The much anticipated second volume of the series of books about the restoration work on the Alvar Aalto Library in Vyborg will be released on Tuesday, 13 October 2015. In its presentation of the results of this extended renovation project Alvar Aalto Library in Vyborg – Saving a Modern Masterpiece, Part 2 takes us right up to the present.

The twenty-year labour of restoring the Alvar Aalto Library in Vyborg was completed in 2013. The book series Alvar Aalto Library in Vyborg – Saving a Modern Masterpiece, published by Rakennustieto Oy, shows how this restoration project transcending national borders has advanced step by step, resurrecting the Alvar Aalto-designed masterpiece from 1935.

The second part of the series now being published takes a detailed look at the final years of the project, 2010–2013, during which the repair work focused, for instance, on the lecture hall, the lending and reading halls, the children’s library, the main entrance and lobby, and the book storage facilities.

The second part of this visually magnificent series consists of photographs, drawings, and articles by experts. The language is English.

The volume has been edited by the architects Eric Adlercreutz, Maija Kairamo and Tapani Mustonen.

“The book is a report on this extended, exemplary renovation project. An enormous amount of material has been accumulated, and bringing it all together has resulted in a two-part work. A thorough report should be drafted on the restoration of all important buildings, so that a record is kept of the details of what has been done and when. Such a report would also be an essential source of information for maintaining the building and for subsequent repairs,” says Maija Kairamo.

The Finnish Committee for the Restoration of Viipuri Library has planned, run and supervised the project right from the start. Since its completion, the renovation project has received several major recognitions, such as the 2014 World Monuments Fund/Knoll Modernism Prize and the 2015 Europa Nostra Award.

Further details:
Secretary General Maija Kairamo
Finnish Committee for the Restoration of Viipuri Library
vyborg(a)alvaraalto.fi

To find out more about the book here.