28/05/2024
Find your guide to explore all the Architect Alvar Aalto - designs in Helsinki -area! Check for ex.: https://www.atamantours.com/ or https://www.linkedin.com/in/lili-margarita-carri%C3%B3n-pe%C3%B1a-4572a8139?lipi=urn%3Ali%3Apage%3Ad_flagship3_profile_view_base_contact_details%3BQEIlRbSzRYuAt3rp0H9gIA%3D%3D
The Aalto House, designed by Aino and Alvar Aalto, is located in the Munkkiniemi neighbourhood of Helsinki. The building was completed in 1936, and was designed to accommodate both Alvar Aalto’s architect's office and the Aaltos’ family home.
The Aalto House is positioned on top of a plot that slopes down southward. The front facade, facing the street, is oriented towards the colder north-east, while the private patio on the south-west side basks in natural light.
The garden, which takes up most of the large plot, comes into life during the spring and summer seasons. The Aaltos considered the garden to be equal in importance to all the spaces inside the building and therefore designed it carefully together with a garden architect.
The most prominent features in the garden are the plum trees that border the slate-covered patio and the creeper that climbs along the facade of the building. The plum trees burst into white blossoms in May and produce delicious fruit in the autumn. When the creeper is at its most abundant during high summer, the house seems to blend entirely into nature.
It was especially Aino Aalto who was interested in plants and flowers. In the summer she would place agave plants in flower pots outside on the patio of the Aalto House. In addition to the garden, the Aaltos had an allotment in Munkkiniemi, where they grew vegetables.
By joining a guided tour of the Aalto House visitors get to hear more about its design! For tickets and schedules, please visit
https://www.alvaraalto.fi/en/location/the-aalto-house/
Photo: Maija Holma © Alvar Aalto Foundation.
The Aalto House in early summer.