Posts tagged “aalto”
Optical Illusion at Finlandia Hall
There is an optical illusion that the National Museum tower is built into Finlandia Hall when looking at it from a cafe across the bay. It seems Alvar Aalto most likely put it there deliberately.
Jørn Utzon Lecture Report
Last Thursday night I went to see Adrian Carter give a lecture about Jørn Utzon. It was a warm and poignant lecture given by a friend and colleague and I can’t think of a better tribute to Utzon that he could have given. It provided a timely reminder that Architecture is the power to stir [...]
Finnish Pavillion 1900
The Finnish Pavillion at the 1900 Paris World Fair has been recreated digitally by the Media Lab at the University of Art and Design Helsinki (TaiK). The building was drawn by architects Eliel Saarinen, Herman Gesellius, and Armas Lindgren. Wearing circular polarization glasses and using a mouse the visitor is able to access a space [...]
Aalto University
The Aalto University has been created in Helsinki. Made up of the current Helsinki University of Technology, the Helsinki School of Economics and the University of Art and Design, its doors will open August of 2009. Its quite big news because of the groupings these represent. Design, Technology and Economics meaning that policy makers in [...]
Aalto Database
The Aalto Database is now open in Engish and Finnish, based on Dr Göran Schildt’s book Alvar Aalto. A life’s Work. Architecture, Design and Art (1994). It covers built and unbuilt work, competitions and masterplans and gives a summary of each building with a photo. Locations, dates and type are easily searchable. But I would [...]
Never Be An Architect
You’ll never be an Architect, but aim for a career in journalism! -Toivo Salervo to Alvar Aalto, who, in the summer of 1916, just before beginning his studies in architecture, was a trainee in Salervo’s architects’ office. #
Some Brutal Friends of Mine
There has been alot of news recently about some Brutalist Masterpieces in the UK, and they always seem to touch a raw nerve with everybody. So it seemed useful to make a post covering three of these buildings because of their contrasting fates.
Alvar Aalto through the eyes of Shigeru Ban
(photo by georg) The Architect Shigeru Ban has developed an exhibition of some 14 Alvar Aalto projects which will be showing at the Barbican in London (22 Feb ’07 – 13 May ’07). I hope this exhibition can be brought to Finland too so I can see it. I’ll have to make do with the [...]
Branding Architecture
Architectural design now more than ever is a shared production with the Chief Architect perhaps if he or she is lucky leading the team, but we all want to believe in the Starchitect as Renaissance genius, while the truth is perhaps more mundane the effect of brand building and name dropping by developers and journalists. [...]
Villa Carré
The Villa Carré by Alvar Aalto has been bought by the Finnish Cultural Foundation. Not only did Aalto design the building but also the interior of the house, including lamps and furniture which have never been put into production as well as items from the Artek range. See the Helsingin Sanomat article here. One thing [...]
The 1939 Finnish Pavillion
Rebuilt in a computer for the aaltosvoices website (sorry its a bit flashy). The Finnish Pavilion at the New York World’s Fair in 1939 was the design that marked Alvar Aalto’s international breakthrough. The structure was dismantled right after the Fair ended, just two years after it was completed…….First of all, the story goes that [...]
Telegram from Helsinki
A Telegram from Aalto sent to MIT in 1958 ‘Dear John just unable to produce enough architectural philosophy you may publish this telegramletter as a substitute stop Sibelius said if you publish three words of explaining music at least two words are wrong this may be true also in my architectural philosophy stop In ordinary [...]
Finding Architecture
Ever wanted an easy way to find good architecture and how to get there from where you are? galinsky is really clear and concentrates on the basics with a few well chosen modern buildings from around the globe,where they are, how to visit etc,and clear website design. You can contribute also so is in principal [...]