the sanatorium combined innovative design principles with a deep understanding of human needs setting new benchmarks for healthcare architecture Aalto redefined the relationship between architecture and well-being the sanatorium endures as both a functional historical landmark and an enduring source of inspiration offering valuable lessons for architects addressing the intersections of health Related Article Designing with Empathy: Architecture for Social Equity Paimio Sanatorium / Alvar Aalto. Image © Leon via Flickr under CC BY 2.0Rooted in Nature: Materiality and Environment Paimio Sanatorium / Alvar Aalto. Image © Leon via Flickr under CC BY 2.0Human-Centered Design and Innovative Construction The integration of modern technology was balanced by Aalto's sensitivity to craftsmanship evident in the bespoke details throughout the building from the design of custom furniture to the precision of joinery Ventilation, crucial in a tuberculosis sanatorium, was addressed with groundbreaking ingenuity. Aalto developed a heating and ventilation system that minimized drafts while ensuring clean air circulation in all patient areas. This system was integrated discreetly into the building, avoiding intrusive ducts or vents that might disrupt the serene atmosphere. Paimio Sanatorium / Alvar Aalto. Image © Leon via Flickr under CC BY 2.0Today, the Paimio Sanatorium stands as a benchmark for therapeutic environments and, sometimes and for a limited period, a hotel and comfort resonates with contemporary evidence-based design principles while its preservation as a cultural landmark underscores its enduring significance By addressing immediate healthcare needs and broader societal aspirations Aalto's masterpiece continues to inspire architects worldwide You'll now receive updates based on what you follow Personalize your stream and start following your favorite authors If you have done all of this and still can't find the email Situated a two-hour drive west of Helsinki the former tuberculosis sanatorium takes a humanistic approach to modern architecture In 1928, an architectural competition was announced for the construction of a 184-bed tuberculosis sanatorium in Paimio, a tiny town on Finland’s southwestern coast. Among the architects who heeded the call was the 30-year-old Alvar Aalto Aalto was already one of Finland’s most successful architects. His early works resembled the Nordic Classicism then popular in Scandinavia which combined the order and grandeur of neoclassical architecture with an almost minimalistic restraint He had recently completed the Alajärvi Municipal Hospital an unassuming low-rise structure that drew on Italian Renaissance monasteries and vernacular Finnish architecture His entry for Paimio seems beamed from a different world: seven floors of functional high modernism in glass and reinforced concrete Its structure was modelled on Le Corbusier’s flexible system for concrete architecture with load-bearing columns supporting floor slabs with three wings and several outbuildings that each house a different function But it is not merely a machine for convalescing The residential block features balconies that allowed patients to enjoy the air Such is the fame of Aalto’s building that it eclipses that of the town itself Paimio is a tiny town on Finland’s southwestern coast near the second city Turku and west of Helsinki The sanatorium itself is several kilometres outside the town proper Its rows of colourful window awnings have something of the holiday resort The sun deck sits beneath a softly curved canopy and its railings have an almost nautical aspect patients could gaze across the thick forest turning the woodland itself into an extension of the building Sanatoriums were a common feature of early 20th century life The Architecture Review devoted an entire issue to them in 1933; Paimio had a starring role Finland was particularly well-equipped due to its pioneering state-sponsored healthcare scheme there were almost 4,000 spaces for tuberculosis patients in the country Private sanatoriums could be luxurious; the Berghotel in Thomas Mann’s The Magic Mountain (1924) resembles a grand hotel more than a hospital But the public equivalent could be less salubrious Designing a building for the sick is a tricky business hospitals were places where the sick were confined to prevent their illness from spreading Their curative function only came in the 19th century after medicine advanced sufficiently that recovery from illness became a possibility The tuberculosis sanatorium to some extent harked back to the older type of hospital Sanatoriums are places which we ideally want to stay away from Patients at a tuberculosis sanatorium faced years of isolation A humane sanatorium should downplay the tragedy of its purpose while simultaneously being optimised for this function they are both a tool — ‘The main purpose of the building’ ‘is to function as a medical instrument’ — and a place of calm and rest Paimio is remarkable for its pioneering through design Aalto and his wife Aino provided all the interior design They prescribed a palette of strong and soothing colours canary yellow floors and orange balcony railings taking the edge off its grid-like structure The Aaltos designed a number of ingenious inventions: quiet no-splash sinks; easy window-opening mechanisms; raised wardrobes that could be cleaned beneath; door handles designed not to catch on the staff’s lab coats. But the most famous piece of furniture created for the sanatorium is Armchair 41 (now known as the Paimio Armchair) arguably the best-known Finnish furniture piece of all suspended as by magic between two looping arms It was inspired by Marcel Breuer’s Club Chair (1927-28) but swapped the Hungarian’s futuristic metal for soft something that would become a hallmark of Nordic design It has been continuously in production since 1935 The age of the sanatorium came to an end with the discovery of the antibiotic streptomycin which all but eradicated tuberculosis from the West Paimio became a more active site of medical treatment then in 2014 a rehabilitation centre for children The Foundation intends to house ethical organisations such as wellbeing and climate change charities in the building: a move from healing the individual to healing the world It is a testament to the Aaltos that the building has so long outlasted its original function with many of its fittings intact Paimio, alongside the concurrent Viipuri Library in Vyborg, shot Aalto to the front rank of modernist architecture. It served as an inspiration for healthcare buildings the world over. But perhaps the building’s greatest achievement was in proving that modernism could be humane Read more in ICON 210: The Finland Issue or get a curated collection of architecture and design news like this in your inbox by signing up to our ICON Weekly newsletter speakers and guests gathered around Aalto-designed tables and chairs for communal meals The curved structures and corners were meant to soften the atmosphere of the building The conference lunch area before it was filled with people were key considerations in the Aalto’s design As was maximising the amount of soft light in each room A corridor of patient rooms at the sanatorium displayed in a glass framed window box designed to hold plants \u2028Aalto-designed chairs set up for the conference now converted to host guests at the sanatorium with a view out onto surrounding balconies where patients would go to take in forest air come rain or shine.  The second edition of the Spirit of Paimio conference and artists to think and talk about what it means to be in community at the sanatorium turned Modernist site Aino and Alvar Aalto’s “cathedral to health” was designed to provide the breathing space and holistic care required to rehabilitate tuberculosis patients before the development of a medical treatment and cure A true “gesamtkunstwerk” — or “total work of art” — the Aalto’s considered every detail from the buttercup yellow corridors and the ‘no-splash’ angled sinks People could spend years at Paimio Sanatorium slowly recovering from TB or spending their remaining time as best they could; taking in the forest air and socialising in the communal dining hall tuberculosis sanatoriums were no longer required and Paimio was converted to a general hospital bringing the future of the Modernist site into question until the establishment of the Paimio Sanatorium Foundation While it is working to preserve the original architecture the foundation is equally focused on not having Paimio Sanatorium become a static The ideals that inspired the Aalto’s — of rooting their design choices in empathy for and understanding of context — encouraging an imperative for thoughtful responses to contemporary challenges was an opportunity to put some of the foundation’s ideals into action and artists to think and talk about what it means to be in community — with each other at Paimio While attending the conference I stayed in one of the patient rooms The long corridor of bedrooms in the main building has dark peach walls behind which many of the speakers at the two-day conference slept explored the building and ran through the rain to see the other buildings dotted among the pine forest but something about being in a rural setting in a building designed in part to foster a sense of community allowed for a feeling of camaraderie to develop quickly Our experience at the sanatorium was put into context by architectural historian Beatriz Colomina who framed her keynote on Paimio around architecture and hygiene and the missed opportunities — “the road not taken” — that followed When the Aalto’s designed the sanatorium and its furniture the considerations of architecture moved from the vertical to the horizontal: “the architect had to design for the person in the weakest position… everybody else will take care of themselves” “is one that is fragile and in need of support” not the heroic singular figure — if that even exists — of Leonardo Da Vinci’s idealised ‘Vitruvian Man’ She advocated for a non-hermetic architecture where “form follows bacteria” embracing our relationship to the many other forms of life that exist among us and attempting to collapse the conditions of disease that we have constructed for ourselves Hill showed various potentials of how we can relate to our surroundings When discussing the projects emerging in Japan Hill quoted curator Yuma Shinohara: 'These projects demonstrate that to ‘make do’ by no means signals a lack of anything they help us perceive the plentitude that comes with sufficiency the creative flourishing that follows when we recognise that we already have enough.' the designers showed how a practice that takes various forms can carry a consistent language through its attention to detail in material research and context Each of their projects considers the community they are working among in broad terms — the people both in terms of current inhabitants and longer term environmental impact Whether considering the physics behind soap bubbles how to develop structures to work with existing waste material — like aluminium and cooking oil — or how to explore the idea of synthesis between nature and industry through an installation of Amazonian rubber the Studio’s work is focused on 'design as a tool for mass communication' a sort of investigative journalism through objects 
Aalto-designed chairs set up for the conference escapism and design stories from around the world direct to your inbox Many of the projects shown during Spirit of Paimio emphasised a light touch responding to context in a way that takes the lead from the people and more-than-human inhabitants In Spencer Bailey’s presentation on memorials he spoke about the importance of both literally and figuratively "making space”; how a memorial needs to be both specific to context and hold a degree of abstraction for interpretation a larger story that invites in people’s perspectives and experiences Some of the most effective and affecting examples in Bailey’s presentation were the memorials that are mostly just that areas held for contemplation — kept as they are after a moment of impact Bjarke Ingels presented a series of projects by his practice, BIG, which largely respond to the idea of “hedonistic sustainability” — and the potential of sustainability being fun, not limiting economic growth, or meaning people have to give up their quality of life. The Copenhagen Harbor Bath which provides a safe swimming area in the city’s port outdoor environment that encourages people to connect with their surroundings When ‘hedonistic sustainability’ connects with larger gaps emerge – like in the case of the CopenHill waste-burning ski slope which is built over a plant that incinerates waste material to produce electricity It works as a short-term solution to the ongoing generation of industrial waste but it effectively puts a plaster (or an entertaining back-patting distraction) over the resulting degradation of the biosphere The principle that sustainable solutions can be both ecologically and economically profitable seems like a contradiction in terms when profit effectively relies on extracting more than what is required presented some of the research being conducted on how we might be able to live on the moon — what cultures would be brought to the moon Considering the potential of living on the moon feels exciting as a fiction but considering the reality — of human beings having wrecked one planet so completely we are going to move to another — is a whole other prospect Valdo referenced a conversation with her son about a new mission for people to land on the moon her son said: 'I’m glad they are going to the moon paimiosanatorium.com The decision to close the site is driven by “the decline in the number of cattle in Finland over the last few years” Finnish meat processor HKFoods plans to close a local slaughterhouse in the town of Paimio as cattle numbers decline Operations conducted by the company’s Paimion Teurastamo business will be transferred to the “external service provider” Liha Hietanen in Sastamala from 31 March which specialises in cattle and sow slaughtering The decision is driven by “the decline in the number of cattle in Finland over the last few years” the publicly-listed company said. It added that the number of dairy farms in the country “has fallen significantly” and hence dairy cows coming in for slaughter HKFoods expects the downward trend in cattle numbers to continue which has already affected its “cost competitiveness and operational efficiency”.  HKFoods CEO Juha Ruohola said: “At HKFoods we want to strengthen the production potential of domestic beef by creating the conditions for continued production in the future.   Don’t let policy changes catch you off guard Stay proactive with real-time data and expert analysis “We also aim to improve the efficiency of the pork production chain in terms of sow slaughter.”  The Turku-headquartered company aims for annual savings of approximately €1m ($1.08m) from its efficiency drive HKFoods said it is “building a stronger foundation for the future competitiveness of its business and improving profitability by streamlining its operations”.  The Paimio plant closure will impact 21 employees. HKFoods said it is working to provide employment opportunities within other company units we are safeguarding the cost-efficiency and competitiveness of our food chain and enabling Finnish food production to remain viable as international competition intensifies,” Ruohola said adding: “Maintaining domestic food production in our own country is in the interest of all Finns Our own food production creates food security through security of supply.”  In October, HKFoods divested its operations in Denmark to Plukon Food Group and sold its Swedish business to Lantmännen in March.   HKFoods reported a 7.4% increase in net sales from continuing operations to €1bn ($1.1bn) driven by “good consumer demand and successful commercial activities”.  The group’s EBIT from continuing operations was €22.4m which was €25.8m last year compared to a loss for the previous 12 months of €22.5m Nominations are now open for the prestigious Just Food Excellence Awards - one of the industry's most recognised programmes celebrating innovation This is your chance to showcase your achievements Don't miss the opportunity to be honoured among the best - submit your nomination today Give your business an edge with our leading industry insights View all newsletters from across the GlobalData Media network Please enable JS and disable any ad blocker Aimee Farrell selects her favourite stories in this weekly newsletter “The future almost never unfolds in the way that everyone expects,” says Joseph Grima The architect and co-founder of the Milanese design platform Alcova is also curator of the Paimio Sanatorium a tuberculosis treatment centre that was completed in 1933 by Finnish architects Alvar and Aino Aalto at a time when Finland was newly severed from Russian rule The space was conceived as a response to a pandemic: its concrete form acid-yellow corridors and bentwood furniture marked the realisation of a future-facing vision centred around care Hakola furniture in the nurses’ house at Paimio Sanatorium in Finland © Paimio Sanatorium FoundationThe Paimio Sanatorium in Finland © Alvar Aalto FoundationPaimio didn’t quite achieve its full, original purpose. In the ’60s, it became a general hospital and a rehabilitation centre and is now a design destination But the space still encapsulates a sense of hope and positivity that resonates “Modernist designers such as the Aaltos are pioneers,” says Grima “They show how architecture can be an instrument for championing collective ideals It’s inspiring and part of the human spirit to look at the world and think about how it could be better.”  We need to go backwards as that’s what we know its aesthetic often found its fullest expression in private homes where wealthy patrons gave architects and designers creative freedom “America is dotted with crazy modernist mansions created to fulfil a childhood fantasy,” says Grima pointing to Le Corbusier’s “machine for living” Villa Savoye “They remain some of our most revered buildings.” This exchange continues: a cursory glance through Michael Webb’s latest book California Houses – a tour around 36 recently conceived private dwellings that cleverly move the midcentury modernist needle without reinventing the wheel – attests to the sticky allure of these early-20th-century templates from €4,999 Why do designers and architects still look back at these past-future visions to propel creativity today The age of modernism may have come to an end but rather than being replaced by a formal design movement today’s urban space is held within the clutches of market forces and building regulations “It’s become very difficult to position yourself aesthetically as an architect We live in a moment when we’re in dire need of the grand visions we were offered in the past Such retrofuturism is more relevant than ever.” Eero Aarnio fibreglass Ball chair Ligne Roset fabric Pumpkin small settee by Pierre Paulin Aram tulip chair by Eero Saarinen Stilnovo MiniTopo table lamp by Joe Colombo, £290, artemest.com Cappellini Tube chair by Joe Colombo, £2,770, artemest.com Nilufar Editions Skeleton and Flesh cabinet by Khaled el Mays The Oxford English Dictionary defines retrofuturism as “the use of a style or aesthetic considered futuristic in an earlier era” It’s a term that first arose in academia and advertising circles in the mid to late 20th century Elizabeth E Guffey explains its paradoxical meaning as “the discrepancy between what the future once represented and what it no longer means” Its 1970s rise marked the beginning of a disenchantment with the power of technology “Retrofuturism has an optimism, but it also comes from a place of acknowledgement of failure,” says Alex Tieghi-Walker of Manhattan’s Tiwa Gallery He points to the idealism of Californian hippies dreamers who envisaged a return to nature – an idealism that is partly reflected in the artisanal approach of many of the artists and designers the gallery represents designers are finding solace in their visions of tomorrow nostalgia is the key word,” observes interior designer India Mahdavi whose Paris practice features a showspace called Project Room for creatives “There’s a whole tendency for designers to try to reproduce something from the past.” Mahdavi noticed a poster on the street that read: “Nostalgia is killing the future” “We are so much already in the future with AI as that’s what we know – and that’s what’s comforting.” Mahdavi explores familiar forms in her own practice as a way to provide “visual and emotional comfort” is to present the past in more innovative ways a designer-architect living between Athens and Beirut who constructs imaginary digital environments for his otherworldly furniture creations Suspension House by Fougeron Architecture from California Houses: Creativity in Context by Michael Webb © Joe FletcherSocial media has also played a role in the proliferation of yesterday’s retrofuturism. For Dan Thawley, a writer, consultant and creative director of Parisian design salon Matter and Shape “Tumblr and Instagram prompted a rediscovery of all these different periods,” which has given rise to the revival of everything from the Sottsass Ultrafragola Mirror to the Alessi cheese graters and corkscrews to that retrofuturist staple – conversation pits “Design in the mid-20th century looked forward not only in terms of aesthetics but also production,” continues Thawley “Materiality is a much more important part of the design process today Both industry and consumers want to know where pieces are sourced – their provenance But the retrofuturistic principles of modularity In architectural terms, says the author and architect Reinier De Graaf, who is a partner at OMA predicting the future is about pure creative thinking – not accuracy “When you dig into the predictions from the late 19th century and 20th century you almost become nostalgic for times that were less nostalgic than our own.” When exploring past predictions he discovered that those outside a particular industry were the best at speculative thinking – for instance Stanley Kubrick’s 2001: A Space Odyssey anteceded touch-screen tablets by some 40 years architecture lovers can spend the night in a modernist masterpiece designed by Alvar Aalto Deep in a forest two hours’ drive west of Helsinki is the deserted Paimio Sanatorium (Paimion Parantola in Finnish) One of the world’s best-preserved buildings from the modernist era sleek and mysterious as a medical instrument An overnight stay in a remote, disused hospital may not sound enticing. But for architecture and design enthusiasts, some opportunities are impossible to resist – and this one is time-limited. At least part of this building is likely to be converted into a hotel and spa in the coming years. The Alvar Aalto Foundation which preserves the legacy of Finland’s most celebrated architect took over the site three years ago from state ownership and is searching for a way to pay for its upkeep Visitor accommodation in the former nurses block the foundation wants to share Paimio’s beautifully spartan state with visitors But anyone in search of untouched art deco splendour and restful escape will find them here brilliant-white form is a spectacular sight against Nordic skiesWe arrive at night turning off the motorway from Helsinki to Turku for the small town of Paimio the sanatorium emerges from its forest setting like an ocean liner ablaze brilliant-white form is all towering edifices and moderne curves – a spectacular sight against deep-black Nordic skies Paimio’s decor is true to the 1933 original designs and a delirious dream: a vast and a receptionists’ booth shielded behind glass Moderne curves are among the exterior’s key featuresMäntylä is a separate block and the Aalto-designed high-modernist furniture and textiles are contemporary reproductions Today Paimio is disused (though not quite abandoned). Finland, one of the world’s most equitable countries, is seeking Unesco world heritage status for 13 Aalto-designed modernist landmarks designed to improve society which Aalto considered his early-career masterpiece when he completed it This place was commissioned in urgent circumstances part of the Finnish state’s efforts at the end of the 1920s to deal with tuberculosis the biggest public health crisis of the era more lives than a young country could afford The building is surrounded by forestBefore the advent of antibiotics Sanatoriums sprang up across Europe – far enough from populations to contain infections It was thought the cool air would kill bacteria and technological efficiency would maximise chances of recovery Finland built eight large facilities – Paimio was the most advanced the discovery of antibiotics would turn Paimio into a white elephant It was later converted into a general hospital but its remoteness was a perpetual problem I contemplate the view from my apartment window brilliant sunshine and endless pine treesModernists believed proximity to nature was essential to healing But the natural world was also to be feared and contained – wild framed within reassuringly precise angles of human-made window frames Rooms are functional almost monastic at PaimioThe Magic Mountain is partly a reflection on rarefied life inside a sanatorium and the modernist dream of conquering disease with human ingenuity as I contemplate the view from my apartment window the following morning Castorp arrives at a Swiss sanatorium as a visitor but ends up seduced by care and rest and gradually becomes a patient The foundation offers a guided tour led by an architectural historian who explains how 31-year-old Aalto won the architectural competition in 1929 with a plan that followed closely the tenets of the new ideals of functionalism practicality would be inseparable from architecture his architect partner and wife who designed the interiors Everything was constructed for recuperation from how daylight fell on wards to the efficiency of heating systems hygienic light fittings and flexible furniture featured trips and local tips for your next break as well as the latest deals from Guardian Holidays That canary yellow floor meant no dark corners skirting and shelf was rounded for efficient cleaning Some patient rooms have been kept as they were left We admire a hospital gown for female patients – a chic It is accessorised with a metal spittoon flask on a string Paimio has a rooftop sun terrace where patients used to lie for hours every day on sunbedsPaimio’s lift Aalto wanted its mechanisms to be visible behind glass to give patients a sense of optimism The highlight is Aalto’s rooftop sun terrace – a sweeping concrete platform above the pinetops where patients were wrapped in lambskin sleeping bags and would lie for hours every day on sunbeds Paimio’s short-let apartments are low cost tells me Paimio’s conversion to a hotel could start next year It needs upgraded energy and electrical systems “We need to find a balance between saving it in a form that justifies Unesco heritage status but also makes it self-sufficient,” she says “It should be something close to the original use so a hotel would be the best way of securing that: a place to rest and stay with conceptual interest.” For now, Paimio’s short-let apartments are low cost There is a little time to explore before we leave so after the tour we set off on a signposted walk we see the flutter of the sanatorium’s orange red and green awnings lowered against the brilliant sun They give Paimio the look of a holiday camp We find ourselves turning back towards its quiet comfort The trip was provided by the Alvar Aalto Foundation. Self-catering apartments at Paimio start from €90 a night For husband-and-wife designers Alvar and Aino Aalto the building had a singular goal: help patients recover This notion seems obvious to hospital architects today but during a time when there was no medicine for tuberculosis a well-designed environment was very much the cure and architecture was a crucial element in that strategy In designing the sprawling facility over the course of four years and implemented a color scheme to create an atmosphere that soothed or lifted the patients’ spirits “Today it is becoming common for architects to hold focus groups or employ registered health professionals to obtain feedback on the design of health care buildings Aalto was ahead of his time in consulting with physicians as he planned the sanatorium.” a management theory that sought to optimize flow in workplaces is now sold by the Finnish furniture maker Artek and collected by fans of modern Scandinavian design Paimio Sanatorium is worth studying for the fact that it challenges the idea that healthcare facilities need to be white and sterile Aalto worked with a decorative artist named Eino Kauria on an elaborate multicolor scheme that considered the amount of light that streamed into the building throughout the day Soothing colors were selected for patient rooms and other rest areas and sunny yellows and teals injected energy in corridors and dining halls “Every chromatic element was intentional—from red pipes to denote heating elements to calming green ceilings that would dominate the visual field of patients confined to bed rest.” Walking through the recently restored facility one can’t help but wonder how the template for public medical facilities has become so bland or depressing dialysis centers designed with a haphazard makeshift aesthetic we’ve come to accept as the standard is a vital monument to the idea that the purposeful planning of a hospital—or any type of environment for that matter—impacts our health and longevity in a very direct way This summer we reported that Paimio Sanatorium, a former tuberculosis sanatorium designed by Finnish architect Alvar Aalto, was for sale the preservation of the building has been called into question as the owner extends the bidding period for potential buyers A post shared by Commune Design (@communedesign) on Mar 1 The owner had hoped to find a buyer by the fall, but after receiving four bids through the end of August, the bidding period has now been extended until the end of November. According to Archinect current bids have plans to use the building for rehabilitation Managing Director of the Alvar Aalto Foundation believes that the bidding period has been extended because none of these offers are viewed as a good match In response, a group made up of concerned architects has formed the Pro Paimio Committee to appeal to any future owners to commit to preserving the original architecture, interiors, and furnishings. You can show your support for the preservation of the Paimio Sanatorium by signing the appeal, here A post shared by Mauricio Arruda (@mauricioarruda) on Apr 16 A post shared by Pixelate (@pixelate_oy) on May 29 1976) qualified as an architect from the Helsinki Institute of Technology (later Helsinki University of Technology and now part of the Aalto University) in 1921 He set up his first architectural practice in Jyväskylä His early works followed the tenets of Nordic Classicism he made several journeys to Europe on which he and his wife Aino Marsio became familiar with the latest trends in Modernism The pure Functionalist phase in Aalto’s work lasted for several years It enabled him to make an international breakthrough largely because of the Paimio Sanatorium (1929-1933) Aalto had adopted the principles of user-friendly the architectural expression of Aalto’s buildings became enriched by the use of organic forms natural materials and increasing freedom in the handling of space Aalto’s architectural practice was employed principally in the design of public buildings now the University of Jyväskylä (1951-1957) and the House of Culture in Helsinki (1952-1956) His urban design master plans represent larger projects than the buildings mentioned above the most notable schemes that were built being Seinäjoki city centre (1956-1965/87) Rovaniemi city centre (1963-1976/88) and the partly built Jyväskylä administrative and cultural centre (1970-1982) Alvar Aalto’s work focused more and more on countries outside Finland so that many buildings both private and public were built to his designs abroad. Some of his best-known works include Villa Mairea the Finnish Pavilion at the 1939 New York World's Fair Archive METALOCUS-Classics Considered one of Alvar Aalto's most important works, it came as little surprise that news of a Finnish district's plan to sell the architect's Paimio Sanatorium was met with shock and attempts at appeal Architects from the Finnish Association of Architects formed the Pro Paimio Committee and have been working to ensure that any future owners commit to preserving the original architecture interiors and furnishings in their entirety The Sanatorium is a protected site and any buyer will have to abide by the restrictions this implicates those advocating on behalf of the key work of modern architecture are concerned that certain new usages could wreck the original interior which was uniquely tailored to the needs of tuberculosis patients for whom the facility was built "Paimio is an integrated oeuvre d’art of architecture: only when all these parts are kept together do they show the beauty and wisdom of this masterpiece of modernism," a petition by the Alvar Aalto Foundation recites four bids have been made by the original end date of the bidding period which has now been extended to the end of November said the various bidders have plans to use the building in the areas of wellbeing architecture or tourism; no major social or health companies are among them is concerned the offer extension is a reflection that none of these bids are worthwhile offers The district has previously been criticized for neglecting to consult experts such as the Alvar Aalto Foundation and the Finnish Heritage Agency before putting the Sanatorium on sale and the current news continues to cause concern the Sanatorium is "a textbook example of unskilled management of a significant building." Are you sure you want to block this user and hide all related comments throughout the site Your comment will be visible once approved Aalto's Sanatorium was completed in 1933 bringing international recognition to the country His modern design was carefully tailored to the needs of tuberculosis patients for which the facility was built The design features a large roof terrace with extensive views of the forest to accommodate open air exposure Patients were to be taken up to the roof as part of their daily routine Alvar Aalto also designed the Paimio Chair to be used in the patients' lounge The angle of the back of this armchair was intended to help patients breathe more easily The former tuberculosis sanatorium hopes to find a buyer by the fall a former tuberculosis sanatorium designed by Finnish architect Alvar Aalto the modernist building operated as a treatment center for tuberculosis until the 1960s when it was converted into a general hospital it has operated as a rehabilitation center for children and is currently owned by Turku University Hospital Photos show that the sanatorium appears to be in spectacular condition; indeed, the historic building has been nominated to be become a UNESCO World Heritage Site The owners are hoping to find a buyer by the fall Given the sanatorium’s history and its subsequent functions let’s hope that prospective buyers wish to preserve the iconic space A post shared by Commune Design (@communedesign) on Mar 1 A post shared by Mauricio Arruda (@mauricioarruda) on Apr 16 A post shared by Pixelate (@pixelate_oy) on May 29 Via: Archinect, Turun Sanomat I was struck by the incredible care that went into Aalto’s fully articulated layout which includes dramatic balconies (plenty of rest and sunshine was thought to be the best cure for tuberculosis during most of the early part of the 20th century) and walking trails throughout the surrounding forest The patients’ rooms themselves received particular consideration Because each space was originally designed to house two convalescents Aalto created special no-splash sinks that would allow users to wash without disrupting the other non-glare colors are utilized throughout the building—see the pale-yellow staircases and soothing blue common spaces A building for the ill becomes an inspiration for life Click to see some of my favorite photos from my visit to the Paimio Sanatorium. Step inside Le Corbusier's family home in Switzerland, La Maison Blanche Don't miss Lee F. Mindel's photographic tour of the showstopping architecture of Brasília I was super excited to talk about the Armchair 41 Paimio by Alvar Aalto in this edition of our explorative series of classic and modern design in collaboration with Be Original I spoke with Mirkku Kullberg, CEO Artek, Simone Vingerhoets-Ziesmann, Executive Vice President Artek USA, Inc. Design Director Artek to find out more about the history of this iconic chair while designing the Paimio Sanatorium in Turku which was housing Tuberculosis patients in a time without medication to cure this disease Aalto noted that it was essential to create a dialogue between the furnishings and the interior The only way to cure it was to rest and inhale the fresh air from the pine forest that surrounded the Sanatorium so patients needed comfortable chairs in which to do so It’s designed to lean back slightly to open the chest and inhale the maximum amount of air These chairs were on the balcony of each room and patients would sit many hours in the chair each day and just inhale the fresh pine air Aalto was a big advocate for good design that promotes wellbeing so it was important for him to ensure the functionality of the hospital beyond its exterior Ville Kokkonen says “Good hygiene and the use of aesthetics and light to create a calm setting made Paimio Sanatorium an exception environment in the post-war world The potential of new design was later used in Aalto’s ‘standardisation philosophy’ which translated into industrial manufacture of high-quality inexpensive Finnish furniture for a broader body of consumers Armchair 41 was used in the chapel room and in some corridors.” the Paimio chair became a part of Aalto’s furniture collection that Artek took into production and it was shown in international exhibitions All the main exhibitions in 1930s were successful and pushed Artek forward into the international market Simone Vingerhoets-Ziesmann says “It outlived its times Just looking at the chair without having the knowledge about the history one wouldn’t be able to determine the year the Paimio chair was designed.” the most important factor was the use of wood in modern design extremely simple forms and pure and strong structures All Aalto pieces are still unique and distinctive because of these facts Armchair 41 is one of the most photographed chairs of all time (according to international museums).” But the most important and critical design characteristic that makes this chair a classic isn’t in the aesthetics; Kullberg puts it very simply: “Because it is a very comfortable chair.” Amen to that artistic jewelry + having enough free time to enjoy some of her favorite things – running You can follow Jaime Derringer on Instagram. Read all of Jaime Derringer's posts FiiO'S sub-brand Snowsky has launched the Retro Nano user-friendly vinyl flattening machine that restores warped records to their original shape using precision heat technology Zaha Hadid Architects transforms public transit at the KAFD Metro Station in Riyadh with futuristic architecture Full of natural materials and respect for modern Swedish design the STOCKHOLM 2025 collection from IKEA debuts 96 new pieces You’ll always hear it from Design Milk first Our passion is discovering and highlighting emerging talent and we’re energized by and for our community of like-minded design lovers — like you New YorkPhoto: Moran MichaelSave this storySaveSave this storySaveYoung Finnish architects Alvar and Aino Aalto were considering a design directive far ahead of their time back in 1929: wellness Alvar—who worked closely with his wife—had won a commission to create a tuberculosis sanatorium in Paimio Finland (a project that would usher their name onto the world stage) Alvar Aalto’s Armchair 41 “Paimio” in the Paris home of the late Italian Vogue editor Franca Sozzani One chair in particular—the bent-plywood Armchair 41 which was lined up in long rows in the common room—gained praise outside the sanatorium when it was shown at Milan’s 1933 Triennale A collaboration with manufacturer Otto Korhonen it featured a seat that gently curled at head and foot positioning patients at an angle to promote easy breathing it was also just plain comfortable.) Instead of using a tubular steel base the Aaltos opted for something more organic—two closed-frame which meant little maintenance was required “The Paimio encapsulates everything that is Aalto—mastery of the curve,” says Andrew Duncanson he had one Paimio-era original as well as a rare version in curly birch were first produced in beech and later in birch by Korhonen’s factory Armchairs 41 “Paimio”and 42 in Donald Judd’s New York loft Alvar and Aino Aalto’s studio in Helsinki. "That puts them in a preservation limbo," writes Bernstein but too expensive to be maintained merely as shrines to their creator." coincided with his period of enthusiasm for functionalism he became an active participant of the CIAM he began to distance himself from Modern Movement orthodoxy upon his return to Helsinki in 1933 after the opening of the Paimio tuberculosis sanatorium where he had put to the test all the possibilities and limits of the new vocabulary The project was the result of a competition convoked in November 1928 when Aalto and his wife Aino had just returned from a trip through continental Europe that had given them the opportunity to visit recent functionalist works including Jan Duiker’s Zonnestraal’s Sanatorium and construction work began that same year As Aalto himself explained in the project text underlying the design was an analysis of conditions affecting the welfare of the sick person was elaborated on the basis of a careful study of the two-bed room unit The range of criteria inherent in a hospital commission had to be addressed meticulously and for Aalto this meant a first opportunity to give vent to his exuberance in designing details the manufacturing of which in turn gave rise to the firm Artek sunlight and views of the wooded landscape on one hand and a clear-cut separation of different functions into independent parts on the other hand constituted the basic criteria guiding the project it also provided the architect with the opportunity to demonstrate his skill in adapting the arrangement of buildings to the topography it is the patients’ wing that dominates the composition like a huge protective screen out of which the other lower volumes unfold northward in a fan-like configuration destined to become another constant of the Aaltian language The way Aalto makes use of the entire functionalist repertoire at Paimio strongly reveals his 'anti-formalist' altitude and his faith at the time in the new credo’s almost moral virtues, but also his inborn mastery of composition and proportions. Nevertheless it is precisely the less orthodox elements that give the project its special tension and bring it close to the experiments of constructivists and expressionists... [+] there arent any match using your search terms The following post is brought to you by Artek Our partners are hand-picked by the Design Milk team because they represent the best in design We are so excited about the release of Chair 69 from Artek designed by Alvar Aalto in 1935 in new Paimio colors—black The new colors on the seat and back rest are the original colors that Alvar Aalto choose for the interiors of the famous Paimio Sanatorium in Turku photos courtesy of Beth Dickstein and Artek Artek is giving away one Chair 69 to one lucky Design Milk reader—in the color of your choice SICK ARCHITECTURE AND THE SPATIAL POLITICS OF DISEASE by Andrew Ayers Aino and Alvar Aalto and being confined to his bed helped the couple understand that rather than catering to the standing human being the sanatorium must respond to the horizontal body the person “in the weakest position.” Yet even the able masculine body is arguably “sick” in the eyes of architecture since the primary purpose of buildings is to shield vulnerable humans from any harm the unmediated environment may throw at us the title of the exhibition irritates some architects because they think their job is to heal,” says Hirsch “But we also talk about sick buildings that make people ill.” who researched this part of the exhibition “Hollein proposed an understanding of architecture as a total environment of different media including mental states.” This opens the door not only to medical prescription of pharmaceuticals but also to contemporary drug culture (a leap Sick Architecture doesn’t entirely make stopping at 1960s experimentation with LSD): the nightclub or rave is arguably a hedonistic self-healing environment for those seeking solace from workplace stress Angel Island Bureau of Immigration inspection and detention facility in San Francisco Racism crops up time and again in Sick Architecture from the different housing types offering varying degrees of protection against malaria that were built by the U.S during the construction of the Panama Canal (1904–14) to the cordon sanitaire established between white and non-white districts in Lubumbashi Congo — a 1,600-foot-wide unbuilt strip of land meant to protect the colonizers from the “contaminated” cité indigène A depiction of the Lazzaretto Vecchio in Venice “Concerns about human and planetary health have always been closely entangled with architecture as a mediating agent between cosmic and biological bodies The standstill of human activity that occurred when government lockdown protocols turned cities into ghost towns during the COVID-19 pandemic also slowed down the ubiquitous vibrations of the Earth by up to 50 percent and culminated in the longest period of seismic quiet in recorded history.” If Bezos one day we’ll leave behind our sick world to infect the rest of the universe — if Gaia’s immune system doesn’t kill us off first.. A Clinical Lesson at the Salpêtrière by André Brouillet which depicts Jean-Martin Charcot’s staging of hysteria to a group of students at Paris’s Pitié-Salpêtrière hospital Presentation panel on tuberculosis in Bidonville Mahieddinne for the 9th CIAM congress in Aix-en-Provence The exhibtion Sick Architecture is on view at CIVA in Brussels until August 28th Receive our weekly Newsletterand set tailored daily news alerts Finland to become the first country in the world to start post-consumer textile collection on a national scale in a few months’ time Clothing/​Footwear, Sustainable Lounais-Suomen Jätehuolto (LSJH) in Paimio has successfully started up a new Andritz pilot line for research and development work on post-consumer textile recycling The Exel tearing machine for post-consumer textile waste can process up to 500kg per hour for spinning quality fibres and up to a ton per hour of nonwoven fibre quality The entire process is designed to ensure the total absence of metallic material in the fibres and remove hard highly sensitive metal traps and metal detectors LSJH is a municipal waste management company specialised in processing post-consumer household textiles into a variety of customised raw materials containing high-quality fibres As Finland will be the first country in the world to start post-consumer textile collection on a national scale in a few months’ time the LSJH Paimio recycling facility is the location where large amounts of textile waste will be fed to a sustainable and responsible circular solution “We are very grateful to Andritz and its team members for their assistance during the installation of our pilot line for processing textiles,” said LSJH process engineer Conny Gabrielsson “The project was executed on time with a high level of professionalism and the continuing support is a true sign of dedication Andritz has provided us with turnkey equipment that enables us to deliver textile raw material solutions of high quality to meet our end-customers’ various needs – now and in the future.” www.andritz.com Infinited plans €220 million plant in Finland Partners will turn textile waste into nonwovens Modal fibre from OnceMore pulp now available By Michael J. Crosbie explores how architecture and design play key roles in making us whole architects are charged to protect the health MASS founding principal and executive director notes in this exhibition that “breathing is spatial,” which has implications at a variety of scales that the exhibition addresses: the human body The exhibition demonstrates the simultaneously grand and minute scales at which creative design solutions help keep us alive: personal protective equipment even ambient sound in healthcare environments The empathy of a healing architecture is seen in contemporary examples, such as the GHESKIO Tuberculosis Hospital in Port-au-Prince designed by MASS Design Group after the 2010 earthquake The island was hit with multidrug-resistant TB from which patients might take a couple years to recover and remain infectious as treatment commences The response was to create a place of dignity—a word you typically don’t hear much in healthcare design Consultations between patients and healthcare providers happen in open-air spaces to help thwart disease transmission and they also save energy through passive cooling Another Haiti project by MASS, the GHESKIO Cholera Treatment Center was developed in the wake of the influx of the disease after the earthquake; cholera hadn’t been present on the island prior to the catastrophe This permanent facility collects rainwater for on-site use and recycling (as much as a quarter-million gallons a year infection-resistant materials that can withstand repeated chlorine sanitizing But this building and the TB hospital are not just machines for treating disease They are humanistic in their use of natural light and ventilation That uplift is part of the healing process feature lessons learned in taking new directions in the design of healthcare facilities the exhibition also includes evidence that novel approaches to creating more healthful environments can happen on mundane levels that may permanently change the way we socially interact A visually engaging example is StoDistante piazza in Vicchio by Caret Studio (based in nearby Florence) The project makes visual how we calibrate our social distance with a series of squares that graduate in size It’s a wonderful example of how design can seep into the built environment without fanfare to which we all respond without even thinking about it Also exhibited is a series of creative yet anonymous sidewalk graphics that give social distancing cues Architecture for healing can arise from vernacular impulses. Across the globe, jerry-built structures on sidewalks and in parking spaces in front of restaurants and humble eateries are now oases of alfresco dining. Dining shelters—some elaborate others modest—have transformed how we congregate to share meals and public space Their openness is a key design response to the need for social distancing I suspect they’re not going to disappear anytime soon They are a new chapter—along with many others—in architecture for healing Featured image: GHESKIO Cholera Treatment Center Michael J. Crosbie is a Connecticut-based architect and writer who teaches at the University of Hartford and is Association of Collegiate Schools of Architecture Distinguished Professor The author of and contributor to some four-score books he studied architecture at The Catholic University of America in Washington Get smart and engaging news and commentary from architecture and design’s leading minds a Not-For-Profit website dedicated to reconnecting architecture and design to the public Vitra Design Museum presents the new exhibition »Alvar Aalto – Second Nature« a major retrospective exhibition on this legendary architect which reveals many new aspects of his architecture work Archive Exhibitions The leading authority for the Architecture & Design community Recharge in a Restored Spanish Farmhouse in Menorca Words: Rebecca Thienes Photography: Courtesy of Marimekko Marimekko the Finnish design house known for its eye-popping patterns celebrates an anniversary: Its iconic Unikko print turns 60 Dreamed up in 1964 by prolific designer Maija Isola (she created more than 500 textile patterns over her 38 years with the company) the stylized poppy almost wasn’t—brand founder Armi Ratia believed a flower’s essence couldn’t be captured in a print a glow up: Unikko dons a new palette of green and orange for a special edition printed on cotton sateen at the brand’s Helsinki factory Iso Unikko acts as a large-scale minimalist version stripping back the details by removing the flower’s eye and stem Items such as a wool jacquard fringed blanket and cushion cover in Vesi Unikko employ two Isola patterns at once: the striped lines of Vesi atop an abstraction of the celebrated floral Captured in situ at Alvar Aalto’s renowned Paimio sanatorium project from 1932 Bathroom brand Kast evokes tiered frosted cakes with Orme their handcrafted pedestal sinks that can be specified in any combination of colors Go gothic couture with Rick Owens Furniture’s pieces made from recyclable materials like the Stag stools made of moose antlers and petrified wood Mattel joins forces with German sanitary brand Hewi to reimagine the 477/801 bath product series in Barbie Dreamhouse’s signature pink Annual Report K Code of Conduct SpeakUp Reporting Channel Tracing Our Products Kesko's Oiva reports Facebook Instagram LinkedIn YouTube All channels Initially, the new HPC station will provide high-power charging points for two cars at a time, but the number can be raised up to six as demand grows. IONITY’s high-power charging stations are the fastest on the market, and offer a charging capacity of 350 kW. An electric car can travel some 300 kilometres on a single full-power 15-minute charge. The HPC station at Neste K Paimio will be part of IONITY’s European network and will complement K Group’s own nationwide K Charge network in Finland. For electric vehicles to become more common, the public charging network must evolve and enable sufficiently fast charging especially for those travelling for long distances. “We hope Finnish EV drivers will find and take advantage of IONITY’s high-power charging stations. Elsewhere in Europe, thousands of electric vehicles are charged daily at IONITY’s 160 stations.  IONITY wants its HPC stations to make electric cars a more realistic option for European drivers,” says Jan Haugen Ihle, Head of Northern Europe at IONITY. IONITY will be responsible for building, maintaining and operating the HPC stations, while K Group offers excellent locations for them at K-store sites. In addition to the high-power charging station at Neste K Paimio, before the end of the year IONITY and K Group will open HPC stations also at Neste K Karisto in Lahti and K-Citymarket Tiiriö in Hämeenlinna IONITY’S HPC stations use the European charging standard CCS (Combined Charging System), with cross-brand electric car compatibility. The price is €8 / charge with the IONITY application and the K Charge service. With other charging services, each service provider sets the price based on IONITY’s price.  Payment is possible with the IONITY app, K-Lataus app, Audi e-tron service, Porsche charging service, and other charging services that support roaming. IONITY is a joint venture by the Volkswagen Group with Porsche AG, BMW, Daimler and Ford, and is building an extensive network of powerful and easy-to-use charging stations along major routes across Europe. IONITY aims to have a network of 400 high-power charging stations by 2020. Currently, the network comprises 160 charging stations.    K Charge is K Group’s nationwide charging network for electric cars. By the end of this year, the network will comprise nearly 400 charging points at over 70 K Group store locations. The K Charge stations offer both basic and fast charging points. The cooperation with IONITY will add three high-power charging stations to the network. Further information: www.ionity.eu www.k-lataus.fi The K-Supermarket Mankkaa grocery store and atNorth's data center in Espoo are launching a groundbreaking collaboration in which waste heat from the data center will be used to cover almost all the heating energy needed by the store. The project will... Authorities in Denmark have approved Kesko’s acquisition of the Danish builders’ merchant CF Petersen & Søn A/S. The authority approval was not subject to any conditions. Kesko estimates that the acquisition will be completed on 30 April 2025.  Noomi Järgerhorn (M.Soc.Sc.) has been appointed as Kesko’s Vice President of Sustainability. She will join the company on 1 May 2025, and assume her new position on 1 June 2025 at the latest. According to a K Group survey,* 95% of K-food store customers buy red label products often or sometimes. Red label products are sold at a discount because their best before date is approaching. Red label products also affect many people's meal plans:... Kesko was ranked the best company in the world in Consumer Staples on this year’s ‘Global 100 Most Sustainable Corporations in the World’ listing. On the overall list, Kesko was ranked the best Finnish company. The other Finnish companies to make the... K Group is responding to customer wishes by reducing the price of over 1,200 products in its grocery stores, in what division President Ari Akseli calls a significant investment in the stores’ basic price level. K Group cuts the prices of some 1,000 ... Kesko has been included in the Dow Jones sustainability indices the DJSI World and the DJSI Europe. In the DJSI Europe index, Kesko ranked as the best company in its industry (Consumer Staples Distribution & Retail) for the third consecutive year. In... Kesko has updated its sustainability strategy, setting emission reduction targets for its own operations extending to 2034. Over the next 10 years, Kesko will be increasing its investments in energy efficiency and the electrification of transports in... Did you know that a K-retailer can also be a beekeeper? Heli Romppanen, the retailer at K-Supermarket Suosikki in Suolahti, Central Finland, got interested in beekeeping when she was finding out about the operations of various small-scale producers. ... Sergei Ilin, 42, has had a long career in the IT industry, working on various projects across different countries. He joined Kesko through Onninen, where he began working in 2008. At that time, Sergei was working in his home country, Russia, but inte... Sneha Iyer Gundarathi, 34, is a prime example of a technology expert who transitioned from the consulting world to Kesko. Although she has been a full-time employee at Kesko for only about a year, she has worked on Kesko’s projects as a consultant fo... In early 2023, K-Supermarket Piikkiö was renovated and expanded with the installation of new energy-efficient refrigeration units, LED lighting that can be adjusted for each department, and a powerful 100 kW fast charging station for electric cars. T... Kesko has agreed to acquire three builders’ merchants in Denmark: Roslev Trælasthandel A/S, Tømmergaarden A/S, and CF Petersen & Søn A/S. The combined net sales of the three operators total some €400 million. The acquisitions are part of the executio... This spring, Kalatukku E. Eriksson began donating products at risk of going to waste to Stadin safka's food aid programme. Nearly 45 percent of the products nearing expiration or otherwise destined for waste are now redirected to food aid. Donated pr... Open image viewerLSJH's CEO Jukka Heikkilä and Rester's CEO Outi Luukko stand at the podium during the facility's opening ceremony on Tuesday Image: Lassi Lähteenmäki / YleYle News3.11.2021 12:14•Updated 4.11.2021 7:39Finland throws out about 100 million kilogrammes of textile waste every year and the material has remained a poorly-recycled resource But a new textile recycling centre in Paimio opened on Tuesday and aims to begin solving that problem The facility has a capacity of processing about 12 million kilogrammes of textile annually or roughly 10 percent of the country's cloth material waste which is a joint effort between textile recycling company Rester and waste firm LSJH is the first in the Nordics that will turn waste textile materials into recycled fibres on a large scale The companies say they have developed a commercially-viable solution of recycling and processing industrial and household textile waste into raw materials Open image viewerRecycled and processed textile fibre that can be used to make new cloth products Image: Lassi Lähteenmäki/YleRester's CEO said manufacturers are increasingly interested in using recycled fibres due to growing concern for the environment and tightening regulations in the EU LSJH's (Lounais-Suomen Jätehuolto) role at the plant will be to take care of household fibre waste Open image viewerFrom left: LSJH's CEO Jukka Heikkilä Minister of the Environment Krista Mikkonen and Rester's CEO Outi Luukko Image: Lassi Lähteenmäki/Yle"We have been collecting and sorting residents' waste textiles since 2015 and have explored the possibilities of recycling and processing in numerous projects for nearly 10 years," he said There are plans to build similar plants across Finland based on the experiences of the Paimio facility It will become mandatory to sort textile waste in Finland in 2023 and a similar change is planned across the EU in 2025