Alvar Aalto

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Alvar Aalto Humanistic modernism Francis
Larkin 17 March 2004
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About Alvar Aalto

• Scandinavian modernist
• Designed architecture, glassware and furniture
• Strongly influenced by nature
• Finland's forest and lakes

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Aaltos Modernism

• Viewed the machine age as dehumanizing and
  believed it harmed social relationships and human
  worth
• Humanistic design
• Clear message Aesthetics and functionality
  belong to all

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Functionalism

• Use dictates the outward form, without regard to
  such traditional conceptions of symmetry,
  proportions, etc.

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Architecture

• Incorporated natural materials and innovative
  light sources
• Wife (and partner) a major influence on work. A
  moderating effect.
• Frequently used natural, wave-like lines.
• The Finnish word aalto means wave

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Significant Buildings

• Finlandia Hall

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Significant Buildings

• Helsinki University of Technology

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Significant Buildings

• Baker House

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Significant Buildings

• Wolfsburg Churchand Cultural Center

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Furniture

• White birch molding
• Native to Finland
• organic, artistic, curvilinear shapes
• Open to new technology, ironically
• Bent, split, stretched, joined, and glued
  laminated wood to create a new kind of furniture.
  
• Aalto designed almost 60 different furniture
  pieces over 50 years.

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Furniture

• Armchair 41
• Designed originally to exude warmth and humanity
  in a Finnish Hospital
• In the permanent collection of the Museum of
  Modern Art.

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Furniture

• Armchair 406
• Innovative closed loop frame that offered
  springiness and comfort.
• In the permanent collection of the Museum of
  Modern Art.

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Furniture

• Tea Trolley 900In the permanent collection of
  the Museum of Modern Art.

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Furniture

• The L leg - Table 83
• Aalto believed the L leg was his most important
  contribution to furniture design

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Furniture

• Stool 60
• Compact and stackable
• Very durable
• More than 1.5 million have been sold around the
  world

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Artek Furniture Company

• Founded Artek Furniture to fulfill demand for
  Aalto's designs
• Became an arts center that promoted modernism.
• Artek still produces make of Aaltos designs,
  which are still popular and relevant today.

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Glassware

• Aalto vase (Savoy)
• With its asymmetric shape and freely curving
  tapering walls it represents the quintessential
  qualities of Finnish design originality,
  organic form, straightforwardness, aesthetic
  sophistication - www.aalto.com
• Resembles natural lakes, cut by trees
• Still produced by Iittala Glassworks

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Alvar Aalto Humanistic modernism Francis
Larkin 17 March 2004