Alvar Aalto and the Florence in the North. Visions, Realizations and Utopia in the Early 1920s Finland

Abstract

Alvar Aaltos attempt to transform Jyväskylä into a version of Florence of Finland, through his individual interventions, is still little studied. Thus, my research will investigate the documents related to the development of the visionary remodelling of the Finnish town, which includes realized and uncompleted architectures.

In the early 1920s, Aalto seemed to be an enthusiast of the Past. Above all, he esteemed the Italian Renaissance civic monuments, which look at to deliberately for his work. His juvenile ambition urged him to mature a utopian plan for the remote state-capital of Central Finland: thanks to his own intervention, it would have been dignified as the prosperous Florence.

According to Aaltos scripts, the author considered the potential welfare state of the citizens existences as impacted by urban design. He planned an authentic choreograph for the daily events.

Finally, the aspect of the town was meant to be integrated in the pristine landscape, as it occurred to the Tuscan top-hill-villages. The yearning to improve life quality within urban design remained constant during his career. Man and Nature raise in harmony as in a Nordic-Renaissance dream.