Academic literature on the topic 'Alvar Aalto'

Departing from the fact that László Moholy-Nagy’s Von Material zu Architektur (1929), had been an important source of inspiration for Alvar Aalto, this article examines the affinities between László Moholy-Nagy and Alvar Aalto’s intellectual positions. The article places emphasis on two particular ideas: how Aalto and Moholy-Nagy conceived the connection of biology with standardization and technology and its relationship to light and perception. Special attention is paid to the notions of “flexible standardisation” and rationalisation in Aalto’s thought, as well as to his belief that nature and standardization should be conceived are closely interconnected. In regard to their shared intellectual development, the article sheds light on the first encounters of the two men including: their meeting at the second Congrès International de l’Architecture Moderne (CIAM) in 1929; the June 1931 Finish meeting of Aino Marsio-Aalto, Alvar Aalto, Moholy-Nagy and Ellen Frank; the June 1931 exchanges between Aalto and Moholy-Nagy during the inner circle CIAM meeting in Berlin; and the common stay of the Aaltos and Moholy-Nagy in London in 1933 are discussed. Particular emphasis is placed on Aalto’s “The Reconstruction of Europe is the Key Problem for the Architecture of Our Time”, in which he argued that standardization in architecture should draw upon biological models.

This article examines the meanings of the past which Aalto wanted to transpose into his architecture – what I term cultural memory. I search for their points of origin in Aalto’s education and travels, in particular his impressions of the Acropolis in Athens. For Aalto, a civic centre was “the face of a city”, which should be the citizens’ meeting place. Of particular importance to him was the ritual entry into a theatre. Of the many civic centres that Aalto designed, few were realised in their entirety. Three of them are examined, as well as the Helsinki University of Technology campus, which is interpreted as a city in miniature. Aalto fought against the idea of placing commercial functions in close proximity with his centres – but recent extensions and traffic arrangements have brought a new vibrancy to some of them. The way in which Aalto handled the idea of memory and his use of classical elements is studied. I argue that classicism seemed continuously attractive to Aalto.

Artek was founded in November 1935. The name of the company, Art + Technology, reflects its objectives and methods of operation. The intention was to offer to its wide range of customers, practical, economical, hygienic and above all Modern furniture that reflected its own time. The furniture was to represent the values of an urban and efficient lifestyle. In the company’s founding meeting on 26.11.1935, Maire Gullichsen and Alvar Aalto became the main shareholders. Other shareholders were: Nils–Gustaf Hahl, Artek’s first managing director; P.W. Puhakka, the managing director of Huonekalu- ja Rakennustyötehdas, the company that produced the furniture designed by Aalto; Aino Marsio–Aalto; architect Aili–Salli Ahde; professor Carl Hahl; and architect Arne Ervi.

Alvar Aallon menestys maailmanluokan arkkitehdiksi sisälsi paitsi ylivoimaista ja ainutlaatuista osaamista myös propagandaa, oman aikamme käsitteellä markkinointiviestintää ja lehdistösuhteita. Aalto oli vuorovaikutuksellinen, avoin ja helposti yhteistyö- ja ystävyyssuhteita solmiva persoona. Hän oli kansainvälisesti verkottunut oman alansa ihmisiin Pohjoismaissa ja Euroopassa heti uransa alussa. Artikkelissa kuvataan, mitä nuori Aalto halusi päivälehtien avulla kertoa ns. suurelle yleisölle kotimaassaan. Mistä sanomalehdet kirjoittivat ja milloin julkisuudesta tuli niin suurta, että Aaltoa saatettiin kuvata poikkeuksellisena mestarina. Artikkelin pääaineistona on käytetty Kansalliskirjaston digitoituja sanomalehtiä 1920-1930 -luvulta. Vaikka arkkitehti Aallosta on kirjoitettu läjäpäin teoksia, tämä artikkeli avaa ensimmäistä kertaa systemaattisesti Aallon aktiivista julkisuustyötä, niin sanottua työprosessia, johon pressisuhteet kuuluivat olennaisena osana.

In Finland the influence of the Alvar Aalto has been very strong. It is not easy to say, what to do with Alvar Aalto and his buildings? Let’s take three cases: Library in Vyborg was built just before the Second World War. The former Finnish town was after the war one part of the Soviet Union. During the soviet era the building was in very bad condition. During the last 20 years it has been renovated. Now it looks like it was in the 30es. Some details remind the soviet renovations. Should we have a building like this in his earlier presentation or should we see also the history of the building? Sunila area in Kotka was built by one wood company in the middle of the 20th century. In the 60es the company sold the buildings. The flats are small, in the flats there are toilets but not showers. The situation especially in the 70es was miserable. In the last decades the Pro Sunila society has developed the area and the flats (for example two small flats together as a big one with bigger showers etc.). How we can develop an area? Nano laboratory building in Otaniemi was built in 60es as wood laboratory of the Helsinki University of Technology. There are many very fine architectural details in the building. For about eight years ago the building was renovated as nano laboratory. How to renovate a laboratory building, when you should in the same time use renovation, conservation and build high tech laboratory?

This doctoral thesis commences, as any other research would, from an intuition that becomes a hypothesis and, therefore, a vehicle that governs the development of an entire argument. In this case, the initial intuitions are rooted in a trip to the Nordic countries, in the summer of 2004, when I first visited some of the works of the Finnish architect Alvar Aalto. As a consequence of this trip, I began to investigate his architecture and the empirical experience soon gave way to an intellectual approach to the plans and documents which were created to produce part of his architectural legacy. Those early physical and intellectual approaches served me to begin to sense that one of the basic aspects of his architecture is the manner in which the users¿ itinerary is created, controlled and regulated. The strategic disposition of the bodies in their respective groupings respond, on many occasions, to arrangements that mark and improve the itineraries towards and through them. In the same way, the winding and generous hallways, and the layout and ergonomic stairways have as an aim to model, as if one were dealing with a soft material, the movement of the users passing through the spaces, "caressing" all those elements and materials of which they are articulated, such as paving, railings and door handles. One moves and is guided in a natural way between the different buildings that they comprise, for example, the university complexes in Otaniemi and Jyväskylä. In both of these we find lobbies that cross the ground floor and enhance the movement not only within the interior but also between the outer areas defined by their own volumes. It is also easy to see the importance of the circulation areas in the definition of the interior spaces of public buildings, such as the Aalborg Museum or the Essen Opera House. The reception areas and movement zones terminate, structuring themselves to the point where they compete in surface area with that of museum use and representation, respectively. This first hypothesis gives rise immediately to a second conjecture, also relevant. If the itinerary is a key theme in his architecture, is there any formal structure or organization that enhances these routes? And is it possible to find any repeated order or provision which, together with the itineraries, establishes an ¿Aaltian¿ way? Although the answer does not imply the existence of a general and absolute solution, it does invite an analysis of the projects in an attempt to underline what remains and persists beyond that of particular assignments. From that point of view, it is not difficult to realize that when we move through Aalto¿s constructions we usually do so around a central space, covered or uncovered, in relation to which our movements are tangentially generated as well as the different volumes that comprise it. This type of order, often formalized through the archetype of the courtyard or hall, leads to the provision of a central floor and its transgression as a repeated typological strategy. Seen in this way, Aalto¿s architecture, for instance the central courtyard of the Finnish Pavilion at the 1937 Paris Exhibition, the courtyard of the Säynätsalo Town Hall, the living rooms of the Hansaviertal apartment block, or the stage of the Essen Opera House, regardless of their size and use, is understood through the same order which recognizes a centre as a spatial and compositional hinge; a hinge which, by the way , also serves as a reference for moving around and displacing ourselves in general in a perimetral and encircling way.
Esta tesis doctoral parte, como cualquier investigación, de una intuición que se transforma en hipótesis y, por tanto, en vehículo que gobierna el desarrollo de toda una argumentación. En este caso, las intuiciones iniciales tienen su origen en un viaje por tierras nórdicas donde por primera vez visito algunas obras del arquitecto finés Alvar Aalto. A raíz del viaje, en verano de 2004, comienzo a investigar su arquitectura y la experiencia empírica inicial da paso a un acercamiento intelectual a través de los planos y los documentos que se generaron para producir parte de su legado arquitectónico. Esos primeros acercamientos físicos e intelectuales me sirvieron para comenzar a intuir que uno de los aspectos básicos de su arquitectura es la manera en la que se produce, controla y regula el recorrido de los usuarios. La estratégica disposición de los cuerpos en sus conjuntos responde, en muchas ocasiones, a disposiciones que marcan y potencian los itinerarios hacia y a través de ellos. De la misma manera, los sinuosos y generosos vestíbulos, y las tendidas y ergonómicas escaleras tienen como objetivo modelar, como si de un material blando se tratase, el movimiento de los usuarios al atravesar sus espacios y “acariciar” todos aquellos elementos y materiales que los articulan, como pavimentos, barandillas y pomos. Uno se mueve y se orienta con naturalidad entre las diferentes edificaciones que componen, por ejemplo, los conjuntos universitarios de Otaniami y Jyväskylä. En ellos podemos encontrar vestíbulos que atraviesan las plantas bajas y potencian la circulación no sólo interior, sino también entre los ámbitos exteriores definidos por los propios volúmenes. También es fácil adivinar la importancia de las áreas de circulación en la definición de los espacios interiores de edificios públicos como el Museo de Aalborg o la Ópera de Essen. Las áreas de recepción y movimiento acaban estructurándolos hasta el punto que compiten en superficie con los usos museísticos y de representación, respectivamente. Esta primera hipótesis da lugar, de manera inmediata, a una segunda conjetura, también relevante. Si el recorrido es un tema fundamental en su arquitectura, ¿existe alguna estructura formal u organización que potencie dichos recorridos?, ¿es posible encontrar alguna disposición u orden recurrente que junto con los itinerarios establezcan una maniera aaltiana? Aunque la respuesta no implica la existencia de una solución general y absoluta, sí invita a analizar los proyectos intentando subrayar aquello que permanece y persiste por encima de los encargos particulares. Desde dicho punto de vista, no es difícil percatarse de que cuando nos movemos por las obras de Aalto lo solemos hacer en torno a un espacio central, cubierto o descubierto, respecto al cual se generan tangencialmente tanto nuestros movimientos como los diferentes volúmenes que los acogen. Este tipo de orden, en muchas ocasiones formalizado a través del arquetipo del patio o del hall, nos conduce a la disposición de planta central y su transgresión como estrategia tipológica recurrente. Vista así su arquitectura, el patio central del Pabellón finés en la Exposición de París de 1937 o el del Ayuntamiento de Säynätsalo, la sala de estar de las viviendas de la Hansaviertel, o el escenario de la Ópera de Essen, con independencia de su dimensión y uso, son entendidos a través de un mismo orden que reconoce un centro como gozne compositivo y espacial. Un gozne que, dicho sea de paso, también sirve de referencia para movernos y desplazarnos, en general de una manera perimetral y envolvente.

Il lavoro presentato è nato dall’esperienza estera dell’autrice e dal suo interessamento verso i temi del restauro e della conservazione dei patrimoni artistici, nello specifico delle opere appartenenti al movimento moderno. Durante i mesi trascorsi in Finlandia, grazie ai laboratori e alla guida della professoressa Anna-Maija Ylimaula, l’autrice ha avuto modo di confrontarsi costantemente con i temi relativi alla salvaguardia del patrimonio storico – artistico del paese. È tramite un confronto con la professoressa, infatti, che si è deciso il tema da affrontare come oggetto di tesi, permettendo l’esecuzione di questa indagine. L’obiettivo è la conoscenza e la trasmissione del patrimonio artistico del Funkis (movimento moderno finlandese), nello specifico di un caso studio poco conosciuto, appartenente all’opera di Alvar Aalto, maestro e pioniere del movimento suddetto. L’opera in questione, la villa del manager Lehmus, si trova all’interno di un quartiere residenziale appartenente all’industria Typpi Oy, pensato e realizzato dallo stesso architetto. Grazie alla rilevanza del sito e alla presenza di costruzioni lignee, il lavoro presentato si inserisce all’interno del Progetto di Ricerca Europeo “Preserving Wooden Heritage, Methods for monitoring wooden structures: 3D laser scanner survey and application of BIM systems on point cloud models” riguardante l’attività condotta dalla ricercatrice Arch. PhD Sara Porzilli, titolare di una borsa di studio Marie S. Curie presso l’Università di Oulu, in Finlandia.

La diffusion est un facteur important pour le développement et l'internationalisation du design moderne durant la période de l'entre-deux-guerres, que ce soit par le biais du commerce, d'expositions ou de publications. La diffusion du mobilier d'Alvar Aalto à travers le monde entier durant les années trente, notamment par la société Artek créée spécialement à cet effet, permet d'une part d'étudier de façon conrete la diffusion du design et d'autre part d'en mesurer l'impact sur la carrière internationale d'Alvar Aalto.

L’elaborato si propone di analizzare l’attività della ditta di arredamento finlandese Artek, nata dalla creatività dei coniugi Alvar e Aino Aalto e dalla collaborazione di tante altre importanti figure del mondo del design. L’analisi si concentra sugli avvenimenti svoltisi durante gli anni ’30 e ’40 del Novecento, andando quindi ad investigare le dinamiche che hanno portato alla fondazione della ditta stessa nel 1935, e seguendo in seguito la sua attività nei primi quindici anni della sua esistenza. Infine, una più ridotta analisi si propone di delineare brevemente gli svolgimenti relativi agli anni ’50. Nella presentazione di questi interni, particolare attenzione è prestata agli elementi tessili in essi impiegati, cercando di tracciare un’immagine dell’impiego dei tessuti in Artek, aspetto tradizionalmente poco trattato nella bibliografia al riguardo. L’indagine è compiuta attraverso l’analisi di una serie di abitazioni modello presentate all’interno di varie mostre e contesti diversi nel corso degli anni, più una serie di interni di natura diversa, ritenuti particolarmente importanti e rappresentativi di alcuni aspetti dell’attività della ditta. Il lavoro di ricerca si è basato sull’analisi incrociata di materiale di varia natura: un’ampia ricerca bibliografica, materiale d’archivio contenuto negli archivi Artek presso la Fondazione Aalto a Jyväskylä, fotografie originali e interviste.

Son bastante conocidas las relaciones entre la pintura de Piet Mondrian y la arquitectura moderna; desde Theo Van Doesburg a John Hejduk, la influencia de su poética ha sido manifiesta. Menos estudiadas han sido las relaciones entre una escuela o grupo de escuelas de artistas informales que con su “Arte Otro” produjeron una profunda revolución del panorama artístico entre 1945 y 1960. Las relaciones de las Poéticas de lo Informal con la arquitectura moderna, y el estudio de su estructura formal constituye el objetivo de esta tesis doctoral en la que profundizaremos sobre la estructura poética del arte como ficción y su capacidad de redescripción de la realidad hasta conseguir que la obra de arte nos descubra y revele: ése es su nivel mítico que explicaremos a través del modelo narrativo y ésta es la lectura del Arte Informal que aquí proponemos.La tesis se halla dividida en cinco partes. En la primera se recorre el itinerario del informalismo pictórico del trazo, del gesto y de la materia. El objetivo es estudiar los principios del arte informal analizándolo al margen del arte abstracto con el que a menudo se asocia tratando de deducir sus características esenciales; dicha lectura se produce como poética existencial del arte. En la segunda parte de la tesis se arranca de los principios estudiados en el capítulo anterior aplicándolos a la arquitectura de Alvar Aalto del periodo 1937-1953 etapa cuya obra se corresponde con los principios del Arte Informal.En la tercera parte se propone el modelo narrativo como medio de interpretar lo Informal a partir de las propuestas teóricas de Venturi y Muntañola. La cuarta parte plantea la Poética del Informalismo a partir de las categorías poéticas de la doble forma, la doble función y el elemento extraño que se aplican a la arquitectura y la pintura de Aalto.El modelo narrativo que se ha adoptado en esta Tesis es el del libro de la Poética de Aristóteles. La interpretación de este texto la debemos a Paul Ricoeur. Para Aristóteles es esencial la creación de metáforas que son parte fundamental del proceso poético. Además la metáfora es un proceso retórico por el que el discurso libera el poder que tienen ciertas ficciones de redescribir la realidad. En la última parte estudiaremos el poder de redescripción del Arte Informal hasta llegar a su función reveladora a través de la Metáfora.
Relationships between Piet Mondrian's painting and modern architecture are well-known; from Theo Van Doesburg to John Hejduk, the influence of his poetics has been evident. Less studied are the relationships between a school or group of schools of informal artists whose "art autre” produced a deep revolution in the artistic panorama between 1945 and 1960.Connections between Informal Poetics and modern architecture, and the study of its formal structure are the aim of this doctoral thesis into which we will conduct an in-depth study of art’s poetical structure as fiction and its capacity of re-description reality up to achieve that the work of art is discovered and revealed to us: through this mythical level we will explain the narrative model. This will be the reading we propose of the Informal Art.The thesis is divided in five parts. The first one covers the itinerary of trace, gesture and matter in pictorial informalism. The aim is to study the beginning of informal art as a subject in the outskirts of abstract art, which is often related with, and to endeavor to presume his essential characteristics; this reading is to be comprehended as art’s existential poetics.The second part of the thesis embarks the principles studied in the previous chapter and are applied to the period 1937-1953 of Alvar Aalto's architecture, which corresponds to the beginning of the Informal Art.The third part proposes the narrative model as a way of interpreting Informal Art from Venturi and Muntañola theoretical proposals. The fourth part explains Informalism Poetics from poetical categories of double form, double function and the foreign element applied to Aalto’s architecture and painting.Aristotle’s Poetics book has been the narrative model used in this Thesis. The interpretation of this text is to be thanked to Paul Ricoeur. Aristotle’s essential creations of metaphors are a fundamental part of any poetical process; furthermore, the metaphor is a rhetorical process for which the speech liberates the power that some fictions have of re-describing the reality. In the last part is studied the Informal Art’s power of re-description up to its revealing function through the metaphor.
Són bastant conegudes les relacions entre la pintura de Piet Mondrian i l’arquitectura moderna; des de Theo Van Doesburg a John Hejduk, la influència de la seva poètica ha estat manifesta. Menys estudiades han estat les relacions entre una escola o grup d’escoles d’artistes informals que amb el seu “Art Altre” van produir una profunda revolució del panorama artístic entre 1945 i 1960. Les relacions de les Poètiques de l’Informal amb l’arquitectura moderna, i l’estudi de la seva estructura formal constituïx l’objectiu d’aquesta tesi doctoral en la qual aprofundirem sobre l’estructura poètica de l’art com ficció i la seva capacitat de redescripció de la realitat fins a aconseguir que l’obra d’art ens descobreixi i reveli: aquest és el seu nivell mític que explicarem a través del model narratiu i aquesta és la lectura de l’Art Informal que aquí proposem.La tesi es troba dividida en cinc parts. En la primera es recorre l’itinerari del informalisme pictòric del traç, del gest i de la matèria. L’objectiu és estudiar els principis de l’art informal analitzant-lo al marge de l’art abstracte amb el qual sovint s’associa tractant de deduir les seves característiques essencials; aquesta lectura es produeix com poètica existencial de l’art.En la segona part de la tesi s’arrenca dels principis estudiats en el capítol anterior aplicant-los a l’arquitectura de Alvar Aalto del període 1937-1953 etapa a la que la seva obra es correspon amb els principis de l’Art Informal.En la tercera part es proposa el model narratiu com mitjà d’interpretar l’Informal a partir de les propostes teòriques de Venturi i Muntañola. La quarta part planteja la Poètica del Informalisme a partir de les categories poètiques de la doble forma, la doble funció i l’element estrany que s’apliquen a l’arquitectura i la pintura de Aalto.El model narratiu que s’ha adoptat en aquesta Tesi és el del llibre de la Poètica d’Aristòtil. La interpretació d’aquest text la devem a Paul Ricoeur. Per a Aristòtil és essencial la creació de metàfores que són part fonamental del procés poètic. A més la metàfora és un procés retòric pel qual el discurs allibera el poder que tenen certes ficcions de redescriure la realitat. En l’última part estudiarem el poder de redescripció de l’Art Informal fins a arribar a la seva funció reveladora a través de la Metàfora.

La ponencia abordará el proyecto personal Villa Väinölä, Elokuu 2018 que surge a raíz de una residencia artística en Villa Väinölä (Alarjärvi, Finlandia), auspiciada por el Museo Nelimarkka. Esta casa, obra del afamado arquitecto Alvar Aalto (1926), fue diseñada para su hermano Väinö como vivienda y lugar de trabajo. Posteriormente, en el año 1952, es cedida al municipio adoptando diferentes usos hasta 1999, momento en el que fue clausurada. En 2010, tras más de una década cerrada y abandonada, el consistorio inicia su restauración, tomando impulso a partir de 2015, cuando la Fundación Eero Nelimarkka se hace cargo del inmueble para convertirlo en residencia de artistas, centro cultural y sala expositiva. En agosto de 2018 tengo el privilegio ser la primera artista en habitarla, coincidiendo con su reapertura al público. La relevancia de este hecho me motiva a realizar un proyecto artístico acerca de esta villa, sobre las capas de memoria que albergan sus paredes, mi experiencia allí y la huella de Alvar Aalto. Como objetivos secundarios me planteo visibilizar la figura de Aino Aalto que, a pesar de ser una pieza clave en todos los diseños atribuidos a su marido, permanece siempre a su sombra; así como abordar la faceta de madres de las mujeres artistas, teniendo que conciliar la vida profesional con la familiar, debido a que durante la residencia me acompañó mi hija. La serie está integrada por obras de diferentes formatos y dimensiones realizadas con técnica mixta (impresión digital, acrílico, lápices de colores, rotuladores y collage) sobre papel o lienzo. En ellas se plasma la esencia de la casa de una manera abstracta y metafórica, centrando la atención en las texturas del edificio y en los numerosos registros estratigráficos realizados durante su rehabilitación, que dejaron al descubierto las distintas capas de la memoria que la conformaban.

Following the visual and volumetric bases extracted from the traditional Mediterranean architecture, Francisco Juan Barba Corsini (1916-2008) and Antoni Sintes Mercadal (1921-1981) designed Binibeca Vell (1964-1972) a respectful complex with the environment and the constructive traditions. The integration in the site, the built forms, the materials used and the urban structure reflect the organization of a traditional village. The research aims to analyze the architectural features, the reinterpretation of vernacular elements and the local traditional construction crafts involved in the complex and the details, symbolism and aesthetics. Binibeca consists of 165 townhouses, shopping center, hotel, social club, church and a small marina, all arranged in the form of a fishing village. The urban structure, the different typologies and the construction process is considered an alternative to the block of apartments of tourist promotion, reinterpreting a model of traditional settlement. The initial proposal was to recreate a traditional fishing village that would inspire the work of intellectuals, painters and writers. Barba Corsini stated that he had felt closer to the way a fisherman builds than to an architect: “I have met Alvar Aalto on several occasions and I came to understand the superiority of the beauty of a wall made by a fisherman or a farmer compared to that of a specialist technician” (Barba Corsini, 2005). With the reinterpretation of an architecture of the past, Binibeca Vell recovers the autochthonous values of the Mediterranean coast. The resonance between topography and architecture, the harmony with the constructive traditions, the plasticity of organic integration and the picturesqueness of the access route characterize Binibeca, which incorporates the adjective "Vell" to the toponym to distinguish itself from new constructions.