Healing Through Architecture

• Paimio Sanatorium
• Retreat Rooms Main Building
• Retreat Rooms Main Building
• Retreat Rooms Main Building
• Retreat Rooms Main Building
• Mäntylä Room
• Mäntylä Room

• Paimio Sanatorium
• Retreat Rooms Main Building
• Retreat Rooms Main Building
• Retreat Rooms Main Building
• Retreat Rooms Main Building
• Mäntylä Room
• Mäntylä Room

Nestled in a lush pine forest outside the small Finnish town of Paimio, the Paimio Sanatorium stands serenely as in a world of its own, a cathedral dedicated to healing. Follow the link after reading this article to explore the new Special in our Explore More section.

British journalist, architecture critic P. Morton Shand concluded in Architectural Review in 1933 Paimio Sanatorium to be the most revolutionary hospital building erected within the last decade. He praised its numerous technical innovations, from its optimization of daylight, heating, and ventilation to its structuring of the patients’ social interactions. Alvar Aalto - the architect who designed the building together with his wife and fellow architect Aino Aalto - said that the main purpose of the building was ”to function as a medical instrument”. When the hospital complex was constructed, there was in fact no cure for tuberculosis - a disease that claimed thousands of lives in Finland in the 1920s and 1930s. Instead, doctors prescribed rest, fresh air, and heliotherapy, or more simply put, exposure to sunshine. The Aaltos’ starting point for the design was to make the building itself a contributor to the healing process.

A total work of art
Alvar Aalto (1898-1976) and Aino Aalto (1894-1949) begun work on the building in 1929 after winning a competition. They both contributed to the design. Alvar had employed Aino at his architectural practice in 1924 and the two got married later that year. They worked together throughout their marriage, often so closely that it’s impossible to credit parts of the projects to one or the other. The sanatorium was designed as a true Gesamtkunstwerk, a total work of art. According to the architects’ vision, everything, from the bold form language of the buildings to the chairs, closets and colours, was carefully considered to support one purpose: improving the wellbeing of the patients, who would often spend months at the sanatorium. Alvar was helped in the process by a personal experience that happened to coincide with the design process: when he started on the design, he happened to fall ill and used himself as a test case for how a patient’s room should be constructed. “A person who is in a constant state of illness is naturally more delicate, more sensitive, than a normal person”, he said of the experience. With this in mind, the Aalto’s designed the building with several innovative features: the sinks had angled basins to minimize the sound of splashing water. The steps were easy to climb to encourage exercise. Nonporous flooring and curved surfaces made cleaning easy and thus promoted hygiene. A colour scheme consisting of bright yellow, orange, and turquoise, among others, was chosen to further the healing process.
Verandas were built for patients to be able to rest outdoors, and the lighting was designed to soothe their minds. Even the angle of the wooden reclining chairs was optimized to what was believed to be the best position for breathing.

Paimio’s legacy: a human dimension
The building soon received critical acclaim both in Finland and abroad, making especially Alvar Aalto a world-renowned name and setting the scene for additional high-profile assignments at home and abroad. More than 90 years after its completion, Paimio Sanatorium is considered one of the most important examples of modernist architecture in the world. In the 1930s, it was pioneering in many ways; for example, contrary to the traditional building materials in the nearby villages - wood and brick - the Aalto’s used concrete and gave the building a simple, white facade instead of decorating it. The sanatorium established the unique architectural style Alvar Aalto is so well known for - characterized by a human dimension and always forming a natural relationship to the surrounding nature. Paimio Sanatorium welcomed tuberculosis patients until the 1960’s, after which it was gradually turned into a general hospital. Hospital operations ceased in the mid-2010s, and some years later, a new chapter began.

Paimio Sanatorium for the future
Paimio Sanatorium is more than a building. It stands as a testament to the harmonious integration of art and architecture. With the aim of building on this legacy, Paimio Sanatorium Foundation was founded in 2020. Its mission is to pass on and extend the progressive vision of Alvar and Aino Aalto to future generations. The foundation leads a program consisting of several activities. The aim is to engage people to experience the sanatorium with multiple dimensions in the spirit of Alvar and Aino Aalto. Few of the former patient rooms in the main building have been renovated and can now be booked as hotel rooms. Overnight stays are also possible in the surrounding houses, that used to originally house the sanatorium staff. Spirit of Paimio, an annual global conference, was established in 2023 to foster critical discussions on global design challenges, technology’s role in architecture and sustainable urban development. All in all, the goal of the foundation is to propel Paimio Sanatorium into a new future, with a fully active existence where the architectural legacy lives beyond the walls of the building.

Follow this link to explore the new Special in our Explore More section!

Posted May 16, 2024