Helsinki, Finland: Biennial Pavilion

Here's a unique part of the waterfront in Helsinki. From a distance, the middle of it looks like one of those cones in malls where you'd put in a coin on its side, let it go, and watch it gather speed as it heads for the bottom. Except, much bigger.

But that's not it. The Biennial Pavilion is something of a waiting area for a ferry - albeit one that isn't exactly flat. An art festival is held there annually at a nearby island, and this is the way to sit in a unique spot and wait for the next boat to Vallisaari island. Since most of the boats contain wood, the idea is that a wooden structure reflects that fact. The festival runs from June to September.

That raises the question - what about the rest of the year? Since it's on the harbor, people can wait for other boats as well. The building, meanwhile, has a tourism office located on the underside of the structure. And if it rains, people can wait out the storm under portions of it. 

Since it is rather unlikely that many of our readers will be dropping in on the festival, here's a video about it.