The new Finnish architecture

Scott Poole

The New Finnish Architecture is a rich, detailed, and long-overdue examination of Finland's vital contributions to twentieth-century modern architecture over the last four decades. Home to Alvar Aalto, one of the greatest masters of the modern movement, Finland has nurtured many dedicated and innovative architects who continue to wrestle with the lessons of modernism and the legacy of Aalto. This volume presents the work of thirteen individual architects and firms and their engaging and provocative designs. Among them are Arkkitehdit KY, Juhani Pallasmaa, Arto Sipinen, Heikkinen/Komonen, ARRAK, and MONARK, the student collective that won the national competition for the Finnish pavilion at the 1992 World's Fair in Seville. Each architect or firm is presented individually in well-illustrated chapters. Two essays by author Scott Poole give a historical overview of modern architecture in Finland, the work of Aalto, and the work of the rationalist school that followed him in the 1950s--including Aulis Blomstedt, Aarno Ruusuvuori, and Juhani Pallasmaa, among others. The New Finnish Architecture continues Rizzoli's series on current international developments in architecture, following The New French Architecture and The New Japanese Architecture. Forthcoming volumes will feature Germany, Spain, Italy, Mexico, and Austria.