45 degrees
How can we design a space purely responding to the specific needs of scoliosis rehabilitation?
Alvar Aalto
Paimo Sanatorium for tuberculosis
Competition 1928, project 1928-1933, realization 1929-1933
Taking into account the Central Finland Tuberculosis Sanatorium competition in 1927, Aalto had already examined the issues concerning the design of sanatorium buildings. He grouped the buildings in a ‘Neo-Classical manner’ that included sun balconies, which showed a ‘more modern architectural approach’. Considering that sunbathing was part of the treatment for tuberculosis patients, such balconies were considered a vital part of a sanatorium’s design.
The drawings show that the design of the building was well thought through. More specifically, they showed a careful consideration of the building’s location among the terrain.
Development Work
The building was designed to contain four wings A, B, C and D, each housing a different function. A-wing is the patients’ residential space, with the sun balconies facing south.
The common areas are in the B-wing; these include the treatment rooms, library, social rooms and dining halls. C-wing is mainly for staff use, containing the kitchens, laundry rooms and staff accommodation. D-wing is a single-storey heating plant with the boiler room. All the wings can be accessed from the main hall situated between the A and B-wings.
B-wing has its own interesting features. The social room on a second floor is an extension of the dining hall, and opens up to a ‘panoramic landscape through a panoramic window’. "From the outside, the window appears as a purely Functionalist strip window, slightly raised from the surface, with load-bearing elements that cannot be seen at all. On the east elevation, on the other hand, the load-bearing elements are highlighted on the fifth and sixth floors and on the fourth floor too, but asymmetrically."
"Although the Paimio Sanatorium building represents Functionalism of a stylistically pure kind, there is an unambiguous duality about it. On the one hand, you have tradition and influences from elsewhere and on the other you have a creative innovativeness that is something quite new." This duality feature can be seen when looking at the ‘symmetrical and intimate’ courtyard in front of the main terrace in contrast with the buildings that branch out asymmetrically.
The functionalist aspect of the building is visible in a variety of design elements. These include a glass-walled lift shaft, as well as a substantial amount of metal usage in both the elevations and the interior. However, even in his main modernistic work, Alvar Aalto does not see technology as having ‘any absolute intrinsic value’, yet it only forms ‘one side of a very human dialogue’.
The continuity aspect is represented by the ‘plastic form of the entrance canopy’. The symmetrical entrance court is somewhat linked to the sun balconies and the cylindrically shaped chimney of the boiler house, giving an overall harmonious feeling.
Plans of the Site, Ground and First Floors
Figure 25 'Site Plan'
Figure 26 'Ground Floor Plan'
Figure 27 'First Floor Plan'
The furnishing of the foyer gives a feeling of home for those that stay her for long periods of time, with one example being the pigeonholes for patients’ slippers.
The blue, yellow, grey and white colouring of the public spaces stems from the ‘neo-plastic art of the twenties and thirties’. It conjures a ‘fresh and cheerful, yet peaceful atmosphere’. The staircase goes through the building and has windows both from east and west.
The patients’ wing has the rooms arranged only on the north side, with the corridor facing the south. This allows the corridor to be filled with light and ‘gives the patients the feeling that they are in control of the space’. The corridor façade contains contemporary strip windows.
In order to come up with the most economic heating solution for the patients’ rooms, Aalto studied the sun paths and worked on implementing the heating system that would be optimised for that particular space. In the end it was decided to install then innovative ceiling-mounted radiant heating system.
The colour profile of the patients’ rooms was different from that of the public spaces, with a lot of thought put into it. First of all, the predominant colours were more intimate – ‘bluish and greenish greys’. Secondly, according to Aalto, the ceiling had to be ‘the colour of the sky’. Also, since the ceiling was painted in darker tones, the areas of the ‘ceiling that were supposed to reflect light, had to be painted in lighter tones’.
The roof terrace was used for the sun treatment both in the summer and in the winter. The required sunbeds were developed specifically, as were the ‘winter sleeping bags’ made of sheepskin.
The natural lighting played a big role in the design of the dining area in the B-wing. For that matter, ceiling was raised to twice the height at the window side, so the light could equally reach the farthest corners. In addition, sun blinds outside were installed to prevent glare.