Exploring Evolving Forms: The Near Figure Museum in Finland
The Near Figure Museum by Chuxin Tuoyuan is a conceptual architectural project that investigates the idea of the ‘Near Figure,’ a condition in which architectural form exists between recognizability and abstraction. The project focuses on transitional states of form and space, where architectural elements suggest purpose without resolving into fixed or easily identifiable figures. Through this approach, the museum examines how meaning, legibility, and identity can emerge gradually through spatial experience rather than explicit representation.
Planned as a museum in Finland, the project positions architecture within a critical phase of progression, where form operates simultaneously as static structure and dynamic potential. Rather than presenting a singular, resolved image, the building is conceived as an evolving configuration shaped by deformation, transformation, and spatial ambiguity. This condition allows the architecture to remain open to interpretation while maintaining a sense of intentionality.
all images courtesy of Chuxin Tuoyuan
Chuxin Tuoyuan expresses tension with clarity and abstraction
Circulation is organized by Chuxin Tuoyuan studio through two independent and directionally distinct paths that intersect and weave through the building. These routes guide visitors through a sequence of open galleries, exhibition halls, a café, exterior platforms, and activity areas. Within the larger public spaces, localized deformations of form create more enclosed zones, accommodating offices, kitchens, private dining areas, lounges, and smaller exhibition rooms. Programmatic boundaries are defined through spatial shifts rather than conventional partitions.
Material strategy plays a central role in articulating the Near Figure concept. The project employs green concrete as its primary construction material, selected for its malleability and capacity to support fluid transitions between forms. This material allows the architecture to express tension between clarity and abstraction while emphasizing thresholds and gradual transformations. Recycled wood is combined with green concrete to improve insulation performance and reduce overall carbon emissions, aligning material choices with environmental considerations.
a waterfront cultural form operates in the critical space between the identifiable and the unidentifiable
Near Figure Museum’s design Examines Geometry and Ambiguity
The research framework of the project draws from mathematical geometry, particularly the cube, as a starting point for formal transformation. Through a series of controlled deformations, the design explores the minimum and maximum thresholds at which a form remains legible without becoming fully identifiable. This process seeks to define the limits of the Near Figure as an architectural condition.
At its core, the project addresses broader questions about meaning and communication in contemporary architecture. In response to shifts brought about by postmodernism, deconstructivism, and digital design methodologies, the Near Figure Museum examines how architecture can convey purpose without relying on fixed symbols or explicit narratives. The result is a proposal that positions form, material, and circulation as tools for exploring ambiguity, progression, and evolving architectural expression.
at night, the architecture clarifies its near figure through light and mass
