Browsing by Author "Niskanen, Aino, Prof., Aalto University, Department of Architecture, Finland"

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  • Autiotuvista lomakaupunkeihin - Lapin matkailun arkkitehtuurihistoria
    (2014) Hautajärvi, Harri
     School of Arts, Design and Architecture | Doctoral dissertation (monograph)
    Tutkimus käsittelee Lapin maakunnan matkailuarkkitehtuurin ja matkailun historiaa. Aluerajauksena on Lapin lääni 1930-luvun lopun laajuudessaan, mukaan lukien Petsamo. Pääkysymys on, miten matkailu ja arkkitehtuuri ovat vaikuttaneet toisiinsa 1800-luvulta nykypäivään ja millainen suhde niillä on ollut maisemiin ja paikalliseen kulttuuriin. Tutkimus perustuu laajaan arkistotyöhön ja arviointiin paikan päällä. Aihetta ei ole aiemmin tutkittu, lukuun ottamatta tekijän aiempia tutkimuksia. Matkailuarkkitehtuurin laadun esiin nostaminen historian kautta ja vertailu nykyiseen rakentamiseen on ajankohtaista ja tukee matkailuelinkeinon kehittämistä. Matkakertomukset, lapponistinen taide, valokuvat ja elokuvat määrittivät Lappia ja sen tiettyjä paikkoja käymisen arvoiseksi. Liikenteen solmukohdat vakiintuivat etapeiksi ja reittien ulottuvilla olleet maisemat matkakohteiksi. Valtio ja Suomen Matkailijayhdistys järjestivät majoitus- ja ravintolapalveluja. Lapin matkailusta tuli osa kansallista ja isänmaallista projektia. Matkailua luotiin 1960-luvulle asti maisemilla ja arkkitehtuurilla. Lapin maakunnan matkailuarkkitehtuurissa ovat näkyneet 1800-luvun lopulta lähtien sekä kansainväliset että kansalliset vaikutteet. Muinaispohjoismaiseen tyyliin rakennettua Aavasaksan paviljonkia seurasivat tyyppikestikievarit ja klassistiset matkailumajat. Funktionalistiset hotellit viestivät moderniutta ja kansainvälisyyttä, tunnetuimpina Pohjanhovi ja Pallastunturin hotelli. 1930–1950-luvun hirsirakenteiset matkailu- ja retkeilymajat ilmensivät talonpoikaiskulttuuria ja kansallisromantiikkaa. Lapin matkailuarkkitehtuuri oli 1960-luvulle asti korkealuokkaista. Suunnitteluun pestattiin lahjakkaita arkkitehteja ja sisustusarkkitehteja, ja rakennukset sisustettiin yksilöllisesti. Kun laskettelun suosio 1960-luvun lopulta lähtien kasvoi ja siirryttiin massaturismiin, tuli useista maisemakohteista matkailukeskuksia ja osasta myöhemmin lomakaupunkeja. Kansallisromanttinen, esteettinen ja vaaliva suhtautuminen tärkeisiin maisemanähtävyyksiin korvautui toiminnallista matkailua palvelevalla rakentamisella. Kasvanut matkailurakentaminen on hävittänyt maisemanähtävyyksiä, joiden varaan seudun matkailu alun perin pohjautui. Parin miljardin vuoden ikäisiä tuntureita – saamelaisten pyhiä vuoria ja kirjallisuudessa ja taiteessa ylistettyjä maisemia – on myllerretty kauttaaltaan. Massamatkailu on tuottanut Lappiin myös vaatimatonta ja epäyhtenäistä rakentamista ja lavastemaisia ympäristöjä. Arkkitehtien käyttäminen suunnittelijoina on ollut melko harvinaista 1960-luvun lopulta lähtien. Matkailurakentamisessa viljellään usein saamelais-, tukkilais- ja kullankaivajakulttuurin stereotyyppisiä mielikuvia ja kliseitä. Saamelaiskulttuuri on kytketty matkailun rekvisiitaksi 1930-luvulta lähtien. Lapin matkailun arkkityyppi on kota. Elämys- ja joulupukkimatkailu ovat synnyttäneet viihdearkkitehtuuria, johon sekoitetaan perinnettä, Lappimyyttejä ja fiktioita. Mallia on haettu myös Alpeilta ja huvipuistoista. Peräpohjalainen kulttuuri on unohtunut, samalla kun Lappi on laajentunut kohti etelää. Lapin matkailun ja siihen liittyvän arkkitehtuurin historia on tyypillinen esimerkki maailmanlaajuisen turismin alueellisesta kehityskaaresta. Romantiikan ajan yksittäisten matkaajien innostuksesta alkunsa saanut Lapin matkailu on muuttunut suureksi ja moniulotteiseksi massailmiöksi ja osaksi elämysteollisuutta. Matkailu voi murentaa nopeasti kohdealueensa maisemia, luontoa ja kulttuuria niin Lapissa kuin muuallakin maailmassa, jos sitä ei säädellä ja suunnitella. Lapin matkailukohteiden vetovoimaisuus ja kilpailukyky edellyttäisivät nykyistä ammattitaitoisemmin ja laadukkaammin suunniteltua arkkitehtuuria ja ympäristöä.
  • The building that disappeared : the Viipuri Library by Alvar Aalto
    (2018) Berger, Laura
     School of Arts, Design and Architecture | Doctoral dissertation (monograph)
    This dissertation introduces the `life´ of one building: the Viipuri Library, designed by Alvar Aalto in 1927-1935. The theoretical perspective draws from the field of material culture studies and the agency of objects. In the case of this particular building, the research enquires what buildings `do´as part of our material environment. In the context of architecture, the library has a role as an important early work by Aalto, while it is also internationally valued as a key building of modernist architecture. The meanings associated with this building are, however, also rooted in its geopolitical context. The library was originally opened in the Finnish city Viipuri, but at the end of World War II the city along with the larger region referred to as ´lost Karelia were annexed to the Soviet Union. Since 1991 the building has been located in present-day Russia. After the end of the Cold War, the Soviet/Russian, Finnish and international architectural community has advocated for the need to restore the library. The restoration was realized through Finnish-Russian cooperation, and completed in 2013. Regarding the building, this research aims to provide answers to two questions: 1) What exactly are the contexts in which the library has been presented as a building of importance? 2) What, if anything, is special about this particular library, enabling it with the ´capacity´to bring together recognizably different contexts? The study proceeds from two notions. First, that the library has been associated with contexts where there is something larger at stake, making the building stand out as a case of `more than just a building´. Second, that this particular building surfaces in very different types of materials ranging from professional architectural publications to war histories and opinion pieces in Finnish newspapers, which locate the building in Viipuri and lost Karelia. With use of materials from archival documents, military photographs, newspapers of the period, architectural drawings and publications, this work aims to unravel the `life cycle´ of the library to the present day. The structure of the thesis is thematic and approximately chronological. The main body consists of four thematic chapters. The first chapter titled `The City´ introduces the local context, the events behind the realisation of the library. The second chapter, `The Architect´. brings forth the context of architecture. focusing on the design process, Alvar Aalto building his career as an internationally recognized architect and the first Finnish and international reception of the library. The third chapter titled `The Lost Library´ describes the period of World War Ii when the borders moved back and forth between Finland and the Soviet Union. The fourth chapter, `The Restoration´, is where all the preceding events come together, as the building’s architectural importance and its geopolitical history are all discussed in association with the restoration project. The contents of the fourth thematic chapters are analysed through the lens of a theory developed by Alfred Gell in his work Art and Agency. An Anthropological Theory (1998). This theory is widely known in the field of anthropology, but has remained essentially unused. I suggest that Gell’s theory offers thought-provoking terminology and tools for analyzing the built environment, specifically objects of architecture. Gell’s main assertion is that meanings are not given, and it is instead the social-relational-matrix within which material objects gain their meanings. As situations and interpretations change, material objects, such as the library, are not about assigned meanings, and their efficacy is instead rooted in specific contexts. In this way, objects such as the library can `abduct´ meanings. This work introduces the library as an exemplary case of a Gellian `distributed´ object, a building that has come to stand for notions much larger and more abstract beyond itself.
  • Linnoituksesta historialliseksi muistomerkiksi : Viipurin vanhakaupunki 1856-1939
    (2017) Neuvonen, Petri
     School of Arts, Design and Architecture | Doctoral dissertation (monograph)
    The study examines the physical and cultural transformation of Viipuri’s Old Town from 1856 to 1939. It encompasses eight decades of the architectural history of the area. At the same time the study examines cultural change which was manifested in the attitudes of local inhabitants towards fortification walls, buildings, streetscapes and townscape of the Old Town. The primary sources are the documents and drawings of the local civilian administration as well as local newspapers. Viipuri (Vyborg), now part of the Russian federation, was before the Second World War the second city of Finland. In 1860 Russian military authorities ceded the main part of the walls surrounding the centre of the town to local civilian authorities. Military considerations gave way to the demands of commerce and industry. The centuries-old walls were demolished and local newspapers hailed this as a sign of progress. At the end of the 1880s the preindustrial townscape was broken as large new stone buildings began to replace older townhouses. The local bourgeois newspapers were satisfied with the development but in the local worker’s newspaper, which was operating in the margins of power and wealth, the development was met with less enthusiasm. The interest in the history and ancient monuments of the Old Town gained momentum in the 1880s and 1890s. In the next decade the interest of conservationists was expanded to include historical streetscapes and the entire townscape. The enthusiasm shown by locals to protect ancient monuments must not be exaggerated. The Round Tower, the Council Tower and the bastion of Pantsarlahti only narrowly escaped demolition. The last part of the walls, the South Wall, was demolished in 1913. In the 1920s and 1930s the protection of historic buildings, streetscapes and the entire townscape took official forms. The Old Town became the pride of the town and it was eagerly shown to both domestic and foreign tourists. At the same time it was integrated into the local identity of bourgeois Viipuri. The rhetoric based on the idea of Viipuri as the outpost of Western Culture against the East was mixed with images of the romantic Old Town. The Round Tower, which was converted into a historic restaurant in 1923, became the most popular tourist attraction of the Old Town. The transformation of the entire Old Town into an officially recognised historic monument was all but sealed. The preparations to receive the legal status of an Old Town before the Second World War were never concluded.
  • Moderni koti. Pientaloasumisen ihanteet arkkitehtuuri- ja sisustusjulkaisuissa 1950-1960-luvuilla
    (2017) Sanaksenaho, Pirjo
     School of Arts, Design and Architecture | Doctoral dissertation (monograph)
    The aim of the dissertation is to study through material found in the relevant magazines how the ideals for modern living were built in Finland in the 1950s and 1960s. The research questions are:What was typical of Finnish single-family housing architecture during those decades?How did the magazines describe and create the single-family housing ideals in the 1950s and 1960s?I have also studied the change in the role and the position of an architect in the design of single-family houses and the changes in the concept of a family in the 1960s and onwards compared to the situation in the beginning of the 1950s. Houses as architecture of everyday life and also as lived-in spaces have been among my preoccupations as well as the material forms they have taken. This dissertation is a monography and the methods are based partly on the author’s own experience as a practicing architect reading plans, sections and site plans, and partly on the analyses of the texts and accompanying images. The research material consists of journals which were published in Finland in the 1950s and 1960s and dealt with housing: Arkkitehti which was meant for the professionals, the interior magazine Kaunis koti which was read by enlightened housewives, and Kotiliesi which catered for the large majority of women. In the late 1960s also Avotakka entered the media field. The articles on the detached, semi-detached and row-houses in these magazines with their accompanying illustrations have been my research material. The exhibition catalogues of the Finnish architecture exhibitions Suomi rakentaa are also included in that material. The dissertation is divided into four parts. The first part includes the introduction and the short background of the history of detached houses and the housing policy in Finland as well as the concept of modernity. The second part is the analysis chapter of the research material based on the professional publications dealing with housing architecture: from villas in nature, row-houses and atrium houses to modular constructivism. The third part of the research is dealing with the interior design and family magazines. The most common topics of the articles are presented in the chapters: housing exhibitions, inter¬national influence, Tapiola, material and form experiments, and standardised house types. The presentation of the features of a modern home is based on the functions of the different rooms. In the fourth part of the research the material is analysed through two themes: family life and changes in the role of an architect. It was possible to see through the articles and accompanying images, how family members used the spaces of the home and how this was changing during the period under study. In the same way it was also possible to see how the position of an architect changed in the design of houses from the end of the 1960s. The research shows that this genre of journalism was ruled by specialists in the 1950s and 1960s. Architects were writing both for Arkkitehti and Kotiliesi. The decreasing appreciation of expertise can be seen from the late 1960s, when the titles of the writers disappeared from the articles as well as the names of the authors of the standardised house type designs. The do-it-yourself culture also increased in the construction of single-family houses. Architects became increasingly interested in city planning and the solving of global problems at the end of the 1960s. In the ways that domestic space was used by families it can be seen that gender roles remained traditional throughout the research period (women in kitchens, men in living rooms, children in their own rooms) though women were presented also relaxing at home, e.g. in the pool space or on the sofa, by the end of the 1960s. One remarkable feature of a modern home at the time was that the boundaries of private and public space became vague and less clearly defined, a phenomenon which is still ongoing in our time of digitalization and social media.
  • Rauniot - arvoja ja tekoja : rauniorestaurointi ja arkeologisten alueiden suunnittelu
    (2017) Lind, Tuija
     School of Arts, Design and Architecture | Doctoral dissertation (monograph)
    The present research project explores the conservation and utilization potential of stone-built, protected ruins in Europe. It is based on the literature of cultural heritage and on field studies made over several decades. Much has been written about monumental ruins and archaeological areas; their history, conservation and plans for future development. The completion of the goals set for a given restoration project is however seldom investigated and the question whether those goals are contradictory with the site’s values not often asked. This investigation offers a method for critical analysis of the sites and the final completion of the conservation aims. Ruin restoration can be a self-contradictory activity. The ideal of romantic ruins is that their power lies in their very transiency and in the dialogue between nature and humans. The scientific value of the ruins is, in turn, based on the authenticity of the material, whereas the preservation of the structure involves erecting protective roofs and fences as well as removing vegetation in order to stop the decay. The romantic and scientific values thus require mutually opposite actions. The touristic exploitation of archaeological sites and the subsequent furnishing of new construction may also be in conflict with the values of the surrounding landscape. The less visible the archaeological remains are, the more they have to be explained to the visitor. The problem is how to do it in a harmonious way so that the information sign does not become the main attraction itself. Our research deals with this contradiction. It discusses how to identify and to simultaneously maintain multiple values during the restoration of ruins. To provide a general starting point, we have borrowed the characteristics of good architecture formulated by Vitruvius and employed them for the purpose of good ruin restoration: strength (firmitas), beauty (venustas) and narration (narratio). Ruins do not have a traditional utilization value as such (utilitas), you do not step into the ruins, you arrive to them, you contemplate them, examine and study them. The treatment of the landscape surrounding the ruins affects the visitor’s experience significantly. But, on the other hand, if no one visits the ruins, they will rarely be maintained. In order to preserve archaeological sites, they have to be re-used in some way (re-utilitas) and sustained (continuitas). The broad spectrum of different restoration methods is examined from two perspectives: firmitas, the structural durability of the ruins, and narratio, the story they can tell us. Examples are used to discuss the implications and impact on overall restoration works. Seven examples are analysed in more detail to demonstrate in practice the principles of ruin conservation. In the examples, the preservation of values is examined and general themes are discussed, such as the concept of romantic ruins, the spirit of the site, archaeological parks, protective shelters, furnishings and visitor centres. Séviac and Saint-Bertrand-de-Comminges in France represent a type of archaeological site with modest physical remains, of which there is a large number in Europe. The example of Pompeii is unique, the Pont du Gard in southern France is an ancient testimony to technical know-how, while the castles of Raseborg in Finland and Heidelberg in Germany represent monuments of power. The Jumièges monastery ruins in Normandy are a result of destruction during the French Revolution, to which both the passage of time and skilful restorations have created added value. Even though the case studies are dissimilar in many respects, they all serve as examples to test our method, which requires an examination of the values of the site from several angles.
  • San Clemente in Rome : a new reconstruction of the early 5th century basilica and its origins
    (2017) Heikonen, Juhana
     School of Arts, Design and Architecture | Doctoral dissertation (monograph)
    The Basilica of San Clemente in Rome has a long history. The present day 12th century church was thought to be the early Christian basilica mentioned by Jerome until the excavations in the 19th century. The still ongoing archaeological excavations at the site have exposed not only the “Lower Church” of the 5th century but also a horrea and a domus with a Mithraeum, reaching republican layers of Roman urban history. From the second half of 19th century on, the studies of San Clemente are numerous. Important names of architectural history and archaeology, such as Richard Krautheimer and Federico Guidobaldi, have made an enormous impact on the study of early Christian churches and San Clemente in particular. The 20 different building phases of the site are entangled and complicated and some of them have been erased almost completely during the last two millennia. The main theme of my dissertation concerns the building phases from the 3rd century throughout the 5th century when the first proper Christian basilica was finished. There have been conflicting theories about the function of the 3rd century building. The first theories saw St. Clement’s house church transformed into a domus ecclesiae and further to an aula ecclesiae and finally into a regular basilica below the present San Clemente. Several theories have been discussed and abandoned, but there are still unanswered questions about the 3rd century building’s function – whether it was an Imperial mint or a private building. The aim of this dissertation is a set of sequenced reconstructions of San Clemente along The London Charter principles of virtual archaeology through the typological developments of the Roman basilica and the late antique domus as a source of Roman Sakraltopographie. The aim of the dissertation is to shed light on these unanswered questions by creating new reconstructions of San Clemente and its urban context in 3D-models and GIS-based cartography. The bulk of Roman early Christian churches that were built in a hundred years time (350-450 AD) constitute a vast source of comparative material for my research. The data of the early Christian Roman basilica in general has been processed in typologies and tables with the aim to find the similarities in building history and urban location. This material is used along with the more traditional comparative evidence of literary sources. In the last decades the research of the late antique domus has developed greatly (Simon Ellis, Kimberly Bowes etc.). The relation of the domus to early Christian architecture has also been viewed in a new light in topographical, architectural and socio-economical terms. My conclusion, that the aula ecclesiae (a church built in the public space of a domus) was in fact the first building phase of San Clemente, is further based on late antique Roman urban history as well as the history of private patronage and ecclesiastical history.