(2) Aalto's approach to architecture makes his work unique. He realized that architecture is inherently an instrument of communication, and therefore he relied on built elements themselves, rather than symbolic or literal devices, to accomplish his objectives. The relationships and attitudes about harmony and unity that Aalto wanted to convey exist through the architecture, and therefore create a compelling building with an undeniable message.^Ref.1

(3) The development of an architecture that was truly comprehensive and responsive, as well as one that could communicate meaningfully with its users, was not pioneered by Aalto. Architects in Finland had been concerned throughout its history with producing buildings that could mediate between art and nature. Faced with new challenges brought about by industrialization, Aalto respected his predecessors (especially Eliel Saarinen) for the steps they had taken in the integration of technology with indigenous Finnish styles. He felt that their work existed as an important transition between traditional architecture and new architecture.

"Eliel Saarinen was helpful in eliminating some of the architectural illiteracy and inferiority complexes in a country, which because of its isolation...has been and still is removed from the cultural centers of the Western world."^Ref.2

(4) While not forsaking the intentions of his predecessors, who had been responsible for establishing a national architecture for Finland ten years before, Aalto chose to abandon the neoclassical style they had used. He felt it to be overwhelming in nature and unresponsive to the autonomous, informal traditions of Finnish architecture. He proposed instead an architecture that abandoned narrative and instead involved a confrontation of attributes, ideas and principles perceivable through sensory experience.^Ref.3

(5) The new offices and plant for the Turun Sanomat were commissioned by its editor, Arvo Ketonen, in January 1928 to reflect the status of the paper as a state-of-the-art and thoroughly modern publication that could rival its contemporaries. The building housed a dual-purpose program comprised of commercial shops located on the ground floor and the newspaper's own facilities. The latter consisted of spaces for editorial, advertising, and journalist's offices, as well as a pressroom and a hotel floor to be used by visitors. Aalto took advantage of the fact that the building was to be an example of innovation to utilize new materials, building techniques and concepts of space as well as to unite a series of influences which he had encountered in his travels to create a unique building with its own, expressive style. Because this commission coincided with the tenth anniversary of Finland's independence as well as with the rebuilding of Turku (which had been destroyed by fire) as an international port city, the Sanomat building had the power to set the image of Finland's future. The building that would house the city's largest newspaper had significance as both a symbol of progress and an icon of national identity.^Ref.4

(6) The resulting open system of design allowed the new materials, building techniques, and concepts of space with which Aalto was working to create a style that emerged through their properties, rather than being the result of an aesthetic imposed upon them. Space was created by the objects in it, which counterbalanced each other through an additive linking of the independent forms. This heterotropic connection of spaces was organized through an infrastructure of connecting circulatory and visual elements which, through their transitory nature, became gathering points.^Ref.5

(7) Characterized by its intuitive gestures, the Turun Sanomat distinguishes itself by abandoning rigid formal principles like modules or geometric proportion. Aalto's greatest talent was his ability to understand and incorporate many influences to create a living, vital expression. He used stylistic metaphors based on discourse to express precedents, not imitations of the architectural language. Successful assimilation with his own values resulted in buildings truly responsive both physically and emotionally.^Ref.6

(8) The Turun Sanomat served to crystallize Aalto's beliefs and became a major stepping stone to his later work. In designing it, Aalto considered the human element not only by meeting use requirements but also by addressing emotional issues. He allowed the building to exist as a comprehensive environment for work and interaction. Aalto employed his theories concerning responsiveness and functionality as a formal aesthetic for merging the many individual and disparate components of the Sanomat into a harmonious whole. Architecture thus became an analogy to the activities of the building's users that was then able to have political and social implications.^Ref.7

(9) A monument not through grandeur but through the ability to become ingrained upon and enrich the life of the city, the Turun Sanomat illustrates Aalto's beliefs that form should be dependent upon the properties of use and independent of construction.

(10) The influence of Italian architecture on these beliefs is apparent. Although an interest in Renaissance styles had arisen throughout Scandinavia in the 1920s as a refreshing alternative to neoclassicism, Aalto was touched far more than formalistically by Italian design. He would be fascinated throughout his career by the sensibilities of this organic, comprehensive view of life and the Italian understanding between nature and civilization, to create buildings adapted to their urban or rural whole.^{Ref. 8}

(11) The idea of Architettura Minora intrigued Aalto as a more appropriate means to evoke a united culture than the monumentality of national romanticism because it involved permeating the whole environment from simple utility articles to city plans. Juxtaposing disparate elements and connecting them through circulation and infrastructure, a skill which he gleaned from studying piazzas and town squares, is evidenced by the empty spaces and gaps that circumscribe every major suite of spaces in the Sanomat, giving each piece autonomy. The interweaving within the building of different tasks allows people to work together spontaneously and encourages their work to merge through visual linkage. The offices and work areas which overhang the pressroom, the open office space of the advertising department and the numerous stairways which provide vertical connection of the various departments; are all examples of interactive space. Balconies on the upper floors as well as the roof terrace create places for all workers to gather and mingle while enjoying the outside.^Ref.9

(12) Turku's proximity to Sweden gave Aalto exposure to the newly emerging Modern movement and the innovations in construction techniques and detailing it made popular like concrete construction with a concrete column skeleton and horizontal strip windows, both of which were used for the first time in Finland in the Sanomat. Aalto did not blindly embrace this newly emerging style, but instead incorporated his own values and superimposed upon it his own sensibilities.

(13) Details like the ventilation panels which punctuate the window strips at regular intervals, and the lens roof-light skylights which he pioneered in this building, show his preoccupation with building performance. The expressiveness and flexibility of concrete illustrates the structural innovations he had incorporated into the building in areas like the pressroom columns, which, although massive and numerous enough to handle the eccentric dead loads and future loads from the machinery above, are tapered to illustrate the loads they carry. Aalto considered standardization to be a means of diversity, not uniformity. He employed it to create neutral, easily adaptable spaces that accommodate the variability so essential for effective and lasting interaction with the environment.^Ref.10

(14) Aalto believed that architecture should offer a means of supporting the organic connection between man and nature.

"Architecture is not a box for accommodating functions, but a living organism, a life force to be experienced and enjoyed in the variety of stimuli which it has to offer."^Ref.11

(15) Standardization plays a role in developing not only the components and details of a building, but also its topology. However, standardization does not necessarily mandate uniformity or monotony. Aalto avoided the geometrical austerity and homogeneity of LeCorbusier or Mies van der Rohe, and instead used standardized elements to establish continuity and clearly express the intention behind a design. Unlike his European contemporaries, Aalto believed in celebrating irregularities as enrichments, not blanketing them with an ubiquitous grid. These non-universal gestures directly oppose the International style by supporting nationalism and positing the architectural object as a unique creation, instead of a commodity composed of interchangeable pieces.^Ref.12

(16) However, Aalto did not draw only from modern images in the design of the Sanomat. From late nineteenth-century Helsinki apartment blocks came the projecting, cylindrical stair tower located in the parking court. The corner window details were influenced by the work of Jan Duiker of the Netherlands. Russian Constructivism's attitude about media and advertising inspired the double-height window onto which the daily news was to be projected, addressing viewers and engaging them into the design. Aalto also incorporated many traditionally Finnish elements into the Sanomat Building, such as the skylights to bring as much natural light to as many parts of the building as possible, the courtyard, the coved wooden stair treads, and the essentially classical massing of the building.^Ref.13

(17) The multi-use building, therefore, became a nationalistic statement about the country as a whole being able to work together, while still respecting the autonomy of the individual. Because the Turun Sanomat is composed of independent chunks, the relationship between them became important as a means of establishing coherence. Aalto actually creates a series of "exterior interiors" to draw each separate part of the building into a cohesive whole. These interior landscapes are the spaces defined by enclosed, task-oriented spaces. They serve orientation and circulation purposes, yet evoke the quality of being outside, the space between spaces. Further dematerialized through the use of color, light, texture, and detail, they evoke the feeling of being within a large, open space in which objects are "floating."^Ref.14

(18) The vestibule and entry-stair area is an example of such a space. Passing through it essentially means crossing the threshold between one exterior and another. The reversed type of the signage can be seen through the display glass, evoking the feeling that the building is perhaps only an illusion, and the facade a stage set. An undefinable, aspatial quality is achieved by enclosing the main stair with shiny walls that extend the plane of the treads beyond them, making the wall's presence disintegrate and emphasizing the stair as a form. Risers are the same color as the walls and the stair rail is detailed minimally to further punctuate this condition. The exposed conduits on the lighting details further dematerialize the space by appearing to float within it.

(19) The main stair culminates in a large reception area on the second floor. Switchback stairs take over the vertical ascent, opening onto a large gathering area at each floor. These spaces, which are surrounded by suites of offices, contain windows that overlook the newsroom, advertising offices and outside onto the street or parking court. Multi-height, sculptural, and skylit, the switchback stair allows natural light to stream into each landing area, illuminating the building from within.

(20) This chain of stairways and landings is the public route through a building which is connected more vertically than horizontally by a series of sequences that interrelate the various work areas. Divided roughly in half from front to back, the Turun Sanomat fosters interesting interdepartmental relationships, as the floors cannot be traversed horizontally. Even the editing floor is divided; one must actually go outside onto the roof terrace to get from one part to another. Aalto intended to foster more association between the different departments by forcing workers to pass through each other's areas, and to look, inquire, and therefore interact. Since newspapers exist as a means of communication, he wanted the building which housed the newspaper to embody communication through the way it would be used.^Ref.15

(21) The idea of communication through socialization appears in the design of other spaces as well. A platform wraps around the pressroom offices, joining them to the advertising offices and to the pressroom itself through stairs. A loading ramp which connects to the parking court, the pressroom, and the basements of the shops can also be accessed from this platform. This ramp serves to link the activities of the pressroom with the two departments producing the actual material to be printed. Although it is located in the basement, the printing room is one of Aalto's best examples of an interior landscape. It features a double row of columns through which light from the conical roof skylights streams, alluding to the awe and wonderment evoked by sunlight streaming through trees in a forest. The columns subdivide the space, producing a cathedral to technology and the machine.^Ref.16

(22) The anticipated importance of the automobile is manifested by an opening in the right corner of the building which leads to the parking court in the rear and helps to balance the facade and engage the window in a solid/void relationship. The parking court creates an exterior room for cars, a piazza for machines to gather, but also a place for their owners to interact non- heirarchically.^Ref.17

(23) The concept of people simultaneously as independent beings and part of a group is extended to the public realm through the facade, which invites an interactive relationship to occur between the inhabitants of the building and passersby. The street elevation of the Turun Sanomat is simply organized and affords many places to stop, look, gather, and interact. Display kiosks for the shopfronts break up the blocklike character of the building and carry out the rhythm of ground floor columns and monolithic upper floors established by the primarily neoclassical streetscape.

(24) Juxtapositions of facade elements provide cues as to how to relate to the building. The alignment of the window vents with the kiosks ties the newspaper's activity to that of the shops below. The rhythm of these kiosks culminates at the large window, the importance of which is signaled by its double height display of the news. This large, off-center element anchors that corner of the building, creating a natural point at which to pause. The three horizontal bands of windows of the upper floors make a pattern which also highlights its prominence. The platform underneath the large window, which extends to the entry door, emphasizes the inside/outside connection and invites the viewer to participate in in the display not only passively by reading, but by actively entering the building.^Ref.18

(25) The huge glass openings of the news display, newspaper entrance, and shops allow those on the street to participate visually in the work taking place. Pedestrian street traffic flows around the display kiosks and breaks off to enter a shop or the newspaper offices, reads the latest headlines, and in the process exchanges words. Perhaps a journalist, editor or shopkeeper will be part of this interaction, adding his or her unique input to the street activity. Signage is integrated into these glass pieces, so that advertisement can occur without disrupting visual interaction. Architecture therefore communicates by addressing the people who live, move and work in and around it.^Ref.19

(26) To underscore the communication theme, Aalto draws upon the idea of advertisement. In order to be successful, advertising must tap a commonly held understanding of the world culture. By using a device such as advertising in the Turun Sanomat, Aalto was able to call upon established ties of commonality to close the circuit on his statement of architecture as a unifier. The building evokes identity therefore on all levels, formalistically in terms of use, and conceptually as a statement or comment on culture.^Ref.20

(27) By placing visual cues on both the interior and exterior of the building, Aalto is able to evoke images that can be understood by anyone who encounters the Sanomat. The first is an industrial motif, which conveys the understanding that news is manufactured. At the time of the building's construction, the industrial culture was seen as a key to Finland's future development. Making technology an important image in the building signified its importance to a newly emerging country which wanted to be identified as progressive, not as a primitive or folkloric nation.

(28) Details like the railings on the roof terrace, the smooth interior and exterior finishes devoid of ornament, and the lighting design are utilitarian in their appearance and strongly identify with fixtures and detailings found in factories. The rows of columns and machinery in the press room recall an assembly line, suggesting that news is a commodity which is manufactured. The Sanomat building therefore becomes analogous to industry itself. Connection to industry meant connection to the cellulose plants, Finland's primary export, thereby recalling Finland's role in world economics. Aalto is careful to tie the industrial motifs he uses into the social commentary he is making because although he felt that technology and mechanization offer a way of furthering human equality, he often cautioned that if technology is not integrated sensibly with the rest of cultural life, it can lead to tyranny and destruction.^Ref.21

(29) Aalto alluded to the internal and external participation in newsmaking as a means of making technology serve, not conquer, man. Society is not only the source and subject matter for the news but must influence what is considered news by what it is willing to consume. Therefore, the political and social climate must be tapped by a newspaper in such a way as to arouse interest if it is to be successful.

(30) A kind of interactive processing of reality is symbolized by the large window which serves as both billboard and signage and further emphasizes the flow of information into and out of the building. Making the news therefore becomes a physical task, as well as an ideological one. Aalto uses the notion of news as a tangible entity which can be acted upon to symbolize the interactive unity that he felt was Finland's strength as a nation. He felt that architecture should communicate as effectively as literature, for text as image overshadows its existence as words. By subverting what is literally interpreted as language, Aalto enables the language of the architecture itself to be apparent. In this icon to progress and the future that the Turun Sanomat was, he makes a statement that has international repercussions about the strength, history, and future direction of Finland.

(31) By actually creating an architecture of stage sets that focused on the interaction of people and activities, Aalto put the users of the Turun Sanomat building on display. He thus aestheticized reality by setting up relationships between viewing and being viewed, objectivity and subjectivity. The building becomes its own advertisement.

(32) In his drawings for the Turun Sanomat, Aalto emphasizes this quality in a night perspective showing a common man pausing before the illuminated window to read the latest headlines. Dissemination of knowledge to all is a signifier of the holistic attitude that is evidenced in every aspect of this project from its conceptual basis to the physical planning of the spaces themselves.

(33) Aalto wholeheartedly embraced the industrial age, but he always maintained that technology should be used humanistically to enrich rather than to invalidate life. He was aware of the ever present danger of sacrificing culture for technology and thereby losing the meaning of existence. He therefore used his vision and imagination to focus on combining carefully designed details extracted from life and culture to form a harmonious whole through the organic fit of scale and proportion. Without this kind of harmony, buildings have no spirit, because they are incapable of touching us.

"...Architecture -- the real can only be found where tiny man sits at its center. His tragedy and his comedy -- both."^Ref.22

Ref.1: Alvar Aalto, Synopsis: Painting, Architecture, Sculpture. 2nd ed., Basel: Birkhauser Verlag, 1980, pp. 33, 34.

Ref.2: Albert Christ-Janer, Eliel Saarinen: Finnish-American Architect and Educator, with a foreword by Alvar Aalto. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1979, p. 2.

Ref.3: Goran Schildt, "Alvar Aalto and the Classical Tradition," Classical Tradition and the Modern Movement, edited by Asko Salokorpi. Helsinki: Museum of Finnish Architecture, 1985, p. 110; Albert Christ-Janer, Eliel Saarinen, pp. xii, xiv.

Ref.4: Alvar Aalto, Sketches, edited by Goran Schildt. Cambridge, MA: MIT Press, 1978, pp. 19-27.

Ref.5: Demetri Porphyrios, Sources of Modern Eclecticism: Studies on Alvar Aalto. New York: St. Martin's Press, 1982, p. 2.

Ref.6: Ibid., p. 46.

Ref.7: Aalto, Synopsis, p. 58; Schildt, "Alvar Aalto and the Classical Tradition," pp. 110, 114, 118.

Ref.8: Schildt, "Alvar Aalto and the Classical Tradition," p. 110.

Ref.9: Porphyrios, Sources, pp. 3, 18.

Ref.10: Malcolm Quantrill, Alvar Aalto: A Critical Study. New York: Schocken Books, 1983, p. 55; Paul David Pearson, Alvar Aalto and the International Style. New York: Whitney Library of Design, 1989, pp. 78-81.

Ref.11: Quantrill, Alvar Aalto, p. 57.

Ref.12: Porphyrios, "Modern Classicism," Classical Tradition and the Modern Movement, edited by Asko Salokorpi. Helsinki: Museum of Finnish Architecture, 1985, pp. 1, 18.

Ref.13: Quantrill, Alvar Aalto, pp. 30, 57.

Ref.14: Schildt, "Alvar Aalto and the Classical Tradition," pp. 127-129.

Ref.15: Ibid., pp. 130, 132.

Ref.16: Pearson, Alvar Aalto, p. 78.

Ref.17: Ibid., p. 76.

Ref.18: Quantrill, p. 30.

Ref.19: Porphyrios, Sources, pp. 191, 199

Ref.20: Aarno Ruusuvuori ed., Alvar Aalto, 1898-1976. Helsinki: Museum of Finnish Architecture, 1981, p. 39.

Ref.21: Ibid., p. 88.

Ref.22: Alvar Aalto, "Artikkelin Asemasta," Arkkitehti (1958, no. 1-2), pp. 27-28.

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