Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Top Aalto Buildings
Finlandia Talo, Helsinki
Otaniemi University, Espoo
Workers' Club Building, Jyväskylä
Aalto Centre, Seinäjoki
Kolmen Ristin Kirkko, Imatra
Alvar Aalto
Alvar Aalto was for many the 20th century's number one architect. In an era of increasing
urbanisation, postwar rebuilding and immense housing pressure, Aalto found elegant solu-
tions for public and private edifices that embraced functionalism but never at the expense
of humanity. Viewed from the next century, his work still more than holds its own, and his
huge contributions in other areas of art and design make him a mighty figure indeed.
Aalto had a democratic, practical view of his field: he saw his task as 'a question of
making architecture serve the wellbeing and prosperity of millions of citizens' where it
had previously been the preserve of a wealthy few. But he was no utilitarian; beauty was
always a concern, and he was adamant that a proper studio environment was essential for
the creativity of the architect to flower.
Born in 1898 in Kuortane near Seinäjoki, Aalto worked in Jyväskylä, Turku and Hel-
sinki before gaining an international reputation for his pavilions at the World Fairs of the
late 1930s. His 1925 marriage to Aino Marsio created a dynamic team that pushed bound-
aries in several fields, including glassware and furniture design. Their work on bending
and laminating wood revolutionised the furniture industry, and the classic forms they pro-
duced for their company, Artek, are still Finnish staples. Aalto's use of rod-shaped ceramic
tiles, undulated wood, woven cane, brick and marble was particularly distinctive.
Aalto's notable buildings are dotted throughout Finland. A comparison of the Aalto
Centre in Seinäjoki with the Ristinkirkko in Lahti highlights the range of his work. Charm-
ingly, Aalto's favourite design was his own wooden boat (on show at his summer house
near Jyväskylä), which he planned and built with great love, but little knowledge of boat-
building. It was barely seaworthy at the best of times, and regularly capsized and sank.
