The importance of villas in Finnish architecture

 

 

Concepts of the countryside, wilderness, and the city are always parts of the national environmental ideology and help to build the national identities and nations as a whole. ^[1] In Finland, rural landscapes, and especially a summertime view of the patchwork of forests and lakes are almost self-evident characteristics. Moreover, the northern way of life is strongly tied to nature and the changing seasons of the year. The short and intensive Scandinavian summer allows people to be more unencumbered than usual. For Finns, the ideal way of spending these months is at one’s own cottage and sauna amidst nature, by the shore of a lake.^[2] Finland is Europe’s most forested country, about 70% of the land is covered with trees, also Finland is reputed to be the Land of a Thousand Lakes, but in fact, the country has tens of thousands of lakes, most of these are small and shallow.^[3]

Finn’s mentality and self-understanding have until recent years been strongly bound to nature, the countryside, and agrarian values.^[1] The summer villas that Finnish architects have designed for themselves over the course of the centuries are rooted in the same basic traditions of the Finnish lifestyle. As Alvar Aalto once said, a home must not be a design exhibition, even when imperfect it should primarily be a safe haven where one can relax and live in accordance with nature.^[2]

 

 
For some 150 years, summer villas have been an important part of the Finnish lifestyle and for a few months of the year, they provide their users with the experience of living near nature. For today’s Villa culture, even if its philosophy has some roots in Persian, Greek and Roman villas, the countryside manors of the European gentry and the old Finnish tradition of a seasonal change of dwelling, the first important definition was the way nature and culture were opposed to each other during the emergence of the bourgeoisie culture between the late 19th century and the beginning of the 20th century.[1] During the early period of the Villa culture, the whole family would move to the countryside during the summer months to live, sometimes even to the land. in the 19th century, summer residences were an upper-class pastime.

 

The tradition of the summer villas has often included a return to experiencing the pioneer spirit,

many architects who design their own villas or cottage view these buildings not only as a summer residence but as testing grounds for new ideas or the

crystallization of concepts and theories. 

 

 

 

There is only

one thing that

I do not regret

as an architect,

and that is

MY VILLA. ^{– Lars Soncak}

 

 

The era’s tendency toward romanticism and yearning for a different time or place, or a different culture, found its expression in Italian-influenced villas or Swiss hunting chalets.^[4]

The second step in Villa culture happened during the era of National Romanticism in Finland. It was then that the Finnish-speaking identity was associated with woods and forest-covered areas, and when villa construction adopted some of the “Finnish” features that it still retains today.^[1]

The tradition of the summer villas has often included a return to experiencing the pioneer spirit, many architects who design their own villas or cottage view these buildings not only as a summer residence but as testing grounds for new ideas or the crystallization of concepts and theories. Without the limitation or budget imposed by an outside client, architects can realize their own ideals and objectives. In their summer villas, minimalist habitation and the relationship with nature are recurrent themes but contemporary design projects also leave their mark, and summer houses are sometimes prototypes for the architects’ larger projects or reminiscent of earlier work. The summer villas thus can be regarded as experimental houses that provide the opportunity for the architects to study a technical or functional aspect in concrete terms or to develop spatial ideas. The summer villa is important for its designer, and many architects regard it as their most significant work. Lars Sonck once said: “There is only one thing that I do not regret as an architect, and that is my villa.”^[2]

 

 

Lars Sonck (1870-1954) was one of the most influential architects in Finland at the end of the nineteenth and beginning of the twentieth century. His generation made the new international architecture of the time an integral part of the Finnish culture and environment. Sonck designed Villa Silla as a summer residence in Kiljava, in south Finland. The character of Lasses Villa, especially its decoratively carved details, is a reflection of motifs derived from the traditional Karelian farmhouse.^[2]

The villas by Lars Sonck, particularly those designed around the turn of the century, combined elements of Karelian farmhouse with features of Swiss and Norwegian wood architecture, which were all characterized by their impressive forms as well as ornamental details. Sonck skillfully developed the character of his buildings from the landscape in a monumental yet nuanced expression. He designed numerous log houses at the end of the nineteenth and beginning of the twentieth century (the last one in the 1940s), for which his own summer residence, Lasses Villa (1895), served as a prototype.^[2]

Eliel Saarinen, the father of Eero Saarinen, was a Finnish-American architect known for his work with art nouveau buildings in the early years of the 20th century. Saarinen designed Villa Pulkanranta for his parents, Juho and Selma Saarinen, as a summer residence in Mantyharju, in south Finland. Saarinen brought together both national and international features in the design of Pulkanranta. The materials and colors, such as the red-painted log walls, are reminiscent of traditional Finnish farmhouses. International elements are manifest in the small windowpanes, influenced by the English arts and crafts movement, and the Egyptian-style doorframes. ^[2]

 

Many summer homes of the early twentieth century and, perhaps surprisingly of the 1950s and 1960s look back to classical and vernacular examples. The courtyard, for instance, is an archetypal spatial element that has been popular in summer villas. In keeping with the spirit of the times, there was also a “return” to log construction at the beginning of the century, which lies at the core of the Finnish building heritage. Logs later became established as a popular material for summer cottages. Courtyard villas have appeared in different forms throughout the twentieth century. Villa Oivala (1924) by Oiva Kallio, Alvar Aalto’s experimental house at Muuratsalo (1952-54), and Villa Sara (1994) by Pekka Pitkanen present variations of this theme. Drawing both on the classic Mediterranean courtyard and the closed yard of the traditional Finnish farmhouse, Villa Oivala is a fine example of how influences were combined.^[2] The heart of Villa Oivala is a sheltered atrium yard around which all the rooms are gathered, yet on which they turn their back. The varied orientation of rooms is indeed an important part of the atmosphere in a Finnish summer house. People spend different times of the day in different rooms, enjoying the change of light. ^[2]

The Villa Mairea built by Alvar Aalto in 1939 is a significant dwelling that marks a transition from traditional to modern architecture. Aalto was given permission to experiment with his thoughts and styles, which becomes clear when studying the strangely cohesive residence.  Aalto would instead look to folk and Japanese traditions, cubist art of the period, and even classicism in his housing and especially in his masterpiece, the Villa Mairea. Although this represents a very unique work, with a high budget and exceptionally open-minded client, it still has been widely influential in Finnish housing design and will continue to be.^[2]

Important Villas in Finnish Villas culture in the late nineteenth century until the 1950s:

- Lasses Villa, 1895 Lars Sonck

- Villa Pulkanranta, 1900–1901 Eliel Saarinen

- Villa Oivala, 1924 Oiva Kallio

- Villa Flora, 1926 Aino Aalto

- Villa Huttunen, 1937–38 Erkki Huttunen

- The Blue House (La Maison Bleue), 1938–39 J. S. Sirén

- Villa Silla, 1947 Kaj Englund

 

 

^{The summer villas can be regarded as experimental houses that provide the opportunity for architects to study a technical or functional aspect in concrete terms or to develop spatial ideas.}

 

The third step of Finnish Villas culture is the development of functionalism in the 20th century.^[1] Architects started investigating the concept of the minimum dwelling before world war l, and related research benefited both worker residences and houses for leisure use. During the pioneering stages of modern architecture, the minimum dwelling becomes a central theme. It was also one that Kaj Englund explicitly studied in his summer home, Villa Silla (1947). Englund made his career as a residential architect, and one of his particular interests was the single-family house. Villa Silla crystallizes in a single space the study of the importance of place even in a small house. ^[2]

Another important architect who experienced a variety of possibilities and ideas through the design of summer houses is Alvar Aalto. Aalto adapted his sources of inspiration throughout his career. He experimented with interspersed interior and exterior spaces, interlocking rooms, and variations of enclosure in different contexts and scales. In the Muuratsalo house, he adapted classical themes and created cultural references. Aalto combined technology and artistic expression in the brick collage of the courtyard of his Muuratsalo Experimental House while the steel frame of Pirkko and Arvallonen’s cottage represents the interest of the 1960s in experimenting with and developing quickly assembled structural solutions using manufactured parts.^[2] The courtyard and the open fireplace at its center form the focal point of the Muuratsalo Experimental House. From here a view framed by the courtyard wall opens up toward the expanse of the lake. The evening sun enters the yard through the louvers on the west wall, warming the space. The brick courtyard of the main house is a good example of the multi-layered weave of possibilities in Aalto’s works. Writing about the blend of experimentation and playfulness, Aalto described the Experimental House as “being made for the architect’s own amusement and play. But it is also made for serious experiments, mainly for problems that the architect cannot resolve in ordinary building tasks.” ^[2]

 

 

Summer houses are often situated to capture views and to make the most of the warm, sunny days. On the other hand, the capricious weather of the short Finnish summer also leads to the desire to shut nature out of the building and to take shelter from wind, rain, and storms. Enclosed courtyards or the siting of buildings to shield against the wind are an excellent solution. At villa Oivala, the Muuratsalo Experimental House and villa Sara the courtyards provide the first warm spaces in early summer and are the last places to capture the autumn sun. ^[2]

In some villas, structural details are the leading idea behind the design. The plywood walls and steel supports of Mikko Pulkkinen’s cabin (1967) are a bold experiment in the severe climatic conditions of the Finnish archipelago. With its steel structure and vibrant colors, the Pulkkinen Cabin stands in contrast to the surrounding landscape, yet, nestled in the rocky terrain among low pine trees, it also respects its surroundings. At the time he designed the cottage, Pulkkinen was still an architecture student, and his early interest in the possibilities of expressing building structures continued in his later works.^[2]

Aarno Ruusuvuori was one of the most influential figures in Finnish architecture during the 1960s. He was particularly known for his skill in the expressive use of concrete. Like many of his contemporaries, he was also interested in systematization and prefabricated building. The cabin and sauna are situated in the shade of alder and birch trees in the flat terrain around Lake Puruvesi. The oblong-shaped cabin, placed parallel to the shoreline, replicates the principles of traditional Finnish rural storehouses, which were also used for inhabitation in the summertime. It contains small, separate sleeping alcoves, whose size is determined by the dimensions of a bed. Natural light enters the alcoves through glass doors, and a narrow wooden terrace connects the individual spaces while forming a low platform for the building. ^[2]

 

 

Villa Sara is another Example of adapting to the surrounding landscape. Villa Sara located in the Taivassalo on a sloping site amidst pine trees. The light, unpainted wood surfaces are a central feature in the interior and form a contrast to the dark exterior walls, which tie the building, together with the cabin’s low horizontal form, to the surrounding landscape. The details of Villa Sara are carefully executed and integrated into the whole. Balance and sensitivity, typical for all of Pitkanen’s work, are strongly present in the house.^[2]

Important villas in Finnish Villas culture from 1950 to 2000:

- Muuratsalo Experimental House, 1952–54 Alvar Aalto

- Summer Villa, 1955 Bertel Saarnio

- Villa Skata, 1953–55, 1962–67 Heikki and Mirja Castrén

- The Pulkkinen Cabin, 1967 Mikko Pulkkinen

- Lingonsö Holiday Island, 1966–69 Kaija and Heikki Siren

- Ruusuvuori Cabin and Sauna, 1968 Aarno Ruusuvuori

- The Ilonen Cabin, 1970 Pirkko and Arvi Ilonen

- Villa Sara, 1994 Pekka Pitkanen

- Villa Aulikki, 1986–1994, 1995–2003 Erkki Kairamo and  Aulikki Jylha

- Holiday Home, 1996 Kristian Gullichsen

 

 

Summer Homes still has an important place in Finnish culture and lifestyle. As Finns lives tied to nature and the countryside living, these houses have an obviously close relationship with nature. Most of these Villas are situated in the untouched natural landscape apart from the cities. Furthermore, Villas and summer cottages play an important role in the development of Finland’s Architecture through history. Villas represent the integration of modern Architecture with vernacular and traditional Finnish Architecture features. Also, these buildings provide an opportunity for architects to testing new ideas and concepts and served as a prototype in future projects. Contemporary villas and cottages often have the same convenience as full-time city residences, and instead of small cabins, larger houses are built. The time a family stays at their summer residence might be shorter than in the past, but many cottages are now also used during the winter months. Being able to live by a lake or by the sea and to walk in the forest is still an essential part of the Finnish lifestyle.

 

 

Villas play an important role in the development of Finland’s Architecture through history.

 

Villas represent the integration of modern Architecture with vernacular and traditional Finnish

Architecture features.

 

Also,

Villas provide an

opportunity for

architects in testing new ideas and concepts and served as a prototype in future projects.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Reference

[1] Periainen, K (2004). Summer Cottages in Finland: The Cultural Construction of Life, Space and National Identity. Page 43,44,45. Available from: http://arkitekturforskning.net/na/article/view/215. Accessed August 25, 2019.

[2] Jetsonen, Jari & Sirkkaliisa. Finnish Summer Houses, Princeton Architectural Press. First ed. New York, 2008. Page 9-15,20,28,38,72,80,108,124,150

[3] https://finland.fi/life-society/nature-in-finland/

[4] Wilson, Webster (1998). The Finnish Wood House. Available from: https://www.habiter-autrement.org/11.construction/contributions-11/The-Finnish-Wood-House.pdf. Accessed August, 2019. Page 10.

[5] Quantrill, Malcolm. Finnish Architecture and the Modernist Tradition, E & FN Spon. First ed. London, 1995.

[6] https://www.worldatlas.com/articles/the-culture-customs-and-traditions-of-finland.htm