An appeal set up on the initiative of architects calls for the preservation of a key work of modern architecture – Paimio Sanatorium. Paimio Tuberculosis Sanatorium, designed by Alvar and Aino Aalto and built amid health-giving pine forest in 1929−1933, gained international fame immediately on its completion, when its advanced functionalist hospital architecture sparked interest around the globe.

The edifice, owned and previously used by the Hospital District of Southwest Finland, is now up for sale. The Pro Paimio Committee, formed by architects concerned about the building’s future and representatives of the Finnish Association of Architects (SAFA), is appealing for any future owner to commit to preserving the original architecture, interiors and furnishings in their entirety. It is hoped that a use will be found for the building that matches its status, and which respects Alvar and Aino Aalto´s unique concept for this masterpiece as an architectural Gesamtkunstwerk. The committee includes representatives of various bodies and the appeal is intended to be submitted to Minister for European Affairs, Culture and Sport Sampo Terho.

The Alvar Aalto Foundation hopes that the process will go forward in orderly fashion and is itself offering its expertise to support the project. An important tool here is the Foundation’s 2016 document: Paimio Sanatorium Conservation Management Plan (CMP).

Show your support for the conservation of Paimio Sanatorium by signing the appeal here: www.alvaraalto.fi/paimioappeal

Further information:
Alvar Aalto Foundation
Architect Jonas Malmberg
jonas.malmberg@alvaraalto.fi

SAFA, Finnish Association of Architects
Chairman, architect Henna Helander
henna.helander@hel.fi