of Maritime Centre Vellamo has been to create a place which provides a space for a maritime ambience and the spirit of Kymenlaakso.
The general architectural competition aimed to accomplish a building which could serve as the home base for the Maritime Museum of Finland and the Museum of Kymenlaakso, and which would have a distinct role in its home town. In other words, the new building was to possess regional, national and international significance, contributing to the general appearance of Kotka and South-Eastern Finland.
The interesting and challenging assignment beside the sea attracted many suggestions to the competition. All suggestions were characterised by strong lines. The winning suggestion was a plan by the name of Hyöky (Surge), where the shape of the building was based on an idea of the motion of the seas, with the facades depicting the glimmer of the sea.
The competition was decided in January 2005. The tsunami in the preceding Boxing Day had shown the tragic force of the sea in South-East Asia. The sea has at least two faces: the calm and the menacing. Maritime Centre Vellamo presents both of these through its architecture and contents.
The design process of Maritime Centre Vellamo continued after the architectural competition in a situation where the personnel of both the Maritime Museum of Finland and Museum of Kymenlaakso were moving from inadequate facilities to a new building designed specifically for museum use. The basic idea of the winning suggestion concerning the equal role of the two museums in the building provided a good starting point for the solutions.
The entrance, lobby and the high boat hall constitute the architectural centre point of the interior of the building, with the “internal main doors” of the main exhibition facilities opening into this. The unambiguous appearance of the large building makes it easy for people to orient themselves. The auditorium, meeting facilities and restaurant of the modern museum serve as an entity of their own as a small conference centre.
The large size of the building and because it reaches towards the centre of Kotka render it a navigation mark in the urban setting. A building that guides the route from the Market Square to the port.
Ilmari Lahdelma, architect
Maritime Centre Vellamo is a new building which was opened to the public on 11 July 2008. The building was designed by Lahdelma & Mahlamäki Architects, and the main designer was architect, professor Ilmari Lahdelma.
