Väinö Vähäkallio ja hänen toimistonsa : arkkitehdin elämäntyö ja verkostot
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Doctoral thesis (monograph)
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Date
2005-06-10
Major/Subject
History of Architecture
Arkkitehtuurin historia
Arkkitehtuurin historia
Mcode
Degree programme
Language
fi
Pages
430
Series
Teknillisen korkeakoulun arkkitehtiosaston tutkimuksia, 22
Abstract
Väinö Vähäkallio (1886-1959) was one of Finland's most prolific and recognized architects of the 1920s and 1930s. Of his realized projects, a full 150 remain. This monograph is based primarily on an analysis of Vähäkallio's buildings themselves and the various documents pertaining to them. The central questions of the study are the fundamental questions about modernity and modernization in Finland. The study asks: In what way did Vähäkallio's commissions reflect the modernization of Finnish society itself? Was there something modern about his professionalism even if his artistic work was not in the avant-garde? These questions are answered through an analysis of the architect's professional image, his networks and his artistic production. The study aims to expand the notion of the architect's role and style by examining his designs for several building types, especially from the 1920s and 1930s. The modernization of Finnish society provided Vähäkallio with his most important professional opportunities in education, business, industry, and the increasingly important area of leisure. Many factors made Vähäkallio a successful architect: good networks, responsiveness to the changing tastes of different types of clients, a sensitivity to fashion, his rational designs and his expertise in new building technologies. Despite his importance Vähäkallio has been ignored in the histories of modern Finnish architecture. When "pure functionalism" was taken up as the modernist ideal from the 1950s Vähäkallio's stylistic diversity became a liability.Description
Keywords
Finnish architecture of the 20th century, functionalism, modernization, architectural profession, networks