10 years of Alvar Aalto's Architecture

Dear readers,

today I visited the Alvar Aalto museum in Jyväskylä exactly as I did 10 years ago for the first time. It was back then in 2010 when I formulated the ambitious goal of visiting all 80+ Alvar Aalto sites located in 11 different countries around the world. With setting this goal I also established this blog in order to document this undertaking with pictures and stories. Today 10 years later I have achieved my goal as I have visited altogether 86 Alvar Aalto sites in 11 different countries around the globe. Altogether I have travel more than 80 000 km and shared almost 2 000 pictures of Alvar Aalto's architecture on this blog. 

While I have visited every building designed by Alvar Aalto outside Finland, there still remain some buildings within Finland that I have not visited but have now also decided not to visit those anymore. The reason for this decision is that all remaining buildings are private and are either factories or housing. This means they are in many cases not accessible or only viewable from outside. While I have visited some of the private houses that are viewable from outside, I feel, out of respect for the residents, that I no longer want to do such visits. There is still quite a list of private houses as well as several factory grounds designed by Alvar Aalto in Finland that I haven't documented in this blog. However, given their age and conditions as well as their geographical location, making it very difficult to be accessed by public transport, I decided to

leave those sites out. I therefore decided to no longer strive for those remaining buildings but rather end this undertaking after 10 years and 86 Alvar Aalto sites in total, covering all buildings outside Finland ever designed by Alvar Aalto as well as all public buildings as such. 

Although, I am not planning to add any new buildings to the long list of visited ones, I will, nevertheless, follow the existing building's fate and will surely post updates on those. Since the start of this blog I have kept visiting many Aalto sites year by year and have also been posting updates whenever buildings had undergone major restorations or their purpose of use had changed. Besides that, some buildings were under renovation or closed during my past visits and I hope I can provide some updates on those buildings in future posts. Therefore, in upcoming years I am planning to post such updates whenever there is something new to tell. 

During all these site visits I was always accompanied with my camera and the Alvar Aalto Architecture map which I bought on my first visit to the Aalto museum exactly 10 years ago. This map, which contains almost all Aalto buildings in the world, was one of the key inspirations for me to start this blog as it made me curious about all those exciting Aalto buildings that can be found around the globe. At the same time it was also a handy planning tool. I wanted to share pictures of the map as it has played such a crucial role during this undertaking.

Looking back at the past 10 years many great memories remain. This is also a great moment to thank so many people who have helped me with my site visits, either by providing excellent guided tours, by opening doors to me that are usually not open to the wider public or by simply giving me a lift back to the nearest railway station. These visits have given me the chance not only to see and enjoy Aalto's great work but has also provided me with interesting new in-sights and views behind the scenes.

However, last but not least I would also like to thank all my readers (we are close to 200.000 site visits now!) that have kept me motivated all these years to go on with this ambitious undertaking. Thank you for all the comments you left on my blog, I really appreciated all of them!

Here is to another 10 years of Alvar Aalto's Architecture so stay tunned!

Stefan

Aalto in Jyväskylä - Update 4

Hi there,

it is once again time for some updates on Aalto's works in Jyväskylä. After the grand re-opening of the Central Finland Museum earlier this year, there is another highlight to report about, the remodeling of Casa Lauren. I had already reported about Aalto's first works in Jyväskylä in 2018, among those was also Casa Lauren, located right in the heart of Jyväskylä. Based on the latest developments in the immediate neighborhood of Casa Lauren also the almost 100 year old building has received some attention. In fact the building was brought back to its original appearance at least as much as I can say from the exterior. Based on old photographs and drawings I have seen from the building the two external staircases on each side have been again attached to the building. Also the color scheme has changed and the building no longer features its green painting as still seen in my previous post. Below are some of the pictures taken recently after the remodeling.

Another recent development worth mentioning is the new-build of a commercial building right between the Administrative Center of Jyväskylä and the Defence Corps Building which has also had some impacts on the actual Defence Corps Building. It appears that the Defence Corps Building has received a new life after many years of abundance and discussions of whether the building will have to be teared down as it was no longer safe. The refurbishment is not yet completed, here is, however, a picture of the current situation.

The Savoy Restaurant in Helsinki

Dear readers,

today I would like to present a very special Aalto site, one that I have kind of been saving for the end of this long journey, the glorious Savoy Restaurant in Helsinki. While the building itself, housing the restaurant on its top floor, wasn't designed by Alvar Aalto, it is the interior of the restaurant that features Aalto's special design.



Site No. 86: Interior and Furnishing of the Savoy Restaurant in Helsinki (1937)

In 1937 Alvar Aalto was commissioned by managing director of Ahström company Harry Gullichsen and his wife Maire Gullichsen to design the interior and furnishing of the Savoy Restaurant located on the top floor of the building owned by the Ahström family. In the following years Aalto designed also the well-known Gullichsen's home Villa Mairea in Noormarkku. The Savoy Restaurant is a high-class restaurant located right in the heart of Helsinki besides Esplanade Park, the actual Savoy Theater and across the street from the famous Kämp hotel. The restaurant is located on the 8. floor overseeing all of downtown Helsinki, Esplanade Park and providing magnificent views towards Finland's best known building, the white Helsinki Cathedral.

The sales team of the restaurant was so kind to arrange a special visit for me to give me the chance to photograph the restaurant and its interior outside its opening hours. I was even able to meet one of the staff members that was significantly involved in the latest renovation of the restaurant two years ago who could answer me the many detailed questions I had. In addition the chef the cuisine provided me with a private tour of the rooftop gardens for which the restaurant has become as well well-known in the recent years.

It was also the name of Savoy Restaurant that provided the name to Alvar Aalto's famous Savoy Vase which he originally designed as part of the restaurant's interior. It does not come at a surprise that every table in the restaurant is decorated with a Savoy Vase. However, also beyond the Savoy Restaurant, the Savoy Vase has become and icon as well as the trademark of Alvar Aalto and can nowadays been found in very Finnish home, including myself owning several pieces.

In the main dinning hall many well-known Artek classics can be found, however, the interior contains also many elements that have been designed for the restaurant exclusively. Such as there were the arm chairs which are still original from 1937. During the last renovation two years ago they have been carefully restored. Another highlight are the lamps on the roof which are lamps and ventilation at the same time. Both the roof and the lamps have as well been carefully restored two years ago. Also many of the tables have been renovated recently. Hereby the utmost was done to preserve as much from the original as possible while ensuring that the operations of a running restaurant are not compromised.

The long kanapee has received a new black and white fabric based on the famous Artek design.

Another highlight of the restaurant is the Marski table which was Finland's president during WWII marshal Carl Gustaf Mannerheim's favorite table. He was a regular at the Savoy Restaurant.

In the middle of the dinning hall there is also a serving table in the shape of the famous Savoy Vase.








Besides the dinning hall there is also a glassed roof terrace that features exclusive Artek furniture in addition to magnificent views. Especially worth mentioning here are the Artek chairs model 611 (Alvar Aalto, 1929) usually upholstered with fabric, however, here instead with leather. I was told that only the Artek shop in Tokyo sells exactly these same chairs.

At this point I would like to say a special thank you to the friendly staff of the Savoy Restaurant that provided me with the great opportunity to experience the great interior and furnishing at first hand. Finally, I would like to share one more picture of the magnificent view from the restaurant and its terrace provide over Esplanade Park and downtown Helsinki.

The Savoy Restaurant is open on weekdays and weekends serving both lunch and dinner. The restaurant provides a great opportunity to combine dinning in a Michelin Guide restaurant, with magnificent views of downtown Helsinki and an interior designed by Alvar Aalto preserved in its original form as of 1937.

Aalto in Kouvola

Dear all,

I hope this post finds you well. The novel COVID-19 crisis has also left its traces on this blog and jeopardized many of my travel plans this spring and summer. As the travel bans have recently been relaxed, I have been able to at least do some of my planned site visits and this time had the chance to visit two exciting Aalto sites in the Kymi Valley located in the southeast of Finland. The first site I would like to present today is the Tehtaanmäki Primary School in Inkeroinen.

Site No. 84: Tehtaanmäki Primary School in Inkeroinen (1938-39)

Train to Inkeroinen

The Tehtaanmäki (Factory Hill) Primary School designed by Alvar Aalto in the late 1930s is located in the industrial town of Inkeroinen, about 20 km south of Kouvola. Inkeroinen can easily be reached by train taking one of the Kouvola-Kotka commuters that run frequently during the day. The journey from Kouvola takes about 20 min. From the station in Inkeroinen it takes about 15-20 min by foot to the school. Simply make your way from the station to the nearby Inkeroistentie that runs parallel to the tracks. Follow the road in the direction from where the train came and you will find the school after about 1 km to your right. The exact address is Pihtojantie 8.

As already mentioned above, Inkeroinen is an industrial town. At the time the school was designed it was part of a larger city plan in which Alvar Aalto played a significant role. Aalto had been commissioned by Tampella to design housing for the factory workers and together with that also a new school for the worker's children. The housing area still exists, however, due to the limited time of my visit in Inkeroinen I was not able to take a closer look at those but instead focused only on the school. Both the school and the housing area are in close proximity to the paper mill and cardboard factory which are still operating today.

Despite its age the school is still in a rather good shape. It underwent renovations at the beginning of this millennium. The school is still in use today, however, due to the fact that there are school holidays at the moment in Finland I was unfortunately not able to enter the building. Also news recently reported that the school will no longer be used as a primary school as soon as a new built school will open in Inkeroinen. The fade of this building is currently unknown. I personally hope that the building will find a new purpose, perhaps even as a public Aalto site e.g. in form of a museum.

The Tehtaanmäki Primary School in Inkeroinen is definitely worth a visit as it is a great example of Aalto's early works before he entered the red-brick period. The design falls into the same time as Villa Mairea and certain familiar patterns can clearly be identified.

Reaching back to Kouvola by train, I had the chance to visit a second Aalto site located right in the city of Kouvola, the Kasarminmäki Gate.

Site No. 85: Kasarminmäki Gate in Kouvola (1925)

In the 1920s Alvar Aalto had to undergo compulsory military training which he completed at Kasarminmäki military base in Kouvola. During the time Aalto spent there, he designed the Gates for the military base.

The military base is not in use anymore today but instead houses the South-Eastern Finland University of Applied Science (XAMK). The gate stones had disappeared at some point and where rediscovered in the 1990s and re-erected at their original location where they can be viewed today. Kasarminmäki is located about 1 km from the city center of Kouvola and can easily be reached by foot.

Re-opening of the Central Finland Museum

As already mentioned in my previous post the Central Finland Museum in Jyväskylä had undergone a major renovation and finally today opened again its doors for visitors. I arrived to the museum just a couple of minutes before the official opening time at 11 am. Despite the rainy weather, there was quite an amount of interested visitors waiting in front of the still closed doors, when those opened just on time. I had already the chance to take a closer look at the exterior of the building last summer when the renovations had been completed outside. However, it still took another 7 months for the interior to be finalized before the museum was finally ready again to re-open for visitors. Therefore, I would like to first share the exterior shots I took last summer which I had saved for this post, before showing more of the museum's interior.

While exterior hadn't been alternated a lot, the building somehow appeared different to me. I had a similar impression also when I entered the building and indeed the lobby had undergone some major changes. All appeared much lighter and roomier to me.

I was the third visitor today to put my name into the guest book of the museum that had a special page today dedicated to all visitors that had attended the re-opening of the museum. 

The exhibition spaces on the first, second and third floor had been updated. While the changing exhibition space on the first floor looked quite similar than in the past, the second and third floor permanent exhibition on the history of Central Finland and Jyväskylä had changed significantly. 

However, as the exhibitions were not designed by Alvar Aalto I didn't pay too much attention on those but focused more on the lobby, the staircases and additional rooms that were not part of the exhibitions. Besides those, I took also a closer look at the fourth floor which again celebrates Aalto's genius abilities to bring in as much natural light to the art exhibition, housed on that level, as possible. 

The absolute highlight of the renovation, however, was the changes made to the conference/class room on the fourth floor which featured Aalto's beautiful wave-shaped wooden roof, similar to the one that can be found at the Vyborg Library. To my knowledge this room didn't feature such a wave-shaped wooden roof before.

In summary I would say that the long and certainly also costly renovation has really transferred this building into a jewel and into a must destination for all Jyväskylä visitors, not only Aalto fans. The close proximity to the Alvar Aalto Museum, which is literally located next doors, makes a visit even more appealing.