Modernism and cultural identity
Alvar Aalto



The Finnish architect Alvar Aalto (1898-1976) worked in Scandinavia, America and Europe. His early work shows neo-classical influence but he came to adapt the symbolism and functionalism of the modern movement to generate his plans and forms. His mature work, expressed in public buildings, offices, churches and housing, has been said to embody a "unique functionalist/expressive and humane style," synthesising rational and intuitive design principles.
   His work borrows from the International Style, but uses texture, colour and structure in new ways, refining European modernism to create a new Finnish architecture in designs that responded sensitively and with originality to site, material and form.
   His approach was strongly influenced by nature and the Finnish landscape of lake and forest. "Nature," he wrote, "is a symbol of freedom... If we base our technical plans primarily on nature we have a chance to ensure that the course of development is once again in a direction in which our everyday work and all its forms will increase freedom rather than decrease it." (1949)
   His design for the Finnish pavilion at the 1939 World Fair is in this spirit. Constrained to the interior of a narrow but tall box, he planned an "organic exhibition" in a free architectural form, exploiting modernist principles to integrate photography, cinema, light and space in a "symphony of wood", under the title "Land, people, works, products."
   Saynatsalo Town Hall and Library (1949-52), illustrated above, is described by J.M. Richards as "intimate and idiosyncratic," responding directly to site and place. Offices, council chamber, and library are grouped around a courtyard that is raised on a platform above wooded countryside. All buildings are entered from the courtyard, which allows sunlight to penetrate and offers views of landscape and lake. The materials are dark red brick, wood and copper. Says Richards, "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."

References
Richard Weston, Alvar Aalto (1995)
Web site: Alvar Aalto Foundation