Original drawings and the contrasting nature of the house - Jess T 16/10/14
A complete set of working drawings for the Villa Mairea by Alvar Aalto does not seem to have survived, however around 800 sketches and drawings by Aalto relating to Villa Mairea exist from the many alterations and adaptations that were made throughout it's design and construction.
The diagrams and sketches help to show how Villa Mairea plays with a number of oppositions, for example, local and international influences where you can see the impact of buildings such as Frank Lloyd Wright's Falling Water and yet also local Finnish styles and ideas. There are modern elements yet also traditional ideas, natural and artificial parts, and western and oriental influences. These elements often appear in unexpected, surprising places, and adding to this is the eclectic nature of Aalto's borrowings from architecture of many times and many places.
Villa Mairea is a building that shows a transition from traditional to modern architecture. As Alvar Aalto was given permission to experiment with his thoughts and styles there is a constant theme throughout the house of morphing technologies and a progression from the exterior to indoors. The furthest points of the house are the most rural, a mound of compacted dirt rises to a roughly woven fence, the sticks then become more linear and directional as the fence merges with the wooden walls of the sauna.
The concept of morphing and changing technology remains throughout the building with the transition to the interior of the house with the way the materials have been used. The interior is filled with wood, timber boarding and rugs which create a more domestic and homely feel.
Due to the forest setting, Aalto blurs the lines between the exterior and the interior with posts that fill the house mimicking the tall birch trees that surround the house. Every column is different emphasising the individuality of everything living in a forest, and to escape the regularity of all traditional houses. The way that light has been used also creates the idea of bringing the outdoors in, as light shines through screens in the windows to imitate the way light falls in a forest. However, even though much of the house is focussed on the usage of new technology and new ideas, it is evident that traditional ideas are maintained as Aalto created a basic L-shape floor plan which is characteristically Scandinavian.
Who, What, When, Where and Why? - Jess O'Carroll 10/10/2014
The Villa Mairea was commissioned by Harry and Marie Gullichsen, designed by Alvar Aalto. Its purpose was that of a residential building, the house of the Gullischen’s and a guest house. It is a very modern style building, consisting of an L shape giving a nice, private area at the rear and a clean facade out into the world. The building is located in Noormarkku, Finland.
As a wealthy couple, the Gullichsens informed Aalto to think of this house as an experiment, as a result of this Aalto managed to pull together all the ideas that he had been preoccupied with but had never quite managed to get them into any building so far. Aalto really did experiment with this building, as even when the plans had been finalized and agreed upon he was still changing ideas as it was being construction, it could be seen as a miracle that it all came together and is still in a good condition.
Alvar Aalto was first introduced to the Gullichsens by Nils-Gustav Hahl in 1935, who wanted to promote his furniture designs ‘bentwood’. The house was named after Marie who was Walter Ahlstoms daughter, this is relevant, she married Harry Gullichsen who then only four years later became the manager of A. Ahlstrom Company. Following on from this Marie and Hahl started an avant-garde art gallery situated in Helsinki to be a focus on progressive culture which then became ‘ARTEK’ which is still around today selling Aalto’s designs of furniture and glassware. Aalto was very well known by Ahlstrom as he and his wife, Aino, had conducted many projects for them including houses for the workers and social facilities. They also complete Sunila Plant in 1939 but what really brought the Gullichsens idea of a ‘social utopia’ across was the Villa Mairea which demonstrated their ideologies fully.
The Villa was built as a summer retreat, its intentions were to portray the new generation’s aspirations and the vision of ‘the good life’ made available by industrialisation. It is the third major house built with Ahlstrom money as in 1877, Maire’s grandfather, Antti Ahlstrom, also the founder of the company built a wooden house as the family residence in Noormarku. Maire’s father, Walter, commissioned an Art Nouveau style house nearby the old house site.
The original house built by Maire's Grandfather in 1877.
Jess O'Carroll 09/10/2014
Architectural style.
Alvar Aalto has a highly personal style with his combination of historical and contemporary Architecture. As Aalto's career started modernism was making its journey through Europe, at the beginning he worked along the style of Nordic classicalism then onto functionalism, which is the Scandinavian branch of modernism. Not long into his exploration of functionalism he ventured into his own form of modernism taking elements of history and the Finnish landscape as influence. Villa Mairea was the first commissioned house by Aalto and since then has become a 20th century residential architectural masterpiece. Alvar Aalto created for function, not style and believe that mass housing missed out all personality making them look sterile as they lacked individual touches.
The Commissioners; ideas vs reality. Villa Mairea was commissioned by Harry and Maire Gullichsen. Maire Gullichsen and Alvar Aalto created a furniture company called Artek, building chairs and glassware that Aalto designed, you can still buy these today! So the connection is now clear as to why Aalto was picked to design this house. "We told him that he should regard it as an experimental house; if it didn’t work out we wouldn’t blame him."
Alvar Aalto made changes to the house as it was in construction despite the fact that the clients had agreed on the plans put forward. Luckily, in my opinion the house turned out pretty great.
Influences.
Frank Lloyd Wright's falling water was an influence on the early house whilst it was in project form in 1937, as he mimicked the cantilever style. Before this FLW inspired idea, Aalto wanted to build on the concept of a vernacular farmhouse but developed his historical research into the Scandinavian style L shapes, typically this style is for the wealthy, appropriate to reflect the Gullichsens. The L shape design defines the outdoor private space, filled with a sauna and pool, the sauna being connected to the main building by a covered walkway.
Reasons For The Building Being Commissioned - Lauren Francis 03/10/2014
Mairea's grandfather had built his own home where they lived in 1877 and is known as Isotalo. The building is in Noormaku also and is pictured above. This building represented the time it was built in, semi-feudal on the outside, reflecting the rules of power. Walter Ahlstrom later built another home in Noormaku which was of the Art Nouveau style. The house presented "domestic happiness afforded by the solid riches". The style was much about homely comfort, luxuriousness and tidyness. Maire and Harry saw this as a challenge and a chance to follow her grandfather's tradition of building a house and a challenge to represent the new generation's idea of everyone's living standard rising; the dream of a classless society.
Initial Research - Lauren Francis 03/10/2014
The country house, Villa Mairea, was created near to the village of Noormaku in Finland. It is based on a hilltop site in a well forested park owned by the Ahstrom family. The house was built for Mrs Maire Gullich who was a family member of the Ahstrom family. "The house is L-shaped, with an extension in the form of a terrace backed by a stone wall partly enclosing the house, a garden court." The ground floor is an opened space area with movable dividers which has a steel frame. The main walls are made from brick that is then covered in plaster. He was experimental with techniques used, such as wood strips and paneling on roofs and ceilings. These techniques where earlier pratised on a smaller scale in his personal home he designed and built in the Helsinki suburb. In 1937 plans/discussions were starting to form for the Villa Mairea.
All information on this page can be found; http://www.houzz.com/ideabooks/8068206/list/must-know-modern-homes-villa-mairea
Arch Daily article: AD Classics: Villa Mairea/ Alvar Aalto. -Megan Sveiven
Rizzoli New York Goran Schildt, Alvar Aalto. Pages 152 - 161
800 Years of Finnish Architecture by JM Richard. Pages 149 - 151
Nicholas Ray (2005). Alvar Aalto. London: Yale University Press. 94-95