Alvar Aalto Luonto Ja Arkkitehtuuri

One of the most interesting features of Alvar Aalto?s work was the ingenious way he integrated nature and architecture. He was a master at weaving landscapes into his designs, inviting nature to grow as part of the architecture.00?Everything that we add to our home soil must be done in such a way as not to degrade, but to cultivate our ?pure nature?.?00This is the first book ever taking a comprehensive look at Aalto?s achievements in garden art and landscape architecture. He drew inspiration for his ideas and works from various sources: Finnish nature, Mediterranean cultural landscapes, classical antiquity and Japanese garden art. His ideas still retain their relevance today:00?The white table taught me that we must be tactful with nature, that we must foster life ? though not with technical means.?00The book highlights famous projects including the private residence of Aino and Alvar Aalto, Villa Mairea, Säynätsalo Town Hall, the Muuratsalo Experimental House and Maison Carré. Alvar Aalto always collaborated with wife Aino and also with his second wife Elissa. The essays are by Aalto experts from Finland, Sweden and the UK.

Résumé. - Resümee. - Sommario. - Resumen.

Published to accompany exhibition held at the Museum of Modern Art, New York, 19/2 19/5 1998.

Alvar Aalto and The Art of Landscape captures the essence of the Finnish architect’s landscape concept, emphasising culture and tradition, which characterised his approach to and understanding of architecture as part of the wider environment. From the forests of his youth to sights from his travels, Alvar Aalto (1898–1976) was influenced by outdoor landscapes. Throughout his career, he felt the need to shape the terrain and this became a signature of his architecture. Divided into five chapters, this book traces Aalto’s relationship with landscape, starting with an analysis of his definitions and descriptions of landscape language, which ranged from natural references and biological terms, to synonyms and comparisons. It includes beautifully illustrated case study projects from the 1950s and 1960s, discussing Aalto’s transformation of different landscapes through topography, terracing and tiers, ruins and natural elements, horizon outlines, landmarks, and the repetition of form. Featuring archival sketches, garden drawings, and plans, the book also contains Aalto’s text ‘Architecture in the Landscape of Central Finland’ from 1925 in the appendix. This book provides fascinating, untold insights into Aalto’s relationship with landscape and how this developed during his lifetime, for scholars, researchers, and students interested in architecture and landscape history, landscape art, and cultural studies.

This is a much needed and lively study of the still insufficiently known Finnish modern master Alvar Aalto, whose sensitive and increasingly revelant architectural legacy will surely only increase in stature as the years unfold.--Kenneth Frampton