Architecture sites of Alvar Aalto moving forward to Unesco World Heritage Committee’s evaluation

Aalto Works is a proposal for the Unesco World Heritage List by the Finnish state, presenting a series of 13 Aalto sites. The proposal has been prepared by the Finnish Heritage Agency together with the Ministry of Education and Culture. The selected sites emphasise the significance of the architecture by Alvar, Aino and Elissa Aalto in the creation of the Finnish welfare state.

Five of the sites nominated for the World Heritage List are in Helsinki: The home and studio of Alvar Aalto, Finlandia Hall, Kulttuuritalo House of Culture and the headquarters of the Social Insurance Institution of Finland. 

“The five Helsinki sites of the Aalto Works nomination are a key part of the City’s architectural and cultural heritage. Their potential status as world heritage sites would increase the recognition and attractiveness of these sites even further, also internationally. We want the heritage of Aalto to be easily accessible to both Helsinki residents and tourists to enjoy,” says Daniel Sazonov, the Mayor of Helsinki. 

Architecture and design is one of the areas emphasised in Helsinki’s tourism marketing.

“We are eagerly waiting for the World Heritage Committee’s decision, which could bring five new World Heritage Sites to Helsinki, helping to build Helsinki’s international reputation as an architecture and design city even further,” says Nina Vesterinen, Helsinki Tourism Director. 

The recommendation given by the International Council on Monuments and Sites (ICOMOS) predicts a positive result for the Aalto Works nomination. The final decision will be made by the Unesco World Heritage Committee in its meeting taking place in late July.

Work of Aalto family visible in Helsinki

The five sites included in the Aalto Works application are not the only sites in Helsinki that bear the handprint of Alvar Aalto and his wives, Aino and Elissa Aalto. Helsinki has around 20 buildings or other sites designed by Aalto, many of which can also be explored from the inside. In fact, Helsinki is one of the most notable hubs of Alvar Aalto’s architecture.

“The Alvar Aalto Studio designed many culture buildings and office and commercial premises for Helsinki, as well as private residential homes, the Erottaja pavilion, monuments for the Hietaniemi cemetery and the interior of the restaurant Savoy. Aalto has also made his mark in city planning. Already in the 1960s, he envisioned important culture buildings to e.g. Töölönlahti. Of these, he was able to build Finlandia Hall – which has now been reopened for a wide range of audiences after its highly-praised renovation,” says Hanna Harris, the Chief Design Officer of Helsinki.

“I have a great tip for anyone interested in Aalto’s architecture – tram number 4 is a convenient way to reach several Aalto sites: You can travel from Katajanokka from the ‘sugar cube’ of Enso-Gutzeit Headquarters past the Rautatalo on Keskuskatu to Finlandia Hall, and from there past the Kela headquarters towards Munkkiniemi and the home and studio of Alvar Aalto,” says tourism director Vesterinen. 

In Helsinki, visitors can learn more about the design of Alvar, Elissa and Aino Aalto in the permanent exhibition of Finlandia Hall, Visions of Alvar Aalto.

The new exhibition by the Architecture & Design Museum, Aalto Design – Shapes of Wellbeing, explores Alvar, Aino and Elissa Aalto’s architecture and design from the perspective of wellbeing.

You can find more information about the Aalto sites in Helsinki on the MyHelsinki website.

The Aalto Works proposal includes 13 properties of buildings and areas:

• Sunila residential district, Kotka (1936, completed in 1938–1954)
• Paimio Sanatorium, Paimio (1928, completed in 1933, 1958 expansion, 1962 Kyykartano (Hall of Vipers))
• Säynätsalo Town Hall, Jyväskylä (1949, completed in 1952)
• Aalto centre, Seinäjoki (1951, completed in 1960–1988)
• Headquarters of the Social Insurance Institution of Finland, Helsinki (1953, completed in 1957)
• Finlandia Hall, Helsinki (1962, completed in 1971, 1975)
• Aalto House, Helsinki (1935, completed in 1936)
• Aalto Studio, Helsinki (1954, completed in 1955, 1964)
• Muuratsalo Experimental House, Jyväskylä (1952, completed in 1953–1954)
• Kulttuuritalo, Helsinki (1952, completed in 1958)
• Jyväskylä University campus, Jyväskylä (1951, completed in 1954–1971)
• Church of the Three Crosses, Imatra (1955, completed in 1958)
• Villa Mairea, Pori (1937, completed in 1939)

Background information on Unesco World Heritage Sites:

• At the moment, there are 1,248 sites on the Unesco World Heritage List. These are divided into three groups: cultural, natural and mixed sites combining both culture and nature.
• A site can be an individual location or an entity comprising several sites (serial sites). The sites can also be located in the territories of several different states.
• The World Heritage List has accepted seven Finnish sites: Old Rauma (1991), Suomenlinna Fortress (1991), Petäjävesi Old Church (1994), Verla Groundwood and Board Mill (1996), Sammallahdenmäki (1999), Struve Geodetic Arc (2005) and Kvarken Archipelago (2006).