Another one of Alvar Aalto's more famous works, the Säynätsalo Town Hall was designed in 1949. While it is not my favorite Aalto work, it couldn't be missed since we were so close and it is so well known amongst architects. The town hall is actually a town center grouped around a courtyard and raised slightly above the surrounding terrain. Nontraditional forms and local (almost rustic) materials all molded into a modern style make it unique for the period in which it was built. It is really as much an urban plan as it is a work of architecture. Aalto practiced at the same time as - and held many of the same views as - the famous modernist, Le Corbusier but he rejected the machine aesthetic (or "smooth white stuff" as one of my professors used to call it) in favor of vernacular materials with color and texture.
 |
 |
 |
|
 |
 |
 |
All photos on this page are originals by & copyrighted by Daren Willden, unless otherwise stated. All rights reserved.