2024-05-02T22:13:27-04:00 https://archinect.com/news/article/135651376/a-photographic-tour-of-alvar-aalto-s-restored-viipuri-library Julia Ingalls 2015-09-01T14:29:00-04:00 >2015-09-01T14:44:24-04:00 <img src="https://archinect.gumlet.io/uploads/az/az8t655to80ajmx2.jpg?fit=crop&auto=compress%2Cformat&enlarge=true&w=1200" border="0" /><p>For almost twenty years,&nbsp;The Finnish Committee for the Restoration of Viipuri Library worked to restore <a href="http://archinect.com/news/article/112893576/restoration-of-alvar-aalto-s-viipuri-library-wins-2014-world-monuments-fund-knoll-modernism-prize" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Alvar Aalto's rarely seen Viipuri library</a>. Located in Vyborg, Russia, which was under Finnish rule when the library was originally conceived (hence its occasional moniker of the Vyborg Library) the newly restored interior and exterior of the library has been comprehensively photographed by&nbsp;<a href="http://www.denisesakov.com" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Denis Esakov</a>.</p><p><img title="" alt="" src="http://cdn.archinect.net/images/514x/ej/ejna7xke1erdci9i.jpg"></p><p><img title="" alt="" src="http://cdn.archinect.net/images/514x/lm/lmo807h48zxoevs0.jpg"></p><p><img title="" alt="" src="http://cdn.archinect.net/images/514x/0r/0raa4bocfj5g70q9.jpg"></p><p>The stark white rectilinear forms of the exterior are counterbalanced by a series of elliptical, curvaceous elements, from the 58 skylights over the reading room to the elegant sweep of the circulation desk and the gradually ascending central staircases.</p><p><img title="" alt="" src="http://cdn.archinect.net/images/514x/49/49z9dgcj6agnfgfh.jpg"></p><p><img title="" alt="" src="http://cdn.archinect.net/images/514x/7s/7so8fy9pinvqr45g.jpg"></p><p><img title="" alt="" src="http://cdn.archinect.net/images/514x/ek/ekwy5zp1hdnt174d.jpg"></p><p>An auditorium, complete with original furnishings, features a gentle, undulating wooden ceiling.</p><p><img title="" alt="" src="http://cdn.archinect.net/images/514x/4d/4dpzze0kqhf5m4m4.jpg"></p><p><img title="" alt="" src="http://cdn.archinect.net/images/514x/pv/pv5u771l10qu4nuv.jpg"></p><p>Built in the pre-digital era, the library has retained some space-saving features from that time, including movable stacks that can be adjusted with a rotating lever.&nbsp;</p><p><img title="" alt="" src="http://cdn.archinect.net/images/514x/r8/r8hwo0uek6j31kvd.jpg"></p><p>On the exterior, the placement of the windows within the expanses of wal...</p>