Alvar Aalto
*3. 2. 1898 – Kuortane, Finland
†11. 5. 1976 – Helsinki, Finland
Alvar Aallon katu 7, FIN-40101 Jyväskylä
+358 (0)14 624 809
+358 (0)14 619 009
museum@alvaraalto.fi
www.alvaraalto.fi
+358 (0)14 624 809
+358 (0)14 619 009
museum@alvaraalto.fi
www.alvaraalto.fi
In architecture, there is always some deeper motive peeking out as if from around the corner: the idea of creating paradise. This is the only meaning and purpose of our buildings. If we do not carry this idea with us, our structures will become more ordinary, trivial, and life will become - well, what will be left of life? Every building, every architectural work is a symbol that should show us that we want to build paradise for ordinary mortals here on earth.
Literatura
a+u
631 2023:04 Alvar Aalto Library Landscapes
The Japan Architect, 2023600 Kč
a+u
606 21:03 Alvar Aalto Houses – Materials and Details
The Japan Architect, 2021600 Kč
Alvar Aalto Apartments
Rakennustieto Publishing, 2004600 Kč
Alvar Aalto - The Complete Work
Birkhäuser, 19905500 Kč
Alvar Aalto: 10 Selected Houses
TOTO, 20071490 Kč
Biography
Hugo Alvar Henrik Aalto was born on February 3, 1898, in the town of Kuortane, located between the lake district of central Finland and the fertile plain of the western province of Ostrobothnia. He was the oldest of three children in an average middle-class family. His father was a surveyor. When Alvar was five years old, his family moved to Jyväskylä, a city that will forever be linked to his name. It became his home for the next twenty-four years and contains more Aalto buildings than any other place in the world. He designed seventy buildings for the city and its surroundings, of which thirty-seven were realized. After graduating from Jyväskylä Classical Lyceum in 1916, Aalto went to study in Helsinki at the Technical University, which he completed with a degree in architecture in 1921. He went to practice in neighboring Sweden and later in other European countries. Upon returning to Jyväskylä, he opened an architectural office in 1923. The following year, he married architect Aino Marsio. Their honeymoon trip to Italy sealed an intellectual bond with Mediterranean culture, which remained important to Aalto for the rest of his life. His first wife gave Aalto two children (Johanna born in 1925, Hamilkar born in 1928). She died prematurely in 1949, and in 1952 he married for the second time to architect Elsa Kaisa Mäkiniemi (born 1922, died 1994).In 1927, Aalto moved southwest to Turku, where he opened an office together with Erik Bryggman. Of extraordinary significance for the further development of Finnish architecture was an exhibition in 1929, which they co-designed for the seven-hundredth anniversary of the city of Turku. During his time in Turku, Aalto's most significant design was the sanatorium in Paimio, a building that quickly earned him a reputation as a master of functionalism. In 1933, Aalto moved to the capital of Finland, Helsinki. His perception of the organic connection between people, nature, and buildings matured in the early thirties when he designed the Villa Mairea, one of the most admired family homes of modern architecture. After the Russo-Finnish War and service in the army, Aalto awaited a position in the office for post-war reconstruction and urban development. The first on the list was the totally destroyed Rovaniemi. A number of new towns were established for Finns coming from Karelia, which had been occupied by Russia. One of them was Säynätsalo.
Between 1946-48, Aalto served in the USA as a professor at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. From 1943-58, he held the position of chairman of the Association of Finnish Architects, became a member of the Finnish Academy in 1955, and served as its president from 1963-68.
Aalto's work was exhibited with great success in London at the Exhibition of Finnish Architecture held at Fortnum and Mason in 1933, at the 1937 Exhibition in Paris, and at the 1939 New York World Fair. In 1957, he was awarded the RIBA gold medal. He had an extraordinarily wide range of work extending from urban planning to building designs, as well as furniture, glass, jewelry, and other forms of art. He was a cosmopolitan and his knowledge of many languages made traveling abroad and public speaking easier for him. His children describe him as a man of mild temperament who avoided his own frustration and was usually able to find a compromise when disagreements arose with clients. His tact and personal charm would certainly have resolved the controversies regarding the marble cladding of the Finlandia Hall, which appeared in connection with his last major building nearly twenty years after his death on May 11, 1976, in Helsinki.
Luboš Kaplan, 2002
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Realizations and projects
Studentský klub
Jyväskylä, 1965Univerzitní bazén a sporotvní hala
Jyväskylä, 1959Other buildings
Aalto's parents' house renovation - demolished, Alajärvi, Finland, 1918-19Youth club, Alajärvi, Finland, 1919
Bell tower, Kauhajärvi, Finland, 1921-23
Trade exhibition - demolished, Tampere, Finland, 1922
Villa Manner, Töysä, Finland, 1923
Villa Karpio - alterations, Jyväskylä, Finland, 1923
Toivakka Church - restoration, Toivakka, Finland, 1923
Nuora house, Jyväskylä, Finland, 1923-25
Parliament House - competition entry, Helsinki, Finland, 1923-24
Tarvaala - Alatalo manorhouse main building, Laukaa, Finland, 1924
Defence Corps Building, Seinäjoki, Finland, 1924-26
Anttola Church - repairs, Anttola, Finland, 1924-26
Aira apartment building - The Railway Officials' Building, Jyväskylä, Finland, 1924-26
Municipal hospital, Alajärvi, Finland, 1924-28
Casa Lauren, Jyväskylä, Finland, 1925, 1927-28
Viitasaari Church renovation, Viitasaari, Finland, 1925
Jämsä Church - competition entry, 1925
Pylkönmäki Church renovation - implemented but later altered, Pylkönmäki, Finland, 1926
Villa Väinölä, Alajärvi, Finland, 1926
Union Bank offices - competition entry, Helsinki, Finland, 1926
League of Nations building - competition entry, not submitted, Geneva, Switzerland, 1926
Korpilahti Church - renovation, implemented in simplified form, 1926 - 27
Defence Corps Building, Jyväskylä, Finland, 1926-29
Muurame Church, Muurame, Finland, 1926-29
Töölö Church - competition entry, Helsinki, Finland, 1927
Viinikka Church - competition entry, Tampere, Finland, 1927
Taulumäki Church - competition entry, Jyväskylä, Finland, 1927
Viipuri Library - competition entry (new drawings 1928,1929,1933; built 1934-35)
Southwestern Finland Agricultural Building and Finnish Theatre, Turku, Finland, 1927-28
Standard apartment house 'Tapani building', Turku, Finland, 1927-29
'Merry Go Round' - summer cottages, competition entry, 1928
Turun Sanomat newspaper offices, Turku, Finland, 1928-29; 1930
Tuberculosis sanatorium, Paimio, Finland, (1928-29 comp.; 1930-32 sanat. 1931-33 housing)
Turku 700th anniversary exhibition - demolished, Turku, Finland, 1929
Mikael Agricola Church - competition entry, Helsinki, Finland, 1930
Minimum apartments exhibition - demolished, Helsinki, Finland, 1930
Sports institute - competition entry, Vierumäki, Finland, 1930
Toppila pulp mill, Oulu, Finland, 1930-33
Central University Hospital, Zagreb, Croatia, 1931
Villa Tammekann, Tartu, Estonia, 1932
Stadium - competition entry, Helsinki, Finland, 1933
Municipal library, Vyborg, Russia, 1933-35
Railway station - competition entry, Tampere, Finland, 1934
Fair Hall - competition entry, Helsinki, Finland, 1934
Corso theatre - restaurant interior, Zürich, Switzerland, 1934
Stenius Oy housing area, Helsinki, Finland, 1934-35
Finnish Embassy - competition entry, Moscow, Russia, 1935
Oy Alko Ab office building - competition entry, Helsinki, Finland, 1936
Finnish pavilion Paris World Fair - demolished, 1936-37
Sunila pulp mill and housing area, Kotka, Finland, 1936-39, 1945-47, 1951-54
Karhula master plan, Kotka, Finland, 1936-42; 1950-l
Savoy restaurant interior, Helsinki, Finland, 1936-37
Art museum - competition entry, Tallinn, Estonia, 1937
University library extension - competition entry, Helsinki, Finland, 1937-38
Tampella Oy's Anjala paper mill and housing area, Inkeroinen, Finland, 1937-38; 1950-56
Terrace house, Kauttua, Eura, Finland, 1937-38
Ahlström standard dwellings, 1937; 1939-41
Elementary school, Inkeroinen, Finland, 1938-39
Villa Mairea, Noormarkku, Finland, 1938-39
Forest pavilion agricultural exhibition - demolished, Lapua, Finland, 1938
Finnish pavilion - demolished, New York World Fair, USA, 1938-39
Regional plan for the Kokemäenjoki valley, 1941-42
Master plan, Rovaniemi, Finland, 1944
Central area plan - competition entry, Avesta, Sweden, 1944
Strömberg Oy, factory and housing, Vaasa, Finland, 1944-47
A. Ahlström Oy - rebuilding of saw mill, demolished, Varkaus, Finland, 1944-46
Tampella Oy - Pekola housing area - partly built, Tampere, Finland, 1945-52
Artek exhibition pavilion - demolished, Hedemora, Sweden, 1946
Heimdal housing area - competition entry, Nynäshamn, Sweden, 1946-48
Baker House Student dormitory, MIT, Cambridge, Massachusetts, 1947-49
Development plan, Imatra, Finland, 1947-57
Glass warehouse for Ahlström works (1957 extension), Karhula, Finland, 1948-49
Finnish Engineers' Association Building, Helsinki, Finland, 1948-53
National Pensions Institute, Helsinki, Finland, (1948), 1953-57
Olympia Quay - competition entry (invited competition), Helsinki, Finland, 1949
Town centre plan, Imatra, 1949
Erottaja emergency shelter entrance, Helsinki, Finland, 1949-1951
Finland University of Technology, Espoo, Finland, Helsinki, 1949-74
Kivelä hospital - competition entry, Helsinki, Finland, 1950
Lahti Church - competition entry, Lahti, Finland, 1950
Malmi funeral chapel - competition entry, Helsinki, Finland, 1950
Master plan for Lapland, Finland, 1950-57
Typpi Oy factory and housing area, Oulu, Finland, 1950-53; 1954-56; 1958-63
Theatre and concert hall - competition entry, Kuopio, Finland, 1951
Enso-Gutzeit Oy clubhouse, Kallvik, Helsinki, Finland, 1951-52
Rautatalo office building, Helsinki, Finland, 1951, 1955; 1957
Seinäjoki Church ('Cross of the Plains') and parish centre, 1951/1956; 1958-1962
Experimental house, Muuratsalo, Finland, 1952-53
National Pensions Institute housing, Helsinki, Finland, 1952-54
Vogelweidplatz, sports centre and concert hall - competition entry, Vienna, Austria, 1953
National Pensions Institute, Helsinki, Finland, (1948), 1953-57
Theatre and concert hall, Oulu, Finland, 1955
Sundh Center, Avesta, Sweden, 1955
Finnish pavilion, Venice biennale, Italy, (1955); 1956
Town hall - competition entry, Gothenburg, Sweden, 1955
Church of The Three Crosses, Imatra, Finland, 1955-58
Kainula adult education institute, Kajaani, Finland, 1956-57
Drottningtorget square - competition entry, Gothenburg, Sweden, 1956
Maison Louis Carré, Bazoches-sur-Guyonne, France, 1956-59, 1961
Korkalovaara housing area, Rovaniemi, Finland, 1956-60; 1959-60
Town hall - competition entry, Marl, Germany, 1957
Kampementsbacken housing area - competition entry, Stockholm, Sweden, 1957
Viitatorni (highrise block of flats), Jyväskylä, Finland, 1957-61
Town Hall - competition entry, Kiruna, Sweden, 1958
Art museum - competition entry, Bagdad, Iraq, 1958
Town centre, Seinäjoki, Finland, 1958-87
Town hall, Seinäjoki, Finland, 1958, 1959-60
Neue Vahr block of flats, Bremen, Germany, 1958-62
Cultural centre, Wolfsburg, Germany, 1958-62
Art museum, Aalborg, Denmark, 1958, 1966-72
Enso-Gutzeit Oy headquarters, Helsinki, Finland, 1959-62
City centre plan, Helsinki, Finland, 1959-62
Church and parish centre, Wolfsburg, Germany, 1959-62
Municipal library, Seinäjoki, Finland, 1960-65
Union Bank of Finland annex building, Helsinki, Finland, 1960-65
Cultural centre - competition entry, Leverkusen, Germany, 1960
Västmanland-Dala student union building, Uppsala, Sweden, 1961-65
Institute of International Education - interior, New York, USA, 1961-65
Municipal library, Rovaniemi, Finland, 1961-66 (built // rakennettu 1965-68)
Harjuviita - Apartment houses in Tapiola, Espoo, Finland, 1961-67
Theatre, Seinäjoki, Finland, 1961-69; 1984-87
Enskilda Bank - competition entry, Stockholm, Sweden, 1962
Scandinavian House (Nordic House), Reykjavik, Iceland, 1962; 1965-68; 1970-71
Town centre, Rovaniemi, Finland, 1963-65
Detmerode Church and parish centre, Germany 1963 (built in 1965-68)
Town hall, Rovaniemi, Finland, 1963; 1985-88
British Petroleum offices- competition entry, Hamburg, Germany, 1964
Office building, Seinäjoki, Finland, 1964-68
Pohjola insurance company headquarters - competition entry, Helsinki, Finland, 1964
Ekenäs Savings Bank, Tammisaari, 1964-70; 1984-86
Schönbühl highrise block of flatsm, Lucerne, Switzerland, 1964-67
Mount Angel Benedictine College library, Oregon, USA, 1964; 1967-70
Town centre - competition entry (invited competition), Castrop-Rauxel, Germany, 1965
Sähkötalo office building, Kamppi, Helsinki, Finland, 1965-75
'La Fortezza' - Cultural centre, Siena, Italy, 1966
Church and parish centre, Riola di Vergato, Italy, 1966, 1969, 1975-80
Town hall, Alajärvi, Finland, 1966-69
Health centre, Alajärvi, Finland, 1966-70
Parish Centre, Alajärvi, Finland, 1966-70
Villa Kokkonen, Järvenpää, Finland, 1967-69
Police headquarters, Jyväskylä, Finland, 1967-70
Parish centre - competition entry , Zürich-Altstetten, Switzerland, 1967
Villa Schildt, Tammisaari, Finland, 1969-70
Lappia House, Rovaniemi, Finland, 1969-76
Church of the Cross, Lahti, Finland, 1969, 1975-1979
Art museum, Shiraz, Iran, 1969-70
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Subject
Author
Date
1969-70 Villa Schildt Tammisaari, Finland
Alvar Alto
30.08.07 02:34
Villa Schildt
Petr Šmídek
29.09.07 04:58
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