Alvar Aalto Apartments

Alvar Aalto was concerned about the social aspect in all building. This book contains not only a pictorial record of Aalto's collective housing but also an extensive discussion of his ideals about dwellings.

During the course of a career spanning over 50 years, Alvar Aalto designed nearly 100 single-family houses. Many of them are architectural gems, where his thoughts about dwelling and architecture come together. Aalto considered experimental building to be very important: in his opinion, there should always be an opportunity for experimentation in every project, for it is only in that way that architecture can be promoted and quality improved for the good of the 'little man'. It was specifically in the designing of single-family houses that Aalto could realize new ideas. Aalto's single-family houses can be divided into three groups: houses for individuals, the client of which was nearly always a relative or friend; houses designed for industrial institutions or other communities; and type- or standard houses. All the houses presented in Alvar Aalto Houses were originally designed for private clients. The book presents eight single-family houses by Aalto from 1920s to the end of the 1960s, built in Finland, Estonia and France. Book jacket.

The book presents 30 homes by Aalto from 1920s to the end of the 1960s, built in Finland, 0United States, Germany, Switzerland, Estonia and France: single-family houses, various apartments blocks, student dormitories and summer homes.

Alvar Aalto, 1998 in Kuortane in Finnland geboren, ist eine der letzten Persönlichkeiten der großen Architekturgeneration des 20. Jahrhunderts. Seine Bauten, vom Städtebau bis zum einfachen Wohnhaus, wirken als einheitliche Organismen. Formale Architekturtheorien liegen ihm fern. Der Weg eines jeden Bauwerkes ist vom ersten flüchtigen Skizzenstrich bis zur Übergabe an den Bauherren faszinierend und ganz von der Persönlichkeit des Architekten bestimmt. Alles bleibt lebendig und in Bewegung, wirkt ungezwungen und natürlich, gleichsam gewachsen aus der Umgebung. Das besondere Gefühl für die Wichtigkeit einzelner Bauteile und Bauabschnitte macht es möglich, auch aus bescheideneren Bauaufgaben eine Vielfalt an individueller Prägung herauszuholen. So gehen auch Möbel Lampen, Vorhänge und alle die Dinge, die ein Haus erst bewohnbar machen, zum größten Teil aus den Entwürfen und Experimenten Aaltos hervor. Die Einheit der Idee, der Form und der Lebensweise bildet das zentrale Thema seines Schaffens.

Here are 32 notable examples of multi-family housing from many countries, selected for their importance as prototypes. Designed by such masters as Frank Lloyd Wright, Le Corbusier, Mies van der Rohe, and Alvar Aalto, the buildings are illustrated with photographs, site plans, floor plans, elevations, and striking axonometric drawings.

Résumé. - Resümee. - Sommario. - Resumen.