February 3 is Alvar Aalto’s Birthday and Architecture Day. In 2018, the Alvar Aalto Museum and Foundation will be celebrating the start of Aalto’s 120^th birthday year in two cities, Jyväskylä and Helsinki.

In Jyväskylä Alvar Aalto’s birthday will be celebrated in the traditional manner, with cake and coffee, in the Museum that bears his name. In the afternoon, the doors will be opened to a building that Aalto designed in the 1920s, Jyväskylä Worker´s Club, where, at 2-4 pm, we will hear a lecture – Alvar Aalto ja Jyväskylän kaupunkikuva – arranged by the Alvar Aalto Society and given by Jussi Jäppinen, PhD. The celebrations will then continue at the Museum, where we will enjoy musical performances and view two exhibitions of Aalto’s production: Alvar Aalto. Architect and The Florence of the North. Alvar Aalto’s Architecture in Jyväskylä. Entry to the Worker´s Club event and the Museum is free on Alvar Aalto’s Birthday.

In Helsinki on Architecture Day we will meet at Aalto’s 1950s edifice, The Social Insurance Institution of Finland, where we will consider: What resources does architecture have for constructing happiness and well-being? During the day, we will hear speeches about the future of the school building and of colours in the urban environment, view the building’s architecture on a variety of theme tours, enjoy brunch, and bring all those themes together in a discussion. The separate programme for children means you can come and spend Architecture Day with your whole family. The programme is in Finnish language.

The event will be organised by the Alvar Aalto Foundation, Architecture Information Centre Finland, Museum of Finnish Architecture and SAFA Finnish Association of Architects.

For more information:
Alvar Aalto Foundation
Communications Mirkka Vidgrén
mirkka.vidgren@alvaraalto.fi
tel +358 40 168 5142

www.alvaraalto.fi