Aalto Center () is the administrative and cultural center of the City of

Seinäjoki Seinäjoki (; "Wall River"; , formerly ) is a city in Finland and the regional capital of South Ostrobothnia. Seinäjoki is located in the western interior of the country and along the Seinäjoki (river), River Seinäjoki. The population of Sein ...

, Finland. It comprises six buildings, designed by

Alvar Aalto Hugo Alvar Henrik Aalto (; 3 February 1898 – 11 May 1976) was a Finnish architect and designer. His work includes architecture, furniture, textiles and glassware, as well as sculptures and paintings. He never regarded himself as an artist, see ...

and mainly completed between 1960 and 1968. The center represents one of Aalto's most important works and is notable in Finland and even internationally as an architectural whole. The wooden plan of the center is in the collections of the

Museum of Modern Art The Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) is an art museum located in Midtown Manhattan, New York City, on 53rd Street (Manhattan), 53rd Street between Fifth Avenue, Fifth and Sixth Avenues. MoMA's collection spans the late 19th century to the present, a ...

in New York.

History

An architectural competition was organized in 1951 for the design of Seinäjoki's new church. Aalto's entry, named " Cross Of The Plains", won the competition, even though it exceeded the area set in the competition rules. It took several years before construction started; the church was eventually built between 1957 and 1960. In 1958, as the church was being built, the town of Seinäjoki organized another architectural competition for the design of a new town hall for a site next to the church. Alvar Aalto and his wife, Elissa Aalto, won the follow-up competition in 1959, which also included plans for a library, a theatre, and a state office building. The town hall was constructed in 1961–1962 and the library in 1964–1965. A parish center, also designed by Aalto, was built next to the church in 1965–1966. The state office building hosting various civil service departments was constructed in 1967–1968. The plans for the theatre were finished by Aalto in 1969, but the building was only realized almost two decades later in 1986–1987 and under the guidance of Elissa Aalto, as Alvar Aalto had died in 1976. Aalto also designed the courtyard between the buildings, including a fountain and the outdoor lighting. This "citizens' square" was covered with granite slabs in 1988 according to Aalto's original plans. The National Board of Antiquities has listed the center as a nationally significant built heritage site.

Docomomo Docomomo International (sometimes written as DoCoMoMo or simply Docomomo) is a non-profit organization whose full title is: International Committee for Documentation and Conservation of Buildings, Sites and Neighbourhoods of the Modern Movement. ...

has also selected it as a significant example of modern architecture in Finland. The church was protected in 2003 by a degree from the

Evangelical Lutheran Church of Finland The Evangelical Lutheran Church of Finland (; ) is a national church of Finland. It is part of the Lutheranism, Lutheran branch of Christianity. The church has a legal position as a national church in the country, along with the Orthodox Church o ...

central administration, and the whole center was protected in 2005 by the Ministry of the Environment.

Buildings

The center consists of six buildings: *

Lakeuden Risti Church Lakeuden Risti Church (; lit. "Cross of the Plains Church") is a Lutheran church located in Seinäjoki, Finland. The church was designed by Alvar Aalto and built between 1957–1960. It was the first finished building of the larger administrative ...

(1960) *

City Hall In local government, a city hall, town hall, civic centre (in the UK or Australia), guildhall, or municipal hall (in the Philippines) is the chief administrative building of a city, town, or other municipality. It usually houses the city o ...

(1962) * Municipal–Provincial Library (1965) * Parish Center (1966) * City and State Office Building (1968) * City Theatre (1987) File:Alvar_Aalto-centrum_i_Östermyra,_sommaren_2003.jpg, Lakeuden Risti church File:Alvar_Aaltoc-centrum_i_%C3%96stermyra,_sommaren_2003b..jpg, Town Hall File:Sein%C3%A4joki_City_Theatre.jpg, City Theatre File:Kirjakauppaa_Seinajoen_Aaltokeskuksen_Kansalaistorilla.jpg, Citizens' Square

References

External links

Alvar Aalto in Seinäjoki
{{Seinäjoki Cityscape Alvar Aalto buildings Seinäjoki Buildings and structures in South Ostrobothnia Theatres completed in 1987 Modernist architecture in Finland

History

Buildings

See also

References

External links