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Viipuri Library - Alvar AaltoMichael SpensAcademy Editions (1994), $25 paper, 96 pp., approx. 115 illustrations Reviewed by Lester Paul Korzilius
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| Alvar Aalto's Viipuri library (1927-1935)
together with the Paimio sanitorium, were the two seminal buildings from
the early part of Aalto's career. Contrary to published accounts, this
building was not destroyed in the Finnish-Russian war, although since 1939
Viipuri (now Vyborg) has been in Russian territory. The library is in a
poor state of repair and has undergone alterations.
The Viipuri library is particularly interesting in section. From the ground level, one ascends a switchback set of stairs to a skylighted split level space housing the stacks, reading area, and control desk. Many of the elements of this library reappear in later Aalto libraries including Seinajoki, Rovanemi, and Mount Angel, as well as the National Pensions Institute and the Wolfsburg cultural center. The undulating wood ceiling in the Viipuri auditorium is famous (did it ever really work acoustically?), but was unfortunately removed by the Russians. This monograph is particularly insightful as it has a wealth of good quality black and white photographs taken shortly after the building's completion. The project underwent four design versions, all of which are shown. The main concepts remained consistent through all schemes, but the neo-classical elements from the first competition winning design were eliminated from the final version.
To see images of Aalto's Seinajoki Library, click here. |
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