Finlandia Hall

Architect Alvar Aalto's Finlandia Hall is a multipurpose building, featuring an auditorium, a congress wing, a music hall, a restaurant, a foyer, and a veranda. Located in Helsinki, Findland's capital, on the Toolonlahti Bay. The main building was constructed between 1967-1971, while the Congress Wing was built between 1973-1975.

The top photo is a bird's eye view of Finlandia Hall, in the heart of Helsinki. The building is bordered by trees, streets, and part of the Toolonlahti Bay. The bottom photo is the wedge that juts out towards the water. Both photos are taken from Google Earth.

Finlandia Hall's known for its acoustic properties and spacious rooms. This building is symbolic to Finland's culture.

Finlandia Hall is a major attraction in Helsinki, attracting thousands of tourists and visitors to its music halls, restaurant, and its magnificent design. The main building consists of three major parts: the concert hall, the music hall, and the restaurant. Each section of the main building includes extravagant foyers.

The Congress Wing, finished in 1975, holds congressional meetings for the Finnish congress and has held international conventions. All of Finlandia Hall is designed by Alvar Aalto, including the furniture.

The Plans

A plan of Finlandia Hall from  Alvar Aalto
Weston, Richard. Alvar Aalto. London: Phadon Limited, 1995. Print.

A cross section from  Alvar Aalto
Weston, Richard. Alvar Aalto. London: Phadon Limited, 1995. Print.

Another plan of Finlandia Hall from  Alvar Aalto
Weston, Richard. Alvar Aalto. London: Phadon Limited, 1995. Print.

My simplified sketch of Finlandia Hall portrays the basic rooms, easier to understand than Aalto's intricate blueprints.

Exterior and Interior

Finlandia Hall as seen from the front

As seen from the front, one can view the main auditorium extending from the leveled roof. Constructed out of mainly white marble and granite, Alvar Aalto was particularly interested in the illumination of the building, as a handful of Aalto's buildings are white.

"Finlandia Hall, Helsinki." Galinsky. Web. 4 Feb. 2015.       

           <http://www.galinsky.com/buildings/finlandia/index.html>.

The Auditorium

Alvar Aalto famously designed the Essen Opera House, in which Finlandia Hall's main Concert Hall is reflective of it. The Concert Hall has a capacity of 1,700 people.

Finlandia: Talo Huset Hall. Finlandia Hall Ltd. Web. 4 Feb. 2015. 

             <https://www.finlandiatalo.fi/en>.

                                                               The Congress Wing

The Congress Wing was extension to the main building, being built from 1973-1975. It serves as a venue for the Finnish Congress and has been used internationally, containing multiple sections. Aalto was particularly keen on the lighting and space of the building.

"Finlandia Hall, Helsinki." Galinsky. Web. 4 Feb. 2015.       

           <http://www.galinsky.com/buildings/finlandia/index.html>.

The Back View

A rearview picture of Finlandia Hall, the building is clearly  not symmetrical. Aalto is known for designing asymmetrical complex buildings with unnatural shapes.

Finlandia: Talo Huset Hall. Finlandia Hall Ltd. Web. 4 Feb. 2015. 

             <https://www.finlandiatalo.fi/en>.

The Mastermind

Alvar Aalto (1898-1976) is considered one of the greatest architects of his time. 

1. Born in Kuortane, Finland, Aalto started practicing his architecture at the Helsinki University of Technology. 

2. Aalto married again after his wife passed away early in his career. Both his wives worked with him on his projects, including Finlandia Hall.

3.Aalto verbally conveyed his plans and ideas of his architecture. However, he became silent after the 1950s; "Aalto wanted to respond by built projects and concrete examples rather than verbal and intellectual speculations" (Shigeru Ban, pg 56).

Alvar Aalto

Finlandia: Talo Huset Hall. Finlandia Hall Ltd. Web. 4 Feb. 2015. 

             <https://www.finlandiatalo.fi/en>.

Ban, Shigeru. Alvar Aalto: Through the Eyes of Shingeru Ban. Ed. Juhani Pallasmaa and 

            Tomoko Sato. London: Black Dog, 2007. Print.

A Magazine, Website, and Photo Cache

After reading Eric Adams' "Wintry Discontent," I discovered that  Finlandia Hall's marble was deteriorating throughout the years since built! The subtle withering of the marble was chiefly caused by Helsinki's pollution. After a great controversy over how to replace the Aalto's marble, the city of Helsinki decided upon a thicker marble. Elissa Aalto, the widow of Alvar Aalto, insisted upon a stronger marble over a white granite, due to aesthetic and cultural purposes. The building was eventually renovated over a few years after 1998.


Adams, Eric. "Wintry discontent." Architecture Oct. 1998: 166+. Academic OneFile. Web. 5 Feb. 2015.

http://go.galegroup.com/ps/i.doid=GALE%7CA21244100&v=2.1&u=txshracd2598&it=r&p=AONE&sw=w&asid=a9b32bb20ae8380fb782db7c3cb4b910

A website that I found, ArchiTravel, explains how Finlandia Hall is a cultural hallmark of Finland. The website claims that building is a compilation of all the experiments that Aalto has tested throughout his life. I agree with this assertion, for it exhibits intense features of lighting and shape, as the marble glistens, while the interior radiates in light. Also, the building is like a wedge, which is pretty cool.

"Finlandia Hall." ArchiTravel: Online Architecture Guide. ArchiTeam, 1 Jan. 2013. Web. 5 Feb. 2015. <http://www.architravel.com/architravel/building/finlandia-hall/>.

After looking at a compilation of flickr photo caches over Finlandia Hall, I took into notice the glare that radiates off of the the building. The sheen that it reflects is bright and can take on different shades according to the sun. Also, the marble building looks like a smooth texture to me, and the wedge of the building looks sharp and jagged. This combination reminds of something akin to a kind of blade, or a metal spike.

"Finlandia Hall." Flickr. Web. 4 Feb. 2015.
<https://www.flickr.com/search/?q=%22finlandia+hall%22&ct=0&mt=all&adv=1>.

The Sources

Printed Sources

Weston, Richard. Alvar Aalto. London: Phadon Limited, 1995. Print.

Ban, Shigeru. Alvar Aalto: Through the Eyes of Shingeru Ban. Ed. Juhani Pallasmaa and 

            Tomoko Sato. London: Black Dog, 2007. Print.

Other Sources

"Finlandia Hall, Helsinki." Galinsky. Web. 4 Feb. 2015.       

           <http://www.galinsky.com/buildings/finlandia/index.html>.

Finlandia: Talo Huset Hall. Finlandia Hall Ltd. Web. 4 Feb. 2015. 

             <https://www.finlandiatalo.fi/en>.

Adams, Eric. "Wintry discontent." Architecture Oct. 1998: 166+. Academic OneFile.Web. 5 Feb.2015.<http://go.galegroup.com/ps/i.doid=GALE%7CA21244100&v=2.1&u=txshracd2598&it=r&p=AONE&sw=w&asid=a9b32bb20ae8380fb782db7c3cb4b910>.

"Finlandia Hall." ArchiTravel: Online Architecture Guide. ArchiTeam, 1 Jan. 2013. Web. 5               Feb. 2015. <http://www.architravel.com/architravel/building/finlandia-hall/>.

"Finlandia Hall." Flickr. Web. 4 Feb. 2015.

    <https://www.flickr.com/search/q=%22finlandia+hall%22&ct=0&mt=all&adv=1>.