We didn’t just inherit a masterpiece. We inherited a masterclass in designing our shared future. On the 16th of October top line group of international and national thinkers, visionaries and makers will gather in Paimio Sanatorium, and you are welcomed to participate in the first Spirit of Paimio conference and shaping the future of architecture of care. The Spirit of Paimio Conference is Paimio Sanatorium Foundation’s first interdisciplinary gathering. It delves into the essential role of architecture in the modern practice of "taking care." This conference transcends traditional formats by offering a network of synchronous and asynchronous dialogues and breaking free from traditional disciplinary boundaries and encouraging fresh perspectives. Spirit of Paimio will feature an extraordinary lineup of speakers including Juhani Pallasmaa, Lyndon (Neri & Hu, Shanghai), Hans Ulrich Obrist (Serpentine Galleries, London), Beatrice Galilee (The World Around, New York), Susanna Pettersson (Finnish Cultural Foundation), and Otto Lowe (The Factum Foundation). Join us, be part of Spirit of Paimio. More info and registration from link in the bio. #paimionparantola #paimiosanatorium #alvaraalto #ainoaalto #alvaraaltofoundation #aalto2museum #functionalism #modernism #design #architecture #visitpaimio #visitturku #spiritofpaimio


“At the core of Alvar and Aino Aalto’s design ethos lies a curiosity in our shared humanity. That human perspective permeates every aspect of the Sanatorium, down to the design of every door knob, the communal spaces, and the angle sunlight filters into your room. The Aaltos wanted to use architecture to bring nature and humanity closer to each other, and closer to ourselves. We continue their work at the Sanatorium by creating a place for regeneration for our times. A place to look for and find answers. A place for new kinds of wisdom to emerge, for strong ties and sharing our experiences and knowledge. We can’t say it any better than the Aaltos: this is a place for breathing, again.” Mirkku Kullberg, CEO of Paimio Sanatorium Foundation Pic: Ola Kolehmainen olakolehmainen #paimionparantola #paimiosanatorium #alvaraalto #ainoaalto #alvaraaltofoundation #aalto2museum #functionalism #modernism #design #architecture #visitpaimio #visitturku #spiritofpaimio

Few chairs of the 20th century are as universally popular or sought after as Alvar Aalto's Paimio lounge chair. Its pleasing grace, sinuous curves, and natural woods are an irresistible formula for what is now generally considered a classic in chair design. Like many of Alvar Aalto's furniture designs, this chair was conceived of for the Paimio sanatorium . This model was for its lecture hall. Anxious to provide seating that was as welcoming and comfortable as possible, Aalto decided against tubular-steel designs and opted for an all-wood construction. These armchairs, manufactured for sale by Otto Korhonen's firm and from 1935 by Artek, became among the most successful of Aalto's productions in the 1930s. The structural rationalism of separating support and supported was a fundamental principle of Modernist design. The delightful juxtaposition of coloured plywood seat and back and light birch frame has an organic quality to it, which invites one to sit down in the chair. By this time Aalto had mastered the possibilities of forming plywood in hot metal presses; the freeform curve of the seat and back is both an expression of the free will of the artist and a masterly deployment of the elasticity of the material. #paimionparantola #paimiosanatorium #alvaraalto #ainoaalto #alvaraaltofoundation #aalto2museum #functionalism #modernism #design #architecture #visitpaimio #visitturku #paimiochair

A platform for thinking, learning and doing The Sanatorium will be a place for breathing in a literal sense, giving those in search of new directions an opportunity to suspend the velocity- oriented pace of day-to-day production. But it will also be a place to rediscover and re-approach the fundamental cycles of nature. Paimio Sanatorium Foundation sees the future of the site as a unique and uniquely powerful instrument for the development of strategies and solutions on a societal scale. Its past may be associated with healing in a strictly medical sense, but today it presents equally valuable possibilities as a scale that transcends individual treatment and looks towards the relationship between individuals, communities, and societies. It is a place, in other words, where design itself could find a new vocation and a new calling in the world. Put differently, Foundation sees the Paimio Sanatorium not a passive site, but a place of active solution-seeking and solution-making. It will bring together thinkers and doers, makers, and visionaries to collaboratively build brave, unexpected ways to answer questions through radical, practice-based solutions. Foundation’s intention is for the Sanatorium to become known as a place that generates new and radical approaches to how we humans relate to the world and to each other. The Spirit of Paimio Conference in the 16th of October will be the first of ongoing installments of this intention. Pic: Ola Kolehmainen olakolehmainen #paimionparantola #paimiosanatorium #alvaraalto #ainoaalto #alvaraaltofoundation #aalto2museum #functionalism #modernism #design #architecture #visitpaimio #visitturku

The Architecture of Breathing In an age of sensorial, cognitive, and informational overload, Paimio Sanatorium’s role will be as much about filtering out as about compiling together, with the objective of rediscovering, through architecture, the fundamental rhythm of life. In the Aalto’s vision, the most fundamental existential practice was the act of breathing, and it was around this simple gesture, usually forgotten, that the entire site is organised - from the vast roof terraces all the way down to the single items of furniture. Paimio Sanatorium Foundation continues the Aaltos’ work at the Sanatorium by creating a place of regeneration for our times: a place to look for and find answers. A place for new kinds of wisdom to emerge, for strong ties and sharing our experiences and knowledge. To do this, we intend to start - as the Aaltos did - from the cardinal act of breathing. Come over to breath. We are open all September from Tuesday to Sunday. Detailed info of guided tours, exhibitions and overnight staying from the link in the bio. Pic: Ola Kolehmainen olakolehmainen #paimionparantola #paimiosanatorium #alvaraalto #ainoaalto #alvaraaltofoundation #aalto2museum #functionalism #modernism #design #architecture #visitpaimio #visitturku
Paimio Sanatorium
Designed by Aino and Alvar Aalto and constructed in 1933, the Paimio tuberculosis sanatorium, in its pine-forested complex, is one of the world's best-known examples of functionalist architecture. Today, the sanatorium serves as a business premises for companies, as well as an events venue and a place for the general public to visit. The building and its backstory can be explored via the guided tour and exhibition. The sanatorium also includes the high-quality Kanttiini Café.
paimiosanatorium.com