#83 - Alvar Aalto - Art and Design XIX

I'm going to be in Germany for a few days visiting the Ulm School of Design (HfG), an obligatory visit as a designer, so I can't offer you a compilation of articles and products this week, when I come back I promise you a bunch of photos <3

This week Rosa Cortázar is in charge of writing an article about an architect and designer that has inspired more than one IKEA designer, enjoy!

Who was Alvar Aalto?

Aalto was one of the most important architects of the 20th century and one of the key figures in the history of design; since, starting from functionalist modernity, he went on to take an interest in organicism and nature, seeking to improve everyday life with a more human and ergonomic architecture, beyond the purely formal one that was spreading. In fact, the Paimio chair - one of his most famous designs and of which IKEA has made its own versions - was intended to enable the sick to breathe better.

Alvar Aalto Chair

This happened after researching people's behaviour and reactions to architectural forms, the different construction resources, the relationships between the pieces, the possibilities of curvatures, the use of natural light... As he wrote in his article The Trout and the River, his method consisted first of all in analysing all the requirements of the project and sketching out ideas until he found the drawing that solved all these initial conditions.

Alvar Aalto ideology

He was also opposed to the idea that architecture was only for rich people and that only specialists could understand it, so he got his ideas mainly from listening to the users -which is very much advocated nowadays- and from joining international references.

For more information you can check this link: https://www.alvaraalto.fi/