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    Sights, Sounds, and Observations: Volume 1

    A.D.Morley & J.A.Wong .
    Mar 11, '12 11:33 AM EST

    As we experience Finland and Helsinki we continue to catalog and document the plethora of details, nuances, and findings that cross our path. We hope to share these findings with you.

    Here you have it, our first installment of an ongoing series:

    Sights, Sounds, and Observations.

    Enjoy, and please share your thoughts!

    Aalto's signature plaque: Rovaniemi City Library

    Aalto's signature plaque: Maison Aho

    the "HANDSHAKE OF THE BUILDING" - Juhani Pallasmaa

    Aalto: Maison Aho

    Alvar Aalto Door Handle 1952-1957
    The single door handle was originally designed for the National Pensions Institute in Helsinki.  The double door handle was first designed for the Rautatalo (Iron House) office building located in Helsinki.  Aalto’s handles could be stacked at varying levels to accommodate various heights. 

    Aalto: National Pensions Building

    Aalto: National Pensions Building

    Juhani Pallasmaa's handshake: Korundi Art Museum in Rovaniemi

    Dipoli Center by Reima and Raili Pietilä

    Arrak Architects

    Typical Finnish National Romanticist Handle

    Eliel Saarinen Handle (Late National Romanticist)

    Eliel Saarinen Door

    Aalto

    Pilke Science Center, Rovaniemi

    NATURAL LIGHT

    Red reveal

    Reflective Resonance

    Highlighted Jugendstijl... also home to the office of Heikkinen-Komonen Architects

    NATURAL LIGHTING

    The skylight, from 3 vantage points, at the National Pensions Building by Alvar Aalto in Helsinki, Finland.

    Aalto's Interior to the Stockman Bookstore

    Main lobby to Aalto's Rautatalo

    Juhani Pallasmaa's Korundi House of Culture, an old post bus depot- converted into a contemporary art museum.

    ARTIFICIAL LIGHTING

    Aalto

    Aalto

    Steven Holl (Kiasma)

    Aalto

    Aalto

    Aalto

    Aalto

    Louis Poulse's Artichoke Lamp 1958

    National Romantic Lamp

    Jugendstijl

    Aalto

    Aalto, Rovaniemi Town Hall assembly room

    INTERIOR SPACE

    Bathroom of Hotel Torno... the tallest building in downtown Helsinki

    Eliel Saarinen's cafe wing of the Helsinki Train Station... beautiful tail end of the Finnish National Romantic movement 

    "Trey Ceiling" of Aalto's cafeteria in the National Pensions Building

     

    STAIRS

    Saarinen apartment building. Finnish National Romanticism

    Stair detail of Holl's Kiasma Museum: Notice the subtle relief on the underside? It is a very cleverly placed conduit that simply looks like a well designed reveal in the form work.

    Lasipalatsi, or Bio Rex Center - Viljo Revell, Heimo Riihimäki and Niilo Kokko

    Stair rail detail, Pilke Wood Museum

    Banister under-light detail, Pilke Wood Museum

    Treads,  Juhani Pallasmaa, Korundi Art Gallery

    DETAILS

    Dog gate sequence, private residence, Rovaniemi

    Pull out desk, Aalto Auditorium, Aalto University

    National Romanticist carving... Aalto-esque waves

    A nice little nibble of Finnish National Romanticism

    Birch Bark Panel Siding - Pilke Wood Museum

    Detail of Birch Bark Panel Siding - Pilke Wood Museum

    Wood block parquet - Pilke Wood Museum

    Brick work - Juhani Pallasmaa in Rovaniemi

    Horizontal Standing Seam Cladding - Rovaniemi Airport, Heikkinen-Komonen Architects

    FURNITURE

    Alvar Aalto's living room... this was supposedly the chair he always sat on, and loved the most.

    Aalto coffee table

    Aalto's TEA TROLLEY 900 from 1937

     

    OBSERVATIONS

    Going nowhere fast

    Lots of snow

    Take a seat.

    Display hangers for art work, Aalto's Town Hall, Rovaniemi

    Portrait of Alvar Aalto in the Aalto Home|Studio... a gift from Alexander Calder 

    Composite model + section at the MFA  - Museum of Finnish Architecture

    Fantastic wine holsters for cocktail hour... now you can eat, drink, and still shake hands!

    Engel + Ehrenstrom, Neo-classical architects of Helsinki's iconic Senate Square + Cathedral

    Shattered ice... its getting warmer here, but its still cold.

    The last video is a wonderful sequence of the door-less elevators in Aalto's National Pensions Building... running at a continuous loop, you hop on and off, and only the employees of the building are allowed to use. We, who managed to get the In with our tourguide, managed to ride it as well. Great idea, but this thing is no joke, if you tripped, it  could literally cut you in half! Don't try designing this in the US!

    We hope you enjoyed!

     

    This work by A.D.Morley & J.A.Wong is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License.


    Elevator at National Pensions Building by Alvar Aalto. Helsinki, Finland

     
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A new adventure begins as we finish one chapter; we hope to share our story with you. We are graduates of Washington University in St. Louis, Sam Fox School of Design & Visual Arts.

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