Malmö Art Museum

Malmö’s new art museum in Kungsparken will be a powerful addition to the pulse of the city – a dynamic and inclusive meeting place for art and people, new ideas and creativity. Here, in the heart of the city, in the heart of Malmö’s oldest park, the City’s collection of over 40,000 works can be shown in modern and accessible premises, with space for both local and international contemporary art as well as historical works.

The purpose of the competition is to achieve inspiring proposals that are well-planned for the specific location, economically and environmentally robust and of high architectural quality.

The location

The competition site is located beside the canal within the historic park setting of Kungsparken, in Malmö’s city centre. To the east, Kungsparken is bordered by Slottsgatan, a part of the ceremonial boulevard created between Malmö Central Station and the Baltic Exhibition of 1914.

The existing building on the site, the Restaurangpaviljongen, will be given a new use and will be complemented by new construction meeting the required standards for indoor climate and security. The Restaurangpaviljongen has played an important role in Malmö’s social and cultural life in various guises since it was first built nearly 150 years ago.

The location in Kungsparken places Malmö’s art collection close to the city centre and as part of a central cultural corridor, nearby established meeting places such as Malmö Opera, Konsthallen, Malmö Museum, the City Library and Malmö Live.

The competition

The competition brief is to develop a concept and design for a site-specific art museum and its immediate surroundings, with well-designed spaces. In addition to exhibition spaces, the new art museum will also accommodate a range of other functions, such as a library, museum shop, restaurant, event hall, makerspace, artists’ studios and the institution’s working environment.

The museum should be experienced and function as a coherent whole. The architecture should be experienced as part of the valuable park and inner-city environment surrounding the building, and the new constructions impact on greenery, the park setting and cultural heritage should be minimized.

The architecture should reflect Malmö’s spirit, attitude and tradition of being a courageous and forward-looking city. It should also reflect the diverse cultures, perspectives and knowledge of our time.

The competition is conducted as a project competition in accordance with the Swedish Public Procurement Act and under conditions of confidentiality.

Team composition

We invite architectural teams where at least one key person or one company in the team must have experience of construction in Sweden, its regulations and standards. Teams must be able to be partially present in Malmö to carry out a subsequent assignment to develop the project. Competing teams will receive a fee of SEK 500,000.

A more detailed description of the programme and spatial requirements will be provided in the competition brief issued to the five competing teams.

The proposals must provide a strong basis for further development towards implementation. The organiser’s intention is to appoint the winning architectural team for a subsequent assignment up to and including completion of the building. One winner will be selected.