| Aalto Centre | |
|---|---|
Aalto-keskus | |
| |
| General information | |
| Architectural style | Modernism |
| Town or city | Rovaniemi |
| Country | Finland |
| Coordinates | 66°29′49″N25°43′23″E / 66.496941°N 25.722974°E |
| Construction started | 1960 |
| Completed | 1986 |
| Design and construction | |
| Architect(s) | Alvar Aalto |
The Aalto Centre (Finnish : Aalto-keskus) is an urban area milieu in the city of Rovaniemi , in the Finnish Lapland, designed by the renowned Finnish architect Alvar Aalto, comprising the city's key administrative and cultural buildings. [1]
Up to 90% of Rovaniemi's building stock was destroyed during the Lapland War by the retreating German forces, necessitating the rebuilding of the city centre. [1] [2] In January 1945, Rovaniemi commissioned a new urban design from the Finnish Association of Architects rebuilding unit, with the design work headed by Alvar Aalto. [2]
Aalto's eventual design, approved in 1946, is called Poronsarvikaavalit. 'Reindeer Antler Plan', [3] and incorporates five arterial roads forming the shape of a reindeer antler. [4] [5] In 1960, when Rovaniemi was granted its city charter, the formal decision was made to implement Aalto's plan. [5]
At the centre of the design, the complex of Aalto-designed public and administrative buildings is known as 'Aalto Centre'. [5]
The complex has been designated and protected by the Finnish Heritage Agency as a nationally important built cultural environment (Valtakunnallisesti merkittävä rakennettu kulttuuriympäristö). [5]
The Rovaniemi cityscape is one of two urban plans designed by Aalto which were eventually completed; the other being that in Seinäjoki .
Notable Aalto-designed buildings in the centre include:
The park surrounding the Aalto Centre also forms an integral part of the milieu. [9]
Hugo Alvar Henrik Aalto was a Finnish architect and designer. His work includes architecture, furniture, textiles and glassware, as well as sculptures and paintings. He never regarded himself as an artist, seeing painting and sculpture as "branches of the tree whose trunk is architecture." Aalto's early career ran in parallel with the rapid economic growth and industrialization of Finland during the first half of the 20th century. Many of his clients were industrialists, among them the Ahlström-Gullichsen family, who became his patrons. The span of his career, from the 1920s to the 1970s, is reflected in the styles of his work, ranging from Nordic Classicism of the early work, to a rational International Style Modernism during the 1930s to a more organic modernist style from the 1940s onwards.
Finland attracted over 6.8 million foreign tourists in 2018, with 53 percent coming from other European Union states. In 2017, the value added by tourism was about 4.6 billion euros, or 2.6% of the Finnish GDP, providing approximately 140,200 jobs.
Rovaniemi is a city in Finland and the regional capital of Lapland. It is located near the Arctic Circle in the northern interior of the country. The population of Rovaniemi is approximately 65,000, while the sub-region has a population of approximately 69,000. It is the 17th most populous municipality in Finland, and the 12th most populous urban area in the country. Rovaniemi is also the largest city in Europe by land area.
Lapland is the largest and northernmost region of Finland. The 21 municipalities in the region cooperate in a Regional Council. Lapland borders the Finnish region of North Ostrobothnia in the south. It also borders the Gulf of Bothnia, Norrbotten County in Sweden, Finnmark County and Troms County in Norway, and Murmansk Oblast and the Republic of Karelia in Russia. The topography of Lapland varies from vast mires and forests in the south to fells in the north. The Arctic Circle crosses Lapland, so polar phenomena such as the midnight sun and polar night can be viewed in this region.
Seinäjoki is a city in Finland and the regional capital of South Ostrobothnia. Seinäjoki is located in the western interior of the country and along the River Seinäjoki. The population of Seinäjoki is approximately 66,000, while the sub-region has a population of approximately 132,000. It is the 16th most populous municipality in Finland, and the 13th most populous urban area in the country.
Sodankylä is a municipality of Finland. It is located in the region of Lapland, and lies at the northern end of Highway 5 (E63) and along Highway 4 (E75). The Kitinen River flows near the center of Sodankylä. Its neighbouring municipalities are Inari, Kemijärvi, Kittilä, Pelkosenniemi, Rovaniemi, and Savukoski. The municipality has two official languages: Finnish and Northern Sami.
Elissa Aalto was a Finnish architect.
The architecture of Finland has a history spanning over 800 years, and while up until the modern era the architecture was highly influenced by Sweden, there were also influences from Germany and Russia. From the early 19th century onwards influences came directly from further afield: first when itinerant foreign architects took up positions in the country and then when the Finnish architect profession became established.
Pauli Ernesti Blomstedt, more commonly known as P. E. Blomstedt, was a Finnish architect and designer, who worked first in the Nordic Classicism style and then turned to Functionalism. Both his father, Yrjö Blomstedt, and younger brother, Aulis Blomstedt, were also well-known architects.
Lakeuden Risti Church is a Lutheran church located in Seinäjoki, Finland. The church was designed by Alvar Aalto and built between 1957–1960. It was the first finished building of the larger administrative and civic center also planned by Aalto, consisting of Seinäjoki town hall, a library, a theater and a state office building.
Aalto Center is the administrative and cultural center of the City of Seinäjoki, Finland. It comprises six buildings, designed by Alvar Aalto and mainly completed between 1960 and 1968. The center represents one of Aalto's most important works and is notable in Finland and even internationally as an architectural whole. The wooden plan of the center is in the collections of the Museum of Modern Art in New York.
Lappia Hall is a performing arts venue and conference centre in Rovaniemi, the capital city of the Finnish Lapland region, situated close to the Arctic Circle. It is notable for having been designed by the renowned Finnish architect Alvar Aalto in the modernist style.
Rovaniemi Library is the main municipal public library of the city of Rovaniemi, Finland. The library building is notable for having been designed by the renowned Finnish architect Alvar Aalto.
Rovaniemi city hall is the main municipal administrative building of the city of Rovaniemi, Finland.
The Alajärvi administrative centre is a buildings complex in the town of Alajärvi, Finland, comprising the town hall and related offices, health centre, parish hall and other buildings. It was designed by Finnish architect Alvar Aalto, who also designed the adjacent library building.
The Seinäjoki City Hall is the main municipal administrative building in the city of Seinäjoki, Finland. It is notable for having been designed by the renowned Finnish architect Alvar Aalto.
The Seinäjoki City Theatre is the municipal theatre of the city of Seinäjoki, Finland.
Seinäjoki Library is the municipal public library of the city of Seinäjoki, in Finland.
The Seinäjoki Civil Guard House is a building located in Seinäjoki, Finland. It is notable for being one of the first public buildings designed entirely by the Finnish architect Alvar Aalto, and is considered one of his breakthrough works.
The Defence Corps Building, also known as the Government Building, is a public building located in central Jyväskylä, Finland, designed by the Finnish architect Alvar Aalto, and completed in 1929.