The Architecture of Alvar Aalto - Essay Example

The Architecture of Alvar Aalto Name: Course: Institution: Date: The Architecture of Alvar Aalto Introduction Alvar Aalto (1898-1976) was one of the most celebrated architects in Finland. This was largely because his architectural designs were not only inspired by the desire to create magnificent buildings but also by the desire to create buildings inspired by a sense of warmth and humanity.1 The urge to create an outstanding work of art in the view of Aalto must be considered as a necessity in all sectors of building and design, from the thought, to the structural, the interior and the furnishings.2 The main objective of this paper is to provide a critical analysis to the architecture of Alvar Aalto while drawing an understanding from two of his works. Villa Mairea In 1939, Aalto completed one of his first buildings, Villa Mairea which was loaded with numerous layers of meanings coupled by several reference points from multiple architectural designs from the past and those of the modern world.3 This made it relatively difficult to instrumentally comprehend the architectural design of the building considering the unity of purpose that it must attracted. 4 Villa Mairea was poetically derived in part from the basic configurations of the Finnish vernacular forest enclosure with the objective of relating the Finnish culture to nature. The desire to merge the tenets of culture and those of nature was a demonstration of the unique nature of Aalto’s attitude towards construction in the late 1930s. According to critics of Aalto, the approach given to the design of Villa Mairea was not only paradoxical but also relatively illogical considering.5 The setting of Villa Mairea in the forest in the view of Aalto was to boost the cultural practice among the Finnish was often characterized by interacting with nature. Since his childhood the forest had always provided the much needed comfort and this explains why Villa Mairea was an admixture of foregoing attitudes towards the forest and the attitudes of Aalto. In the view of Aalto, technology was not reliable enough to provide the perfect synthesis between elements such as the city and country. This could only be realized by understanding the fusion characterized by highlighting the forest and modern life.6 Since the beginning of his career as architecture, Aalto was dedicated to the provision of a strong determination of improving nature through implanting carefully formed and articulated buildings. The Mairea gate for instance was considered as a place in between the beauty related to design and the harmonious purposes that the building was aimed to serve.7 Inasmuch as Villa Mairea created a relatively difficult unity, its gate provides an understanding of the anxiety of boundary by offering a point of mediation between the neglected agencies of natural life and culture. The fact that the gate opens into a natural garden triggers an architectural thought that provides a perfect understanding of the configuration of nature and the mind.8 Aalto’s intention of developing an architectural space as a concept of the forest is considered as the central idea of Villa Mairea. This architectural design embodies a Nordic forest as in the case of traditional housing in vernacular Finnish homesteads.9 The ability of Aalto to interchange and mingle the concept of forest space and natural light is a characteristic of a place in the woods. Through Villa Mairea Aalto is able to evoke numerous experiences of the forest. In one of the experiences, the Villa Mairea portrays the combination between the forest space and the flowing space where modern architecture evokes the natural forms and presents a combined and refined detailing and architecture. 10 Aalto employed the use of natural metaphors in different capacities. For instance he used tree columns for Villa Mairea in a way that was evocative of surrounding forest. This was also an indication of a brilliant landscape evoked by undulating geometry in the design. His undulating line was representative of the presence of nature playing against a firm base. It is important to note that nature was not only definitive of Villa Mairea but also other architectural works such as the design of Viipuri Public Library which was celebrated as a fantastic mountain.11 Aalto in his sketch for the library developed layered organizations in numerous plateaus and this depiction of art from a natural perspective eventually emerged as a motif in his work.12 The representation of buildings as part of nature led to the development of the analogy that a group of buildings could be compared to the branch of a flowering cherry tree where despite the similarity of the flowers there was some form of uniqueness in each of them according to their relationship with each other, the wind and the sun.13 The architectural designs of Aalto, with reference to Villa Mairea, are a representation of the outstanding work of architecture with its roots in the landscape and the forest culture.14 The Aalto atelier The Aalto atelier was an architectural approach that was modelled on the basis of an artistic atelier system that was typical of the Finnish and the Scandinavian world. It is important to note that the inspiration of this architectural approach was inspired by Alvar Aalto’s intention of architecture in the natural environment.15 The desire to work at home with some form of direct contact with the natural environment seemed to be the inspiring aspect of the atelier approach. This inspiration sought to bring out the serenity of buildings and the lasting harmony that is generated by working in an environment surrounded with trees and other vegetation. The design of the Tiilimaki atelier building for instance had the design of a family house. In addition, those who were working in the building with Alvar Aalto as the defacto head of the architects considered his architectural sketches as those with purposive intent.16 The reason for his participation and his leadership in the development of the atelier was largely because of the spontaneous nature of his designs which enabled him to move from the everyday levels considering his desire to design buildings inspired by different aspects of nature and culture. 17 Aalto atelier can be considered as one of the architectural designs that signified movement from the everyday level of architecture. This is because it was characterized by the interaction and improvement in drawing from the initial poiesis of sketching to the techne secondary representation process. The eventual design of the atelier can be said to be a result of continuous iteration and play between poieses and techhne which ensures the maintenance of the ambiguity of the initial sketches throughout the design of the building.18 Upon commissioning of Alto atelier, Alvar Aalto and other experienced architects began the sketching process with Alvar assuming responsibility for the artic and social agenda of the atelier. Through his architectural sketches of the Aalto atelier, Alvar was able to communicate, in his intimal sketches, a complete essence of his purposive intent for the atelier.19 Though numerous works of different phases of the atelier, Alvar was able to elucidate the initial ideas by building them in a manner that was suggestive of the corporeal and the essential forms, purpose and tones.20 Through the sketches by Alvar and other senior architects it was possible to relive the poetic sense that the building designs were intending to communicate. The Aalto atelier was able to utilize drawings as a form of notation whose use was in the making of a building but could not in themselves be used in the description of that building. This was an indication that the drawings and sketches of Aalto atelier did not attempt to form a simulacrum of that which is to be built in reality but were used as recognition of the possible structure that a building in reality could assume. The critical and relatively complex nature of Alvar Aalto’s sketches of the Aalto atelier required architects to engage in a critical analysis of his palimpsest and derive a definite form and accurately relate it to the site through established measures.21 Upon completion, the building, Aalto atelier, was not total agreement with the initial sketches. Despite its relative differences with numerous structures ion the contemporary world of architecture, it is important to note that the atelier is a symbol of a skilful architectural work considering its flexible nature with the conditions of the social and physical environment.22 In addition, Alvar’s confidence in his purposive intention of any architectural design and the ability of the atelier to embody the intent within its structure is an indication of the expectations of any magnificent work of architecture.23 Aalto atelier, being a significant approach to architectural work in Finland, identifies the uncharacteristic aesthetic terrain that symbolizes an implicit set of humane values and the work of architecture.24 Conclusion Alvar Aalto’s works of architecture are considered important in Finnish architecture and construction sectors. This is largely because of the nature of his works to not only develop designs of buildings but also design on the basis of inspiration and intended purposive intent. Villa Mairea for instance was inspired by the desire to unite human culture and the environment while other architectural designs such as Aalto atelier were designed with the purposive intent of bringing out the intention of architecture. Bibliography Charrington Harry. Not a Locked Box: The Everyday Art of the Aalto Atelier. Architectural Research Quarterly / Volume 14 / Issue 03 / September 2010, pp. 255 – 266 Fores Ferrer, J. J. Tradition in Nordic Architecture, 2006, p. 1-9 Hagan Susannah. Taking Shape: A new Contract between Architecture and Nature. Routledge, London. 2007 Menin, Sarah. Construction Place: Mind and the Matter of Place-Making. Routledge, London. 2004 Menin Sarah. A Gateway to the ‘Backwoods’: Aalto and the Matter of Rooting Modernity. Architectural Research Quarterly / Volume 9 / Issue 02 / June 2005, pp. 145 – 155 Wang, David, and Linda N. Groat. Architectural Research Methods. 2013. Read More

Through Villa Mairea Aalto is able to evoke numerous experiences of the forest. In one of the experiences, the Villa Mairea portrays the combination between the forest space and the flowing space where modern architecture evokes the natural forms and presents a combined and refined detailing and architecture. 10 Aalto employed the use of natural metaphors in different capacities. For instance he used tree columns for Villa Mairea in a way that was evocative of surrounding forest. This was also an indication of a brilliant landscape evoked by undulating geometry in the design.

His undulating line was representative of the presence of nature playing against a firm base. It is important to note that nature was not only definitive of Villa Mairea but also other architectural works such as the design of Viipuri Public Library which was celebrated as a fantastic mountain.11 Aalto in his sketch for the library developed layered organizations in numerous plateaus and this depiction of art from a natural perspective eventually emerged as a motif in his work.12 The representation of buildings as part of nature led to the development of the analogy that a group of buildings could be compared to the branch of a flowering cherry tree where despite the similarity of the flowers there was some form of uniqueness in each of them according to their relationship with each other, the wind and the sun.

13 The architectural designs of Aalto, with reference to Villa Mairea, are a representation of the outstanding work of architecture with its roots in the landscape and the forest culture.14 The Aalto atelier The Aalto atelier was an architectural approach that was modelled on the basis of an artistic atelier system that was typical of the Finnish and the Scandinavian world. It is important to note that the inspiration of this architectural approach was inspired by Alvar Aalto’s intention of architecture in the natural environment.

15 The desire to work at home with some form of direct contact with the natural environment seemed to be the inspiring aspect of the atelier approach. This inspiration sought to bring out the serenity of buildings and the lasting harmony that is generated by working in an environment surrounded with trees and other vegetation. The design of the Tiilimaki atelier building for instance had the design of a family house. In addition, those who were working in the building with Alvar Aalto as the defacto head of the architects considered his architectural sketches as those with purposive intent.

16 The reason for his participation and his leadership in the development of the atelier was largely because of the spontaneous nature of his designs which enabled him to move from the everyday levels considering his desire to design buildings inspired by different aspects of nature and culture. 17 Aalto atelier can be considered as one of the architectural designs that signified movement from the everyday level of architecture. This is because it was characterized by the interaction and improvement in drawing from the initial poiesis of sketching to the techne secondary representation process.

The eventual design of the atelier can be said to be a result of continuous iteration and play between poieses and techhne which ensures the maintenance of the ambiguity of the initial sketches throughout the design of the building.18 Upon commissioning of Alto atelier, Alvar Aalto and other experienced architects began the sketching process with Alvar assuming responsibility for the artic and social agenda of the atelier. Through his architectural sketches of the Aalto atelier, Alvar was able to communicate, in his intimal sketches, a complete essence of his purposive intent for the atelier.

19 Though numerous works of different phases of the atelier, Alvar was able to elucidate the initial ideas by building them in a manner that was suggestive of the corporeal and the essential forms, purpose and tones.20 Through the sketches by Alvar and other senior architects it was possible to relive the poetic sense that the building designs were intending to communicate.

Read More