Scandinavian Modernism Study Notes

Scandinavian Modernism

Woodland Cemetery

  • Architect: Erik Gunnar Asplund

  • Location: Stockholm, Sweden

  • Construction Period: 1917-1920

  • Style: Nordic Classicism

Stockholm City Library

  • Architect: Gunnar Asplund

  • Location: Stockholm, Sweden

  • Construction Period: 1922-1928

Finnish Architecture

Finnish Pavilion, 1900 Paris World's Fair

  • Architects: Herman Gesellius, Armas Lindgren, Eliel Saarinen

  • Design Firm: Arkkitehtuuritoimisto L. Henrikinkatu 16.

  • Contact: Telef. 2319

Hvitträsk

  • Architects: Gesellius, Lindgren & Saarinen

  • Location: Near Helsinki

  • Construction Year: 1902

Eliel Saarinen and Family Dynamics

  • Characters: Eliel Saarinen, Mathilda Saarinen, Herman Gesellius, Loja Gesellius

  • Imaginary Dialogue:

    • G: Dude, your sister’s hot!

    • S: Whoa, bro! You’re married!

    • G: So. I know what I like….

    • S: But Loja would be so pissed….

    • G: What’s it to you?

    • S: Well, kinda….

    • G: How about this. I’ll give you Loja if I can have Mathilda.

    • S: Sweet! It’s a deal!

Helsinki Central Railroad Station

  • Architects: Gesellius, Lindgren & Saarinen

  • Location: Helsinki, Finland

  • Construction Period: 1904-1909

Cranbrook Academy of Art

  • Architect: Eliel Saarinen

  • Location: Bloomfield Hills, Michigan

  • Construction Period: 1938-1942

  • Notable Designers Associated: Harry Bertoia(?), Charles Eames, Florence Knoll, Eero Saarinen

Saarinen House, Cranbrook Academy

  • Architect: Eliel Saarinen

  • Location: Bloomfield Hills, Michigan

  • Construction Period: 1928-1930

First Christian Church

  • Architect: Eliel Saarinen

  • Location: Columbus, Indiana

  • Construction Period: 1940-1942

Eero Saarinen Overview

  • Biography:

    • Born: 1910

    • Died: 1961

    • Education: Trained by his father, Eliel Saarinen; sculptural training in Paris; architectural studies at Yale University.

    • Career:

    • Returned to Cranbrook Academy to teach and gained notoriety for furniture design, including the “Womb Chair” and the “Tulip Chair.”

    • Established own firm post Eliel’s death, famous for work in the 1950s.

    • Received AIA Gold Medal which he could not accept due to his early death from a brain tumor.

Major Works of Eero Saarinen

Jefferson National Expansion Memorial

  • Location: St. Louis, Missouri

  • Construction Period: 1947-1968

General Motors Tech Center

  • Architects: Eliel & Eero Saarinen with Smith, Hinchman & Grylls

  • Location: Warren, Michigan

  • Construction Period: 1948-1956

John Deere Headquarters

  • Location: Moline, Illinois

  • Construction Period: 1957-1963

Kresge Chapel, MIT

  • Architect: Eero Saarinen

  • Location: Cambridge, Massachusetts

  • Construction Period: 1950-1955

Irwin J. Miller Residence

  • Architect: Eero Saarinen

  • Location: Columbus, Indiana

  • Construction Period: 1953-1957

  • Key Rooms:

    • Master Bedroom

    • Living Room

    • Dining Room

    • Kitchen

David S. Ingalls Hockey Arena

  • Architect: Eero Saarinen

  • Location: New Haven, Connecticut

  • Construction Period: 1953-1959

TWA Terminal, JFK Airport

  • Architect: Eero Saarinen

  • Location: New York City

  • Construction Period: 1956-1962

Dulles Airport

  • Architect: Eero Saarinen

  • Location: Chantilly, Virginia

  • Construction Period: 1958-1962

Alvar Aalto

  • Aalto is recognized as one of the five masters of the Modern Movement, alongside Wright, Gropius, Le Corbusier, and Mies van der Rohe.

  • Education: Graduated from the Helsinki University of Technology in 1921.

  • Early Work: Initially practiced in Nordic Classical mode; transitioned toward Modern Architecture.

  • Breakthrough Work: Viipuri Library

    • Location: Vyborg, Russia

    • Construction Period: 1927-1935

Villa Mairea

  • Architect: Alvar Aalto

  • Location: Noormarkku, Finland

  • Construction Period: 1937-1939

Finnish Pavilion

  • Architect: Alvar Aalto

  • Location: New York, New York

  • Construction Year: 1939

Säynätsalo Town Hall

  • Architect: Alvar Aalto

  • Location: Säynätsalo, Finland

  • Construction Period: 1949-1951

Vuoksenniska Church

  • Architect: Alvar Aalto

  • Location: Imatra, Finland

  • Construction Period: 1956-1958

Baker House

  • Architect: Alvar Aalto

  • Location: Cambridge, Massachusetts

  • Construction Period: 1946-1948

Mount Angel Abbey Library

  • Architect: Alvar Aalto

  • Location: Mount Angel, Oregon

  • Construction Period: 1966-1970