Villa Kokkonen is a residential building located in
Järvenpää, Finland, notable for having been designed by the Finnish
architect 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 ...
for the composer
Joonas Kokkonen.
Background
Villa Kokkonen is one of only a few private residential buildings, and the only artist's home, designed by Aalto.
Despite being at the height of his professional reputation in the late 1960s, Aalto did not charge anything for his design.
Kokkonen, in turn, dedicated his
cello concerto A cello concerto (sometimes called a violoncello concerto) is a concerto for solo cello with orchestra or, very occasionally, smaller groups of instruments.
These pieces have been written since the Baroque era if not earlier. However, unlike instru ...
, which he had composed in his newly-completed house, to Aalto, as a token of his gratitude.
As a result of the project, and their contemporary memberships of the
Academy of Finland The Academy of Finland ( fi, Suomen Akatemia, sv, Finlands Akademi) is a governmental funding body for scientific research in Finland. It is based in Helsinki. Yearly, the Academy administers over 260 million euros to Finnish research activities. O ...
, the two became firm friends.
Villa Kokkonen forms part of the wider artist community on the shores of Lake
Tuusulanjärvi
Lake Tuusula or Lake Tuusulanjärvi ( fi, Tuusulanjärvi, italics=no; sv, Tusby träsk, italics=no) is a lake on the border of the municipalities of Tuusula and Järvenpää in Southern Finland. The lake has an area of 6.0 square kilometres. Sinc ...
.
Kokkonen lived in the house until his death in 1996, after which the City of Järvenpää purchased it from his estate.
It is now open to the public as a museum, for guided tours and as a concert and event venue.
Design
The initial design was sketched on a white tablecloth of the restaurant where Aalto and Kokkonen were dining after visiting the site.
The main design work was carried out in 1967-69.
The building is broadly fan-like in shape, and comprises three main sections: living and dining areas; study, centred around a
grand piano; and private quarters including kitchen and bedrooms. There is also a small attached apartment for staff.
Separate buildings on the plot include a garage,
sauna with adjacent guest accommodation, as well as a swimming pool.
The main building and sauna are constructed of logs, with exterior cladding of dark-stained wood boards.
References
External sites
*{{official site, https://www.villakokkonen.fi/en
Villa Kokkonen on Alvar Aalto Foundation
Alvar Aalto buildings
Modernist architecture in Finland
Järvenpää
Buildings and structures in Uusimaa
Residential buildings completed in 1969
Museums in Finland