I DO NOT WRITE I BUILD

ALVAR ALTO

SUBMITTED TO:
SUBMITTED BY:
DR.MEHRAN QURESHI
ABID WACHKOO
KHAN IQRA IQBAL
Bor Hugo Alvar Henrik Aalto
LIFE3JOURNEY
February 1898
n
Kuortane, finland
Died 1May 1976 (aged 78)1
Helsinki, Finland
Nationality Finnish
Awards RIBA Gold
Medal AIA Gold
Medal

Buildings Paimio Sanatorium

Säynätsalo Town
Hall Viipuri Library
Villa Mairea
Baker House
Finlandia Hall

Project Helsinki City

Centre
s Savoy Vase
Paimio Chair
Design
 HISTOR
Y
• Hugo Alvar Henrik Aalto was born in Kuortane, Finland.[6]
• His father, Johan Henrik Aalto, was a Finnish-speaking land-surveyor and
his mother, Selly Matilda was a Swedish-speaking postmistress.
• When Aalto was 5 years old, the family moved toAlajärvi, and from
there to Jyväskylä in Central Finland. Aalto studied at the Jyväskylä
Lyceum school, completing his basic education in 1916.
• In 1916 he then enrolled to study architecture at the Helsinki
University of Technology. His studies were interrupted by the Finnish
Civil War, which he fought in.
• He built his first piece of architecture while still a student, a house
for his parents, at Alajärvi.[8]
• Afterwards, he continued his education, graduating in 1921.
 CAREER
• Aalto's career spans the changes in style from (
Nordic Classicism) to purist International Style
Modernism to a more personal, synthetic and
idiosyncratic Modernism.
• Aalto's wide field of design activity ranges from
the large scale of city planning and architecture to
interior design, furniture and glassware design and
painting
• It has been estimated that during his entire career
Aalto designed over 500 individual buildings,
approximately 300 of which were built, the vast
majority of which are in Finland
• He also has a few buildings in France, Germany,
 PHILOSOPHY
• His design philosophy was influenced by nature and
organic materials, unlike other furniture of the same
period with materials as tubular steel, which were
quite modern at the time.
• With his innovative designs and natural forms he
changed the course of design towards organic
• Modernism
The beauty of his work is hidden in his design
approach of
Functionalism but with a strong connection to the
organic relationship between man, nature and
buildings.
• He coordinatedthese three components and
created a synthesis of life in materialized
form.
WORKS OF ALVAR ALTO
 WORKERS CLUB(1924)

ARCHITECTURAL SYLE: Nordic

Classical

FEATURES:
• Discontinuous glazing on all four
sides at entrance level.
• This building houses a restaurant and
a coffee bar which supports the
auditorium above.
• He employs various classical devices:
1.Circular atrium
2.Doric columns
3.Palladian window
4.Cartouches to decorate
the stuccoes wall
 A A
B A

GROUND FLOOR PLAN

It was a two-storey building situated on the corner of two
streets in thecentre of thetown, and with a café and
restaurant on the ground floor. Fromthe street level one
entered an impressive entrance hall that ledupstairs to
the auditorium floor comprisinga theatre space and
foyer. In the basement floor spaces were reserved for,
among other things, a kitchen, storage and washing and
toilet facilities. Aalto also designed the lamps for the
building as well as the decorative paintings and part of
 C

FIRST FLOOR PLAN

D
D

SECOND FLOOR PLAN

 PAIMIO SANATORIUM
(1929-33)
• ARCHITECTURAL SYLE:
Functionalism

• FEATURES:

• Uses RCC frame with infill being an

insulating brick cavity wall which is
then rendered an painted white.
• Sun trapped balconies are
cantilevered from the
tapering RCC frame.
• Exposed lift shaft on the external
wall
• Free form cantilevered canopy.
• Orientation: south ofthe
balconies and the roof top
sundeck was determined by
the dedication to the supposed
“healing “ powers ofthe sun.
• West: doctors houses;
North : staff flats.
• Plan was meant to be
functionally zoned and
biodynamical aligned to the
compass so that the direction of
each wing was defined according
to its requirements for sunshine
and view. GROUND FLOOR PLAN
• A continuous sundeck that runs over
the patient wing is protected with RCC
canopy to reduce solar gain.
• Dining room was an enclosed
mezzanine suspended from steel
hangers form above
• It had a lot of
natural light due to
double- height
windows, the sun
blinds outside
prevented
• Main
glarestaircase has
natural light which is
further enhanced by
the yellow color of the
stairs.
Aalto also believed that bright colors made
people feel better and be more Sactive.
othe lobby was •
treated with Bright yellow walls and floor tiles Each patient had their own
to wall mounted cupboard and
offset the basin.

• Designed lamps that were placed • Door handles designed to prevent

out coat sleeves from being caught in
 VILLA MAIREA(1924)

ARCHITECTURAL SYLE: Modernism

FEATURES:
EXTERIOR

• The courtyard of the villa was inspired by e

th organization of vernacular farmstead.
• The massing was inspired by the
falling waters by Frank Lloyd Wright.
 F C CCC I K
G A
K
K
E
L
B D
H
E
FIRST FLOOR PLAN
C
• A – Dining room
GROUND FLOOR PLAN • B – Sauna
• C – Living room
• D- Library
• E - Studio
• F - Staff
• G - Kitchen
• H- Restroom
• I – children play
area
The interiors follow the grid of 2850 x 2850 m • J – Guest wing
• K – Children’s room
Teak clad living room projects forward to
create shallow balconies that lead on to
the principle bedroom above
Also design elements such as the pool and
the rubble masonry wall add to the
aesthetic.

• Bedroom windows project out at an

angle to address the line of approach
to the house through the forest.
• The main entrance to the – the door is
approached under a two level canopy
supported by compound timber
column and screened by miniature
forest of poles.
Screening by vertical poles help to differentiate
the
interlinked spaces.

To enter this inner sanctum, columns are made to

resemble tree trunks are located at certain points
to create the impression similar to that of
emerging through the fringes of a forest
clearing.
 BAKERS HOUSE
(1947-48)
• ARCHITECTURAL
STYLE:Modernist housing

• Baker house is a dormatory for

the Massachusetts Institute of
Technology,designed in 1946.
• Aalto was assisted by three finish
architects –veli paatela with his wife
kaija and olav hammarstrom ,in addition
to Aino.
• It was named baker house in 1950
after Everett moore BAKER , MIT’s
dean of students, who was killed in
plane crash that year.
"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.
An attempt to make use of this phenomenon was made with the form of the building: the
windows face diagonallyto 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 whichallows an unobstructedview along its entire
length from the lowest landing."
• 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."
• The free fom of rooms were built
with ‘rustic’ bricks-indeed he went
to find the dark red reject bricks that
were rough textured and included
clinkers-but clad the orthogonal
main common room in limestone
 FEATURES
• The sets of rooms can be seen as an illustration of
what aalto might mean by ‘flexible
standardisation’.
• Each cell is essentially identical, but because of
the shaped curve on plan 22 different room
shapes are created on a typical floor of 43
rooms.
• The ground floor social area was ‘ORGANIC’,and
related to the landscape in both geometryand use
of materials.
• The lower floor is lit by virpuri like rooflights
while the upper level has nearly contionous views
towards the river
• Columns on the ground floor are simple plastered
cylinder but on theupper level their connection
with the trees beyond is emphasised by a splayed
shape and timber cladding.
 OTANIEMI TECHNICAL UNIVERSITY

location Espoo
function auditorium library university

contributed by
gonzalezdioslydia

Alvar Aalto designed the campus for

the Otaniemi Technical University in
Espoo, Finland between 1949 and
1966.
Aalto's buildings for the university include
the main building, the library, the shopping
centre, and the water tower, with a
crescent- shaped auditorium at the center
• "The focal point of this
university centre is the
auditorium building with
two large halls (also
intended for congresses).
• All tuition rooms are in
adjacent buildings grouped
about small internal courts,
and here are also found the
smaller lecture-rooms,
laboratories and professors'
rooms.
• The centre is divided into
three principal departments:
general, geodetic and
architectural.
• The chief materials are
dark red brick, black
Outdoor lights by Aalto
The lamp-posts in the Otaniemi campus
area have also been designed by Aalto.
There are three types of lamp-posts: ones
with a curved cover, ones with a straight Its staircase-like ascending rows
cover, and ones with no cover at all. of windows suggest from the
The cover reflects the light indirectly, and outside and amphitheatre.
does not significantly affect the amount
of light, but has above all a decorative
4. Heating plant 5.Jamerantaival
The campus-based heating plant building designed
1 This building, completed in 1966, is the only
by Alvar Aalto was realized at the outset of the
dormitory on campus designed by Alvar Aalto. The
1960s. The most visible section of the building is
four-storey, V-shaped edifice has over 200 rooms,
the cube-shaped power plant, whose internal
and originally it functioned during the summers as a
engineering is exposed to view from a glass façade.
hotel. The southeast façade on the dormitory’s east
The roof of the structure and its linked projection
wing undulates and the layout resembles a fan,
are made of copper. The laboratories, offices and
which is reminiscent of Aalto’s previously designed
control centre are situated in the lower rectangular-
MIT dormitory in Boston.
shaped premises. Address: Otakaari 6
2. The Library 6.
The library building designed by Alvar Aalto Otahalli
Otahalli Sports Centre, designed by Alvar
was
completed in 1969. It is Finland’s oldest and largest Aalto, was completed for the 1952 Olympics. The
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and track.
lamps are original items
P

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P

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E L E VA T I O N S
SE CT I O N
S
PI CTURE
S
In his campus plan, Alvar Aalto placed the
School of Science and Technology main
building in a very visible, central location.
Situated on one of the seven hills of the
area, at the end of a row of lime trees, it is
sure to be seen; its landmark feature, the
striking amphitheatre-like auditorium is
particularly noticeable.
Otahalli (sports The
complex) Library

Pla Pla
n n

Side Front
 Jamerantaival

plan

Elevatio
n
 FINLANDIA HALL

Architectural style: Modern

architecture
• The Finlandia Hall is a congress and
event venue in the centre of Helsinki
on the Töölönlahti Bay.
• Finlandia Hall was designed in 1962 and
built between 1967 and 72. The plan
for the Congress Wing was drawn up
in 1970 and it was constructed between
1973 and 75. With the completion of
the first stage of his overall project.
 FEATURE
S
• The main feature of the Finlandia Hall
building is a tower like section with a sloping
roof. Alvar Aalto’s idea behind the design
was that a high empty space would provide
better acoustics.
• A suspended ceiling hides the space to the
audience but it allows the creation of the
same deep post-echo as tall church towers.
• Aalto used marble in both indoor and
outdoor surfaces as a contrast to black
granite. For Aalto, marble was a tie to the
Mediterranean culture, which he wanted
to bring to Finland.
 INTERIOR DESIGN
• The design of each lamp, piece of
furniture, panel, flooring material and
decorative board reflects the mature
approach resulting from Aalto’s long career
as an architect.
.
• The large asymmetrical auditorium is
virtually
free of right angles, yet still tightly controlled,
with naturally harmonious and acoustically
influenced wall reliefs and bold balcony
outlines. In many respects, it is a simplified
version of Aalto's most magnificent
auditorium, in the Great Opera House in
 OPTICAL ILLUSION

The National Museum building on the

other side of the street seems to rise
from the edge of the Finlandia Hall
tower. The effect is created by a black
trapezium on the white marble surface
of the Finlandia Hall tower. The
trapezium has been measured to fit the
rising tower of
the National Museum when the
Finlandia Hall is viewed from the
eastern shore of the Töölönlahti Bay.
Aalto liked to create optical illusions
 MAIN BUILDINGS

• Main Auditorium (seats

1700)
• Helsinki Hall (seats 340)
• Terrace Hall (seats 250)
• Elissa Hall (seats 130)
• Aurora Hall (seats 894)
• Veranda (seats 1700)
• Finlandia Restaurant
• Cafe Veranda
• Galleria Veranda.
 MAIN AUDITORIUM

• The Main Auditorium has been a popular

venue for meetings, congresses, festivities,
concerts and events from the very beginning.
• The Auditorium seats 1700 people, 1200 in
the stalls and 500 in the balcony.
• The floor is oak parquet and the blue sections
of the wall are Finnish birch.
• The stage is 14 metres wide. It consists
of several modular platforms. In the middle,
there is an elevator to the storage rooms
located on two floors underneath the stage.
Piazza is a large foyer that is full of natural light
The colours are subdued and quiet. The floor or the
foyer is covered with high-quality English wool
carpeting.

The Congress Wing was completed in 1975. The

special feature of the Congress Wing is the
“waves” of the facade that give the building unique
beauty and vivacity. The outer walls of the Wing
are not direct. They curve, following the form of
the terrain. On the one hand,Aalto wanted to save
most of the trees on the site, but on the other hand,
he wanted to avoid the monotony of direct walls.
The Congress Wing contains convertible halls A, B
and C, as well as several (total 13) smaller meeting
rooms.

The Finlandia Restaurant consists of three dining

rooms separated by movable walls. As a single
space, the restaurant seats 380 people and
 FINNISH PAVILION
HOUSE OF CULTURE
NEWYORK
HELSINKI

Headquarters for the White RIOLA PARISH CHURCH

Guards ITALY
 OTHER WORKS OF ALVAR
ALT
O

CLEAR VASE
PAIMIO CHAIR

STOOL
 CONCEPT OF FURNITURE
DESIGNING

 His design concepts were organic and using the human

form.
 His buildings and chairs were first prompted by the user.
 The seats and handles were moulded to the human form.
 Of all architectural furniture, his is the closest
to humanity.
 Alvar Aalto designed laminated timber furniture.
 He saw that tubular steel lacked human qualities.
 He used local Birchwood as a substitution for steel tubing.
 FURNITURE WORKS

 He concluded that standardization and

mass production could not be sustained in
Finland's small economy.
 His chairs were the result of great study and
investigation into, posture, laminated
wood, aesthetic considerations and
efficient mechanical methods of mass
production.
 Alvar Aalto’s furniture included:
 The Paimio Chair
 The Viipuri Stacking Stools
 Cantilevered Chair
 PAMIO CHAIR

 Paimio Chair is said to have been

influenced by the curved contours of the
Finnish lakes.
 It is one of the most elegant modern chairs.
 The frame is laminated birch bent into a
closed curve with solid birch cross-rails.
 The seat is molded from one piece of birch
plywood.
 The springy plywood fixed on a closed
frame was Aalto’s brainstorm for making a
wooden chair “soft”.
 The Paimio Chair is constructed from both
two dimensional molded plywood and
laminated timber.

 The curves are made by clamping layers of

veneer and glue over a form to achieve the
desired curved shapes.
 It was supported by cantilevered continuous arm and leg frame of laminated
Birch plywood steam bent in the shape of a "C" and had horizontal braces to the
back.

 The frame was

thicker from the
front of the seat
down as there was
more stress on the
frame there.
 He constructed the
frame with 7 layers
of lamination and
less for the arms
and back as they
required
less
reinforcement.
 VIIPURI STACKING STOOLS

 The Viipuri collection of furniture  They then take up a minimal

complemented Aalto's forward thinking storage space so are ideal for
design. schools, meeting rooms or
 The stacking stool - this was made up of offices.
only four wooden parts, three Aalto Legs  They were available in children
and a round seat. and adult sizes.
 These three legged stools are versatile  The legs were varnished natural
and functional Birch timber and the seats were
 The stack ability means that they are ideal made from natural Birch timber,
for large gathering areas with small primary and white laminates.
storage spaces.
 The legs were attached to the seat at 120
degree angles which meant they could
interlock and stack easily.
PRODUCTS AVAILABLE AT
ARTEK
CANTILEVER CHAIR

• A Cantilever chair is a chair whose

seating and framework are not
supported by the typical
arrangement of 4 legs.
• Instead is held erect and aloft by a
single leg or legs that are attached
to one end of a chair’s seat and
bent in an L SHAPE.
• Otherwise known as the
Cantilever chair no.31; Made
of Bent laminated and solid birch
frame with bent plywood seat
section; has a more subtle curved
form.
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