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Jyväskylä Workers´ Club, designed by Alvar Aalto 1924-25. Photo: Martti Kapanen, Alvar Aalto Museum.

The 3rd Alvar Aalto Researchers Network Seminar – Why Aalto? is an international, academic seminar focusing on research on the work of the architect Alvar Aalto. The seminar will be held in Jyväskylä, Finland, 9–10 June 2017. It is being arranged by the Alvar Aalto Academy / Alvar Aalto Foundation in collaboration with the City of Jyväskylä.

The theme of the seminar – Why Aalto? – prompts us to ponder from a variety of perspectives what Alvar Aalto means for today’s architecture. “What are the themes and values in Aalto´s design that contemporary architecture can learn from and be inspired by, and how is his architecture linked to the present day?” asks Seminar Chair, Professor Markku Hedman. What are the special needs of the preservation or renovation of urban areas designed by Aalto? How are they to be adapted to meet the challenges of reuse, accessibility and new technical facilities? Are there new concepts that can augment Aalto’s values and theoretical thinking? What can we learn from specific areas of Aalto’s designs in today’s context, such as how they relate to sustainability and nature, or to the understanding of history and local traditions?

Invited lecturers of the seminar are David N. Fixler, FAIA, LEED AP and Architect Jenni Reuter. Session Moderators are Professor Olli-Paavo Koponen, Professor Anna-Maija Ylimaula and Professor Ari Hynynen.

David N. Fixler

David N. Fixler is an architect specializing in heritage conservation and adaptive re-use, with particular focus on modern properties, including the rehabilitation of Alvar Aalto’s Baker House (with Perry Dean Rogers and Partners, Architects), among others. Fixler plays a leadership role in a variety of global conservation organizations, including APT, where he is co-founder and former Chair of the Technical Committee on Modern Heritage, the Society of Architectural Historians, and Docomomo, where he has served internationally on the ISC for Registers, and as co-founder and current president of Docomomo-US/New England.

Jenni Reuter.

Jenni Reuter is the Associate Professor in Architectural Principles and Theory at Aalto University in Helsinki, Finland. She also works as a practising architect both in her own office and together with Saija Hollmén and Helena Sandman. The group started their collaboration in 1995 with the Women’s Centre project in Senegal and in 2007 they founded Ukumbi NGO. The mission of Ukumbi is to offer architectural services to communities in need. The group believes in innovations by investigation, where the landscape, sensitivity towards materials and site-specific interventions are the means for a new architecture.

Venue Jyväskylä Workers´ Club, Väinönkatu 7, FI-40100 Jyväskylä, Finland

3rd Alvar Aalto Researchers Network Seminar – Why Aalto?

 

In addition to the seminar, Alvar Aalto Academy is organising a workshop Säynätsalo Town Hall Workshop – Modern Masterpiece in Contemporary Society, which will be held in Säynätsalo, Jyväskylä on 7–8 June, 2017.

 

Additional information and enquiries:
Nina Heikkonen
Alvar Aalto Academy
nina.heikkonen@alvaraalto.fi
+358 (0)44 500 1257