ALVAR AALTO

1898: Born at kuortane on feb 4 1916: Metriculation from jyvaskyla classical lyceum 1921: Diploma of architecture at institute of technology, helsinki.

1923-27: Private architectural office in Jyvaskyla. 1924: married to architectAino Marsio 1927-33: private architectural office in Turku. 1933-42: private architectural office in Helsinki.

1943-58 Chairman of the Association of Finnish Architects SAFA (Honorary Member since 1958 1946-48 Professor of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology M.I.T. (Cambridge, USA)

1952 married to architect Elissa Mkiniemi 1955- member of the Finnish Academy (Emeritus Member since 1968) 1963-68 President of the Finnish Academy. 1976 died in Helsinki on May 11th

Aalto Studio

AALTO STUDIO

Climate: Context: Style:

cold suburban Modern

Notes: The two studio form an ell shape, which arcs around outdoor amphitheater.

Because of the thoroughly collegial relationship between Aalto and his associates, all academically trained architects, this office has been designed 'as if for a family'. . . The office consists of two large drafting rooms each with its own reception areas, archives and conference rooms. Neither of the two drafting rooms has special rooms or predominance over the other. They therefore can be used interchangeably for larger or smaller projects. The building has no windows on the street side and is very well insulated from exterior disturbances. For this reason it opens onto a garden surrounded by an open amphitheater available to all associates for lectures, good fellowship and recreation."

Baker Dormitory

Architect: Alvar Aalto Location: Cambridge, Massachusetts Date1947 to 1948 BuildingType :college dormitory Construction: System:brick Climate: temperate Context: urban campus Style: Modern Notes: at MIT. S-curved plan optimizes views along Charles River.

BAKER DORMITORY

DISCUSSION

"The site is located on a heavily-trafficked street along the Charles River. In order to avoid as much as possible the disturbing view out onto this street, a curving plan form was chosen. By this means, no room was oriented at right angles to the street and its traffic. It is well known how much more tranquil it is to look, for example, from a diagonal line of sight out of the windows of a moving train at the passing landscape. An attempt to make use of this phenomenon was made with the form of the building: the windows face diagonally to the passing automobiles and thus afford a quieter environment for the person within the room. The stairway system is housed in a paneled structure rising up the north side of the building which allows an unobstructed view along its entire length from the lowest landing."

HOUSE OF CULTURE

Architect: Alvar Aalto Location: Helsinki, Finland Date: 1955 to 1958 Building Type: cultural center Construction System: tile cladding Climate: cold ContexturbanStyle: Modern Notes: A lilting interpretation of the shape of music.

"The 'house of culture' (Kulttuuritalo) serves as a centre for the cultural work of various trade-union organizations. The building comprises three distinct parts: offices, lecture and conference rooms, a concert hall. The office part has five storeys with 110 offices, meeting rooms and two flats. In the lecture and conference room section (in the middle of a U-shaped complex) are a lecture hall, study rooms, discussion rooms, a library and a records room. The concert and congress hall is the main feature of the group. The hall, with 1500 seats and a stage 200 sq m, is primarily intended for concerts, but is also used for lectures. The various parts of the building are linked together along the street by a canopy 60m long, under which are the main entrances. The free asymmetrical form of the hall entailed the development of a new facing element, a wedge-shaped brick, with which all the curves of the irregular exterior could be realized."

Riola Parish Church

Architect: Alvar Aalt Location: Riola, Italy Date: 1975 to 1978 BuildingType: church Construction System: concrete with stone and copper cladding Climate: mediterranean Context : rural Style: Modern

Riola Parish Church

"The new church was one of the first in which the 'reformed' Roman Catholic liturgy would be given expression in architectural terms; the aim was to provide a close relationship between altar, choir and organ, as well as the baptistery. The shape of the church itself is an asymmetrical basilica with asymmetrical vaulting through which light, directed especially towards the altar, enters the building. Galleries were dispensed with, but the choir area was extended to compensate for their absence. The front wall of the church can be opened so that the forecourt serves as an extension to it."

Riola Parish Church

Seinajoki Library

Architect: Alvar Aalt Location: Seinajoki, Finland Date: 1963 to 1965 BuildingType: library Construction System: concrete Climate: cold Context: town centerStyle: Modern Notes: Mt. Angel Library is similar but note use of sloping site there.

Seinajoki Library

A double-loaded corridor block is split about a third of the way along to provide the focus of the library, the entrance and control desk. To the left is the children's library, to the right the administrative offices of the library, and right ahead, a well in which the reference library is housed; and around that and beyond, the main stacks of the library fan out. The roof identifies and contains the functional separation of elements of the library, rising in an abrupt curve over the main stacks to allow light to enter and bounce around in the space. Externally the roofline reveals little of the complexities experienced internally. The whole building is white, except for its dark skirting where it touches the ground and the entrance steps hidden behind a marble slab."

Seinajoki Library

Seinajoki Library

Enso-Gutzeit Headquarters

Architect: Alvar Aalto Location: Helsinki, Finland Date: 1959 to 1962 Building Type: corporate headquarters Construction System: marble cladding Climate: cold Context: urban, Style: Modern Notes: Sophisticated details and propostions in marble and wood create a modern classic both sleek and earthy

Discussion Enso-Gutzeit Headquarters

"The building is the administrative headquarters of one of the largest paper and cellulose concerns in Finland. It adjoins the classical part of the city and stands at the end of the Esplanadikatu, a broad park-like road. Immediately behind on a slightly higher level is the Russian Orthodox church. The scale of this office building derives both its horizontal and vertical character form the nearby historical buildings, hence its symmetrical, formal facade. Except for the roof-storey, the plan of the office floors is so arranged that the large rooms occur on the outside and can be subdivided according to needs. The subsidiary rooms lie on both sides of the central lobby connecting with the offices. The dining room is on the top floor. The elevations are faced with white and grey-blue carrara marble."

National Pensions Building

Architect: Alvar Aalto Location: Helsinki,Finland Date: competition 1949, built1952 Building Type: government offices Construction System:brick cladding Climate: cold Context: urban Style: Modern Notes: Beautiful example of detailing brick-as-cladding, with bronze metal trim.

Discussion National Pensions Building

"The National Pensions Institute, by Aalto (competition 1948; completed 1956), occupies a restricted triangular site in the northern part of the city. In it Aalto reintroduced red brick for modern Finnish town architecture. The brick buildings, copper-trimmed, step up the slope and enclose a raised courtyard. The canteen... exemplifies Aalto's decorative inventiveness; note the metal ceiling panels containing heating units and the walls lined with rounded ceramic tiles invented by Aalto for this occasion and used by him in several buildings subsequently."

Saynatsalo Town Hall

Architect: Alvar Aalto Location: Saynatsalo, Finland Date:1949 competition, built 1952 Building Type government offices, city hall, including public library Construction System:brick, wood Climate: cold Context: small town center Style: Modern Notes: Branching rafters in council chamber. Courtyard connected back to landscape by grass steps.

DiscussionSaynatsalo Town Hall

It is intimate and idiosyncratic, with an unusual layout directly responsive to the genius loci. The various buildings forming the groupmunicipal offices, council chamber, library and officials' residencesare planned round a courtyard which is artificially raised above the surrounding wooded countryside by using the material excavated for the buildings' foundations. Gaps between the buildings allow access to the courtyard, from which all the buildings are entered, up flights of steps, and also allow views towards distant lakes and the penetration of the low northern sun. Materials are dark red brick, wood and copper, and the abruptly varied roof shapes, seen through closely planted trees, cause the whole group to be absorbed into the rugged landscape and to appear as a romantic intensification of the scene in which it is set down."