AN AALTO APARTMENT
Individual Project
December 2020
December 2020
Designing an apartment inspired by Alvar Aalto.
In this design for a penthouse apartment in the Lee Tower, I was inspired by the Finnish designer, Alvar Aalto. During my research I found two contrasting styles in his designs.
Public Style
Riola Parish Church
Image by Franco Di Ca pua
Characterized by vast spaces with high cielings, and exposed curved structural elements, Aalto´s public style is play on form and light. Smooth white plaster is broken up by warmer wooden details. An example of this is his 1978 Riola Parish Church.
Private Style
Aalto’s domestic style is warmer and more intimate. Rooms are divided by functions, but following his “gesamtkunstwerk” approach, created unity in their details and material. Throughout his career he experimented with wood bending techniques and utilized timber to create a warmer atmosphere.
The Maison Louis Carré, which he designed in 1959 for an art collector, employs a series of separation walls to seclude the domestic life of the family from the “puclic” areas where clients would often visit. In this way he created two distinct areas in the house.
Interior of La Maison Louis Carré
Image from the Maison Louis Carré Foundation
Highlighted interior walls
Original image from the Maison Louis Carré Foundation
In my design, I was inspired by the Maison Louis Carré to create a dualistic home, where Aalto’s private and public interiors could merge under one roof. Using similar dividing walls, I created this seperation.
Featuring a multi-leveled room, with plenty of seating on the oversized steps, this space could be used for a variety of parties, exhibitons or performaces.
Taking the stairs or the hallways reveals a whole other space.
Divided into rooms by warm wooden panels, this area provides comfort and intimacy.
In this way, the two archetypical styles of Alvar Aalto were united in one apartment.
