Pilvi Kalhama has been appointed Director of the Architecture & Design Museum Helsinki. Kalhama, starting in the position in August, will be the inaugural director of Finland’s new Museum of Architecture and Design, set to open in Helsinki’s South Harbour in 2030.
“In the search for a director for the new Museum of Architecture and Design, we were looking for a visionary and inspiring leader, one who could steer the institution towards the ambitious goals of the new museum, and be a strong advocate for architecture, design and the creative fields. Pilvi Kalhama convinced us with her multidisciplinary experience and international approach,” says Kaarina Gould, Chair of the Architecture and Design Museum.
Pilvi Kalhama will take up her position Director of the Architecture & Design Museum and CEO of AD Museum, an Ltd in charge of the museum operations in August 2025. Kalhama joins AD Museum from EMMA – Espoo Museum of Modern Art, where she has acted as Director since 2012.
“I am delighted to have the opportunity to take on the long-awaited museum project. It’s a big and exciting task – the new museum must claim its position prominently on the international scene. This project is central to our architecture and design communities, for Finnish economy and brand, and of course for our audiences. In the organisation, I want to cultivate a working culture where we boldly take new steps to become the best in our field,” describes Kalhama.
The new Museum of Architecture and Design is set to open in Helsinki’s South Harbour in 2030. The architecture competition for the new museum building is currently underway and the winner will be selected in September 2025. Until the opening of the new premises, the museum, which was formed in 2024 with the merger of the Museum of Finnish Architecture and Design Museum Helsinki, will continue to operate in its two historical buildings in the centre of Helsinki.
“There is a global demand right now for the new museum, especially as a Nordic institution, as international attention focuses on our ability to maintain a functioning, democratic society. Alongside functional aesthetics, Finnish design has always been about equality and problem solving,” sees Kalhama.
Maija Tanninen-Mattila, who is interim director of the Museum of Architecture & Design, will continue in her position until August 2025.
Ph. Lic. Pilvi Kalhama is an art historian and cultural researcher. Her doctoral dissertation, which she is presently working on at the University of Turku, focuses on the current shift in diversity within museum institutions. Kalhama was the founder and director of the gallery that was the predecessor of Helsinki Contemporary. She actively holds positions of trust in the field of culture, including on the Boards of Directors of PUBLICS Centre for Curatorial Thinking, the Aboa Vetus Ars Nova museums, and the Foundation for Constructivist Art, as well as the
Administrative Council of the Finnish National Theatre and the Advisory Board for Cultural Affairs in the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Finland. Kalhama will continue in her position as director of EMMA until the summer of 2025.