Alvar Aalto’s architectural and design works have far-reaching influence on the contemporary building industry. The Finnish architecture lived between 1898 and 1976.[1]
His housing plans, furniture, and inventions were inspired by personal experiences as well as the influential ideologies of his time. According to Kim, Aalto is known for a distinctive fusion of the classical, romanticism, and modern architecture.[2]
Aalto combined the features of the traditional architecture with indigenous techniques to create award-winning masterpieces such as Turun Sanomat, Paimio’s tuberculosis sanatorium, Villa Mariea, and Vipuri Municipal Library.
However, most of Aalto’s oeuvre falls under classical-romantic and technology-art dichotomies. Aalto produced over 500 buildings, numerous furniture, and industrial designs. His early-career products comprise furniture, private residential houses, and church renovations. Singler and Ray found that Aalto’s first designs had similar characteristics with the freestanding campaniles and churches he observed during his honeymoon in Tuscany.[3] However, he shifted from the classicism to functionalism in order to increase his competitive edge in the international housing markets. At the time, there was a high demand for buildings that complied with international styles. Poole argues that Aalto not only had the artistic will but also special abilities to win the competitions and impress the highly influential and like-minded clients.[4]
The young engineers admired the models by Gropius, Le Corbusier, and other renowned artists. On the other hand, the classically-trained judges of the prize committees disregarded the proposals of the functionalist.
Aalto had vast academic knowledge and technical skills by the time he opened his first workshop. He continued to author articles touching on the critical aspects of high-quality architectural designs and buildings such as the international influence, aesthetic appeal and the importance of social equity.[5] The rapid industrialization and urbanizations in the first half of the 20th century led to rapid ideological shifts that favoured Alvar Aalto’s unique capabilities. He fostered a business partnership with romantic philosophers like Sigfried Giedion and together they contributed significantly to the growth in the application of modern technology in architecture.[6] The collaborations led to the success of Paimio Sanatorium and several international masterpieces by Aalto. He drew influences from virtually all the dichotomies of design but twisted the ideologies to satisfy the changing needs of the consumers.
Alvar Aalto’s Oeuvres as Fusions of Classical and Romantic Architecture
Aalto ventured into the building industry during the Nordic Classicism era. Although the western civilizations were the pacesetters when he built his first workshop in Jyvaskyla in 1921, the technological fluctuations had significant impacts on the industry.[7] The vernacular and neoclassical precedents had a strong influence on Aalto’s and fellow architects’ skills set. Exploring the national romantic style alongside functionalism enabled Aalto to create a market niche. He borrowed ideas from virtually all the architectural movements to target the Finnish clients with a high sense of pride in their culture and the emerging middle class whose needs were not being addressed by the competitors. As Kim explains, Aalto established the Jyvaskyla’s workstation after a four-year tour across Europe.[8]
However, Aalto was more interested in realities than the widespread building techniques. He ranks among the greatest contributors of organic architecture. This was because he embraced the humanistic design as opposed to many artists of his time who adhered to the concepts of rationalism.
Aalto incorporated the Finnish building traditions into his modern architecture. The neoclassical ideas were more popular in Aalto’s works than the romantic nationalism aspects. According to Poole, Aalto’s exhibitions at the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) in1938 were described as the most original furniture and architectural design of the past decade.[9] He employed creativity to solve the prevailing socioeconomic issues in his community. For example, Aalto advocated for affordable housing during the infamous economic recession of the 1930s. Poole further cites that Aalto and his first wife, Aino Marsio, moved to Turku in 1927 in search for better career-building opportunities as the town provided a better getaway to Western Europe than Jyvaskyla.[10]
The area recorded an unprecedented increase in city dwellers hence landlords resorted to new building plans such as flat roofs, and terraces that connected the interior rooms to abundant light and air. The modern architecture further attracted four million visitors by 1930. In the same year, Aalto won the architectural competition and a tender to construct Finland’s first internationally recognized modern house. Turun Sanomat was a multi-purpose commercial building comprising a printing and rotary press, office spaces, typesetting room, 9 apartments and 29 hotel rooms on the fourth floor as indicated in figure 1 below.
Figure 1: Turun Sanomat Pictures
(Source: wikiarquitectura.com)[11]
The building comprised columns and facades that followed the orders of the modern architecture. Menin and Samuel observed that Tarun Sanomat met all the characteristics of Corbusier’s New Architecture Model. For example, the free plan allowed Aalto to designs structure that maximized the quality of interior components and movements of the occupants. For example, the building has multiple entrances on the façade facing the street. The first entry point enables free movements of vehicles to the basement and there are several accesses to the offices. The use of smooth white surfaces, flat roofs, the tapered piers present evidence that Aalto moved beyond the classicism that was common in the 1920s.
Aalto used similar ideas in Paimio Sanatorium. The health facility has wings A (inpatients rooms), B (dining and social room), C (kitchen) D (powerhouse), E (residential houses), F (Employee houses) and G (Garage). According to the classical concept, every structure should have a mathematical relationship to other parts.[12]
Instead, the position of Sanatorium’s rooms, windows and doors were influenced by the natural characteristics of the sites such as sunlight and fresh air. For example, wing A faces South East so that all the patients enjoy the morning sun. The open-air terraces of the section are curved southwards to enable the flow of light in the afternoon.
Figure 2: Paimio Sanatorium
(Source: Metalocus)[13]
Like in Tarun Sanomat, Aalto’s design is not restricted by the previous movements but rather he creatively introduces new means for delivering high value to the building occupants. He created the perfect ambiance to facilitate the healing process among the patients.[14]
The soft indefinite tone of the wall paints, as well as the natural lights, protected the individuals from visually harsh lighting systems that were common in other health facilities. The rooms further had soft walls with 1/8 inch thick cellular material to absorb excess sound thereby creating the silence needed to achieve peace of mind.[15]
The Balance between Technology and Art in Aalto’s Creations
Aalto integrated art with the Finnish longstanding traditions in most of his oeuvres. The knowledge he acquired from the furniture works became instrumental in enhancing the technical component of the future products.[16] The skills helped in creating a washing basin at Paimio Tuberculosis Sanatorium that received water without splashing. The building also had perfectly fitting doorknobs, with good leverage that does not catch clothing. Moreover, the Sanitarium ceiling was made of low heating panels to maintain temperature and save on electricity costs. In other words, Aalto relied on both the technology and art concepts to create appropriate and stylistic interior decorations that meet the ecological aspects of the surrounding of the building.
Aalto’s 1934 Viipury Municipal Library also portrays him as an inventor with the ability to fuse art with contemporary ideas to produce a masterpiece. According to Cuecedo, although the library had a complex design, Aalto arranged the various elements so well such that their purpose was apparent.[17] Its most outstanding features include the reading room which has specially designed 57 circular light wells that prevent the penetration of the direct sunlight. The sun rays are first transmitted to the prismatic diffusing glass and then pass through the conical segments of the well that in turn reflect the light into the room. Cuecedo further cites that Aalto longed for the period when architects were artists.[18] This implies that the Aalto was concerned over the loss of creativity due to the emergence of the technologies. Computers were available throughout Aalto’s career period but he preferred manually drawn designs over software generated work.[19]
Artek Company that Alto cofounded with his wife specialized in modern bentwood furniture and artistic fittings.[20]
The product portfolio, as well as the company’s marketing philosophy, was to apply the traditional Finnish values to promote social and cultural progress among the emerging middle and high-income classes. Aalto hardly painted the wood he used in constructing the building. Most of the furniture in Sanatorium, Library and Villa Mairiea were not painted in order to showcase the natural beauty part of the raw materials. Sampaio attributes the trend to Aalto’s dedication to create positive perception towards the Finnish culture.[21] Indeed, the unique aesthetic appeal of the masterpieces demonstrated that that the homemade materials can be design to surpass the international products.
Villa Mairea served as a laboratory experiment to test ideas for tackling the housing problem of the time. Aalto believed that the existing frameworks excluded a number of issues that were critical to the growth of the industry. Consequently, the architect deviated from the norms of the industry in order to discover technologically advanced means of producing cost efficient and sustainable buildings. Poole argues that villa Mairea has a sod-roofed sauna and free-standing structures that appeared older than the other structures.[22] Such an aspect was in line with his belief that buildings should not just adhere to the modernistic discourse but respond to the needs of the consumers. A similar trend is evident in Paimio Sanatorium. The building borrows a few elements of the geometric principles that were applied in the ancient Greek temples such as the golden ratio. According to Pressman, the ratio remained an essential tool for achieving perfect proportion over time.[23] It is likely that the concept influenced Aalto to choose rectangular pavilions. In his 1926’s article, Aalto also argued that appropriate placement results from the accurate positioning of the hall in relation to the yard and the garden.[24]
He also created narrow windows and slender towers that resemble those that were found in the earlier century temples.
On the other hand, Aalto abandoned most of the arbitrary standards while constructing Villa Mairea. He was not dictated by the standardization processes in positioning the columns, windows, and stairs. A recent class experiment that involved recreating Villa Mairea using the digital tool revealed that the canonical work originates from skillful and thought processes.[25]The students could not access the full set of documentation, therefore, speculated about the connections between the elements. Aalto’s creative adaptation abilities were evident from employing a mix of international style elements and Finnish vernacular particularly the L-shaped plan to equip the building with humanistic characteristics. The house has modern steel columns and large windows to allow the free flow of natural light as shown in figure 3 below.
Figure 3: Interior Decorations of Villa Mairea
(Source: wikiarquitectura.com)[26]
Villa Mairea’s success provided Aalto’s with an opportunity to shed light on the inaccurate information linked with the dichotomies that only science and technology could maximize the human aspect of the building. According to the architect, some emerging scientific applications were not universally applicable since they excluded critical issues such as the cultural identity. Therefore, the villa focused on the areas that had been neglected by the technological innovation.[27]
Aalto and his team were more interested in the specificity of the site and the importance of art in providing the best domestic atmosphere for the modern family. They relied more on the artistically produced materials than the industrially manufactured items to create an ambiance of intimacy, warmth, and comfort. The building has only one circular metal staircase. Poole explains that the engineers covered the steel columns with a soft black gloss thereby transforming the hard materials that often embody strength and durability into attractive structures exuding superior aesthetic appeal.[28]
Figure 4: Exterior Decorations of Villa Mairea
(Source: wikiarquitectura.com)[29]
The exterior components also match with the landscape. The small ribbon windows and the flat roof also complement the surrounding trees. Consequently, the right balance between the cultural identity and international influence as well as modern technology and artistry are all attributable to the superiority of Villa Mairea over other buildings constructed in the 1930s. Besides the several awards associated with the building, it also enhanced Aalto’s image as the pioneer researchers on organic architecture.
In conclusion, Aalto’s architectural designs and oeuvres corresponded to the prevailing marketing conditions. He began his career as a neoclassicist and shifted to international modernism as he gained more experiences. The classical concepts in his first products such as Turun Sanomat and Pamio Sanatorium were replaced with more innovative ideas as Aalto advanced in his career. Constructing Villa Mairea provided the architect with an opportunity for fusing technology and artistic techniques to produce distinctive masterpieces. He used a specific element of the various architectural frameworks whenever it offered the best means for solving a socioeconomic challenge or achieving an appealing atmosphere and optimum values for the clients.
Bibliography
Boelkins, Jonathan. Designation- lessons in Digital Construction from Villa Mairea.
Fayetteville, Arkansas: University of Arkansas, 2017.
Heikinheimo, Marianna. Architecture and Technology: Alvar Aalto's Paimio Sanatorium. Espoo: Aalto University Press, 2016.
Kim, Hyon-Sob. "Alvar Aalto and Humanizing of Architecture." Journal of Asian Architecture and Building Engineering 8, no. 1 (2009): 9-16.
Menin, Sarah, and Samuel Flora. Nature and Space: Aalto and Le Corbusier. London: Psychology Press, 2003.
Metalocus. Paimio Sanatorium. September 11 2018, https://www.metalocus.es/en/news/alvar-aaltos-paimio-sanatorium-now-sale
Poole, Scott. “Villa Mairea”. The Companions to the History of Architecture 4 (2017): 1 -21
Postiglione, Gennaro. 100 Houses for one Hundred Architects. Köln: Taschen, 2004.
Pressman, Andrew. Designing Architecture: The Elements of Process. London: Routledge, 2012.
Quecedo, Cecilia. The Functionalist awakening of Alvar Aalto in the Kinkomaa Tuberculosis Sanatorium: Each thing in its Place and a Distinctive Aesthetic for Each one. Valladolid: Alvar Aalto Museum, 2013.
Sampio, Catarina. “Alvar Aalto and Alvaro Siza: The Link between Architecture and Nature in the Construction of Place.” Athens Journal of Architecture 1, no.3 (2015): 207 – 217
Singler, Sofia, and Nicholas Ray. "Why Aalto? The Sceptic builds for Religion." 3rd Alvar Aalto Researchers’ Network Seminar Seminar. June 9 -10 2017, https://www.alvaraalto.fi/content/uploads/2017/12/SofiaSinglerandNicholasRay.pdf
Wikiarquitectura. Tarun Sanomat Newspaper Building. September 11 2018, https://en.wikiarquitectura.com/building/turun-sanomat-newspaper-building/
Wikiarquitectura. Villa Mairea. September 11 2018, https://en.wikiarquitectura.com/building/villa-mairea/
[1]
Gennaro, Postiglione. 100 Houses for one hundred Architects (Köln: Taschen, 2004), 14.
[2]
Hyon-Sob, Kim . "Alvar Aalto and Humanizing of Architecture." Journal of Asian Architecture and Building Engineering 8, no. 1 (2009): 9.
[3]
Sofia, Singler and Nicholas Ray. "Why Aalto? The Sceptic builds for Religion." 3rd Alvar Aalto Researchers’ Network Seminar. June 9 -10 2017, https://www.alvaraalto.fi/content/uploads/2017/12/SofiaSinglerandNicholasRay.pdf
[4]
Scott, Poole. “Villa Mairea”. The Companions to the History of Architecture 4 (2017): 2
[5]
Scott, Poole. “Villa Mairea”, 3.
[6]
Marianna, Heikinheimo. Architecture and Technology: Alvar Aalto's Paimio Sanatorium
(Espoo: Aalto University, 2016), 14.
[7]
Marianna, Heikinheimo. Architecture and Technology: Alvar Aalto's Paimio Sanatorium, 18.
[8]
Hyon-Sob, Kim . "Alvar Aalto and Humanizing of Architecture," 9.
[9]
Scott, Poole. “Villa Mairea”, 2.
[10]
Ibid .
[11]
Wikiarquitectura. Tarun Sanomat Newspaper Building. September 11 2018, https://en.wikiarquitectura.com/building/turun-sanomat-newspaper-building/
[12]
Cecilia, Quecedo. The Functionalist Awakening of Alvar Aalto in the Kinkomaa Tuberculosis Sanatorium: Each thing in its Place and a Distinctive Aesthetic for each one, (Valladolid: Alvar Aalto Museum, 2013), 3.
[13]
Metalocus: Paimio Sanatorium. September 11 2018, https://www.metalocus.es/en/news/alvar-aaltos-paimio-sanatorium-now-sale
[14]
Marianna, Heikinheimo. Architecture and Technology: Alvar Aalto's Paimio Sanatorium, 225.
[15]
Cecilia, Quecedo. The Functionalist Awakening of Alvar Aalto in the Kinkomaa Tuberculosis Sanatorium: Each thing in its Place and a Distinctive Aesthetic for each one, 3.
[16]
Marianna, Heikinheimo. Architecture and Technology, 226.
[17]
Cecilia, Quecedo. The Functionalist Awakening of Alvar Aalto in the Kinkomaa Tuberculosis Sanatorium, 4.
[18]
Ibid 5
[19]
Jonathan, Boelkins. Designation- Lessons in Digital Construction from Villa Mairea. (Fayetteville, Arkansas: University of Arkansas, 2017) 2.
[20]
Scott, Poole. “Villa Mairea”, 4.
[21]
Catarina, Sampio. “Alvar Aalto and Alvaro Siza: The Link between Architecture and Nature in the Construction of Place.” Athens Journal of Architecture 1, no.3 (2015): 209
[22]
Scott, Poole. “Villa Mairea”, 8.
[23]
Andrew, Pressman. Designing architecture: The elements of process (London: Routledge, 2012)
[24]
Cecilia, Quecedo. The Functionalist Awakening of Alvar Aalto in the Kinkomaa Tuberculosis Sanatorium, 3.
[25]
Jonathan, Boelkins. Designation- Lessons in Digital Construction from Villa Mairea. (Fayetteville, Arkansas: University of Arkansas, 2017) 6.
[26]
Wikiarquitectura. Villa Mairea. September 11 2018, https://en.wikiarquitectura.com/building/villa-mairea/
[27]
Scott, Poole. “Villa Mairea”, 4.
[28]
Scott, Poole. “Villa Mairea”, 5.
[29]
Wikiarquitectura. Villa Mairea. September 11 2018, https://en.wikiarquitectura.com/building/villa-mairea/
