The new wing of the Contemporary Art Museum Gösta Serlachius in Finland, designed by Spanish architectural firm MX_SI, has been opened after three years of planning and development.

MX_SI won a competition back in 2011 to design and build the extension for the visitor attraction in Mänttä, which is now a fully functioning part of the museum, playing host to the new entrance, foyer, restaurant, conservation facilities and a shop.

Constructed from locally sourced spruce, which has been laminated to create a sturdy framework, the structure blends into the surrounding landscape and aims to have minimal visual impact.

Using wood was a high priority for MX_SI. In a statement, the firm commented; "The project is conceptualised as an abstract and dense forest" – a theme perpetuated throughout its work on the project, the importance of which is demonstrated in the video below.

The €19m ($24m, £15m) project allows the “outside spatial quality to be brought inside the new building” by offering panoramic views over the landscaped gardens and a nearby lake through large glass sheets, all framed in natural wood.

The extension has been added to Joenniemi Manor – a 1935 residence that originally housed the museums collections. The new wing offers an additional 5,700 sq m (61,354 sq ft) of exhibition and recreational space for the museum. In addition, MX_SI also designed a new bridge, linking the museum with a small island that had previously been disconnected after the old bridge collapsed.

The museum's home of Mänttä applied to become European Capital of Culture in 2011, the same year the museum plans were approved.

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