According to the Finnish State’s proposed amendments to the budget of 2026, the State is to contribute 10 million euros to the total renovation of the Paimio Sanatorium in 2026–2029. The first installment of 1,5 million euros is included in the 2026 budget, for 2026 and the remainder will be divided across 2027–2030. The funding will be decided on by the Parliament when it approves the budget for 2026.

The funding means that the renovation of the Paimio Sanatorium can begin. Alongside the renovation, a comprehensive project aimed at making the sanatorium an internationally important site of cultural heritage and well-being sets the standard for combining the principles of built heritage with sustainable use.

“We at the Alvar Aalto Foundation are especially happy that the Paimio Sanatorium project has now reached a stage where the Paimio Sanatorium Foundation’s long-term plans are now becoming concrete actions. The Renovation of the Sanatorium and active use of its facilities are the best guarantee of the building’s future preservation,” says Tommi Lindh, CEO of the Alvar Aalto Foundation. 

In theplanning of the renovation and alteration works of Paimio Sanatorium, which was enlisted under the Building Protection Act in 1993, particular attention will be paid to building-protection regulations, the conservation management plan, and the guidelines laid down in the protection plan drawn up for the project. The renovation phase will be carried out in close cooperation with the Finnish Heritage Agency and the Alvar Aalto Foundation.

The conservation guidelines that have been identified so far do not exclude the possibility of the sanatorium’s future use. The future use of the building and any new functions will be kept as close as possible to the building’s original purpose, in accordance with the recommendations in the protection plan. Services focusing on well-being and accommodation have been identified as suitable future functions. “This is linked to Aino and Alvar Aalto’s original vision of the effects of architecture and the environment on people’s overall well-being. The Paimio Sanatorium is well equipped to serve as an example of the non-intrusive restoration of a protected site, combined with new functions,” says Lindh.

Paimio Sanatorium is one of the thirteen sites in the Aalto Works series, for which a proposal was submitted to the UNESCO World Heritage Committee in January 2025. A decision on the proposal is expected in the summer of 2026.

Paimio Sanatorium is the Aaltos’ breakthrough work, and it is important to respect its original vision

Built in 1929–1933, Paimio Sanatorium is a tuberculosis hospital designed by the architect couple Aino and Alvar Aalto, the focus being on its human users and the healing effects of architecture. It was built in accordance with the Aaltos’ vision, right down to the furniture, light fittings, and the minutest detail, and can be seen to be a uniquely well-preserved complete work of art. The design work generated several new architectural and technological innovations. Designed in accordance with the doctrines of 1930s functionalism, the building attracted international attention as soon as it was completed.

Alvar Aalto’s architect’s office designed a surgical wing for the Sanatorium’s main building in the late 1950s and, in the 1960s, staff residences were built nearby. The Sanatorium operated as a tuberculosis hospital until the 1960s, after which the building was gradually converted into a general hospital. Actual hospital functions ended in the mid-2010s.

To ensure the building’s future, the Finnish State, the town of Paimio, the City of Turku, and the Alvar Aalto Foundation set up the Paimio Sanatorium Foundation in 2020. In 2016, the Alvar Aalto Foundation drew up a conservation management plan for thePaimio Sanatorium, with funding from the Getty Foundation in the United States. In 2021, the Paimio Sanatorium opened to the public, with guided tours and various events, such as the annual international Spirit of Paimio seminar. The Paimio Sanatorium Foundation and the limited liability company that owns it, and which manages the Sanatorium’s properties, launched a separate development project in late 2022 to explore possible future uses of the building.

The purpose of the Paimio Sanatorium Foundation is to safeguard and preserve the architecture of the Paimio Sanatorium and to protect its culturally and historically valuable, intangible and material assets. At the same time, the Foundation’s key task has been to come up with a new, active uses for the properties.

Further information: 
Tommi Lindh, CEO, Aalto Foundation
+358 44 562 1625
tommi.lindh@alvaraalto.fi

Mirkku Kullberg, Chair
Board of Directors, Paimio Sanatorium Foundation, and Board of Directors, Alvar Aalto Foundation
+358 40 563 6636
mirkku.kullberg@paimiosanatorium.com

Paimio Sanatorium, roof terrace. Photo Gustaf Welin © Alvar Aalto Foundation.