Aalto in Rovaniemi - Update

Hi there,

after a seven year's break I made again my way to visit Finnish Lapland. Passing through the capital of Lapland, Rovaniemi, I had the chance to visit once again the Administrative and Cultural Center designed by Alvar Aalto. In addition, I had also the possibility to visit the two missing Aalto sights in Rovaniemi which are less well known and to which I hadn't pay much attention during my last major visit in the summer of 2011. But before presenting the two new sights, I first want to share a few current pictures taken from the Administrative and Cultural Center in Rovaniemi, containing the Lappia Hall, the Rovaniemi Library and the Town Hall of Rovaniemi.

The Administrative and Cultural Center in Rovaniemi is a must visit for anybody interested in Alvar Aalto's work as these are certainly among the finest buildings Aalto has designed.

Site No. 77: Maison Aho in Rovaniemi (1964-65)

Between 1958 and 1963 Aalto designed three commercial and residential buildings for the local business man Aarne Aho which I presented in an earlier post on Aalto sites in Rovaniemi. These buildings can be found right in the city centre of Rovaniemi, located in Koskikatu. A bit further down the same street Aalto also designed a private house for the Aho family which is less well known and I was not aware of this building during my previous visit in Rovaniemi. The exact address is Pohjolankatu 32.

The building dates from Aalto's late red brick phase as it was erected in the mid 1960s. It stands in a spacious garden-like surrounding, however, as like many other private houses designed by Alvar Aalto, only the main entrance and a window can be seen from the street. Most of what the outside visitor can see from the building are red brick walls. The house is private property and unfortunately not open to the public. It can only be viewed from the street.

Unless Villa Mairea and Maison Carre, Maison Aro shares in common with these brilliant Aalto works the fact that all three private buildings house art collections. According to local sources the floor plan of the building is slightly fan-shaped, opening out into a living room with a large corner window. A curving gallery wall, lit by a skylight provides indirect natural light to the artworks.

Although the house can only be viewed from the outside, as it is only a few meters from the actual city centre of Rovaniemi away a brief visit to see the exterior is recommended as long as one respects the fact that this is a private house.


Site No. 78: Korkalorinne Housing Area in Rovaniemi (1956-60)

Another Aalto site I was not aware of during my last Rovaniemi visit is the Korkalorinne Housing Area located in the Korkalorinne district. Korkalorinne is about two kilometers from the city centre of Rovaniemi away but can easily be reached by foot. Just follow local signs towards Korkalorinne, it is a nice walk through a quiet residential area with beautiful wooden houses build after the war.

Korkealorinne Housing Area was designed by Alvar Aalto in the mid-late 1950s in an effort to respond to the post-war housing shortage. The majority of Rovaniemi got destroyed during the second world war and the lack of housing was a huge problem at that time. The entire housing area consists of two four-story apartment blocks and three two-storey terraced houses.

Departing from Rovaniemi

Although my visit to Rovaniemi was rather brief this time, I am glad that I had the chance to catch up on the still missing Aalto sites and take a look at some of his less well known works.