The Estonian Museum of Natural History is building a new museum building. In 2027, we plan to open the most modern permanent exhibition in Estonia’s largest public energy-efficient wooden building.
To ensure the best possible conceptual solution for the new permanent exhibition, we launched a design competition in September 2024. The winning project was selected in January 2025, with Studio MAST VOF emerging victorious with their concept "See the Unseen."
Design competition brief:
The upcoming core exhibition, titled “The Art of Coexistence,” is a holistic and personally engaging experience that appeals to all senses, invites participation, evokes a range of emotions, and offers an immersive spatial journey. Our goal is to showcase the interconnectedness of nature and emphasize that humans are an integral part of it.
Winning Concept: "See the Unseen"
Author: Studio MAST VOF
Explore the winning design:
Jury Comments
A thoroughly developed conceptual design that skillfully synthesizes various themes. The exhibition’s positive core message—everything is interconnected, and humans are part of nature—is strongly emphasized and consistently reinforced across all topics. The themes are explored in great detail, clearly outlining the visitor experience, key messages, and the information provided.
Rather than attempting to compete with the direct experience of nature, the exhibition highlights what often goes unseen when moving through natural environments, revealing hidden connections. Climate-related themes, which are essential from a museum perspective, are convincingly represented. The result is an innovative natural history museum that incorporates traditional elements while presenting them in a fresh way.
The design strikes a balance between immersive experiences and the display of museum objects, allowing for meaningful integration of the museum’s collections. Artifacts—including items gathered through collection campaigns—are seamlessly woven into the narratives and exhibits. Digital solutions are designed to actively engage visitors. A pendant, which visitors carry through the exhibition to create their own profile, serves as a guiding element, reinforcing the exhibition’s core goal: fostering a meaningful relationship with nature. The final exhibit enables visitors to leave their mark, summarizing their experience and leaving them with a lasting impression.
The graphic design is bold, with an eye-catching color scheme. The modern adaptation of old naturalists' illustrations fits well within a natural history museum, while the incorporation of species featured in the exhibition visually unifies the graphics and exhibits into a cohesive whole.
In summary, this is a thoroughly developed and well-rounded conceptual solution: a compelling narrative, an interior architectural approach that best suits the building, an impactful visual language that effectively conveys the content, and a harmonious design aesthetic, all contributing to a holistic and immersive visitor experience.
2nd Place: "Saar"
Author: LUMIA, Design Studio “H2E”, Gagarin ja Heya Visual
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Jury Comments
A thoroughly conceptualized and highly imaginative design. Both the spatial idea and thematic approach have been developed with equal attention to detail. The design maximizes the use of space, creating multi-layered areas with alcoves and varied corners. The visitor journey is logical and easy to follow, allowing for a smooth and immersive progression through the themes. The visual design language is clear and calm, yet striking and architecturally refined.
This concept provides the most compelling integration of museum collections. Artifacts are seamlessly woven into the thematic narrative, emphasizing local uniqueness. The proposal thoughtfully incorporates a wide range of exhibits, clearly defining the overarching narrative, core message, and technological solutions used. Special attention has been given to sound and lighting design for each theme, enhancing the immersive experience. The balance between digital technology and natural/material exhibits is well-maintained, with both elements complementing one another. AI and AR technologies are incorporated to present different perspectives to visitors.
In summary, this is a highly detailed, creative concept that effectively highlights Estonia’s unique characteristics. However, the rigid and large-scale spatial design may pose a challenging implementation.
3rd Place: "Coexistence"
Author: Chargeurs Museum Studio (UK) Ltd
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Jury Comments
A distinctive design in terms of spatial planning and thematic methodology. The visitor journey is open and flexible, allowing for visits with different focal points. The pace of exploration is adaptable to each visitor. Structurally, the layout is clearly defined: between the volumetric landscape pavilions, various exhibits and so-called "science points" are placed, along with small seating and gathering areas. Numerous options for displaying museum artifacts have been integrated. The spaces between the pavilions are designed to be easily adaptable if needed in the future. Visually, the design is neutral, with light wood and soft, natural tones creating a calm and inviting atmosphere.
The conceptual framework—"Admire, Love, Commit"—is realized as a journey that evokes different emotions. Landscapes are experienced through the perspective of a specific animal and a particular sense, offering a novel way to perceive nature in a natural history museum setting. An intriguing aspect is how visitors can "immerse themselves" in nature within the pavilions, while in the science stations, they can reorient themselves as human observers, engaging with and learning about the themes through their own perspective.
Overall, by further refining the balance between scenography and dramaturgy, this concept has strong potential to become a captivating and revisitable exhibition.
4th Place, Special Prize: "Everything Is Alive"
Author: Kossmanndejong B.V
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Jury Comments
A concept that stands out for its abundance of ideas and bold approach. Significant effort has been put into developing spatial, thematic, and exhibit solutions, many of which are realistically implementable. The exhibition feels dynamic, engaging, and workshop-like, encouraging active participation. The ramp solution creatively utilizes the space beneath it, creating rooms and alcoves of varying sizes. The scenography fosters a sense of discovery, offering diverse spatial experiences. The theme of an open collection and behind-the-scenes museum work is engagingly presented for visitors.
The introduction and conclusion of the exhibition journey are visually striking. The use of personas linked to different visitor profiles provides a foundation for a variety of exhibit formats, making the experience more diverse. Particularly noteworthy are the partially open and interactive dioramas, where natural and synthetic materials are combined to allow visitors an up-close engagement with the exhibits.
Overall, the concept includes numerous exciting and feasible ideas. To successfully implement the exhibition, further work is needed to refine both the spatial and thematic structure, ensuring clarity and stylistic cohesion.
5th place: "Vaatenurk"
6th Place: "Kreedo"
7th Place: "The Path"
8th Place: "Path of Coexistence"
