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Forma ilusoria e inspiracin figurativaen la arquitectura de Alvar Aalto(Con unas notas sobre la arquitectura de ilusin en laobra de Asplund)

ANTN CAPITEL

Alvar Aalto reflexion sobre su propio mtodo de proyectar, acaso porprimera vez, cuando un alumno americano de su etapa como profesoren el M.I.T. le hizo una ingenua y embarazosa pregunta acerca decmo se proyectaba, que al parecer no respondi.Lo hara algo ms ad elante, en el artculo "La trucha y el torrente de lamontaa" (Domus, 1947), donde explic como, despus de examinary analizar los diversos requisitos de un proyecto nuevo, lo dejaba todoa un lado y se dedicaba a realizar dibujos azarosos, casi infantiles einconscientes, hasta que descubra en ellos aquellos rasgos o ideascapaces de convertirse en un proyecto: en algo que integrara susmltiples condicionantes y resolviese sus contradicciones.Puso el ejemplo de la Biblioteca de Viipuri, que surgi del dibujo deunas montaas con diversas laderas, iluminadas por varios soles dedistintas inclinaciones. La gran sala encerrada en una caja mural, consu elaborado juego de niveles en el suelo e iluminada por el sistema delucernarios redondos, tuvo as su origen en aquella inspiracinnaturalista.Sigui Aalto ex plicand o como "la arquitectura y las dems artes plsticastienen un origen comn, ms o menos abstracto, pero basado no obstante enlas adquisiciones y conocimientos acumulados en nuestro subconsciente".Pero, sea cual fuere el mtodo, no me cabe ya ninguna duda de que laarquitectura de Aalto se soportaba tanto en su poderosa sensibilidad ytalento artstico como en la no menos potente inteligencia capaz deconducir con una enorme seguridad y precisin de objetivos lairracionalidad y la complejidad que empleaba. Esto es, siendoabsolutamente con sciente del valor de cada decisin y de cada rasgo,y ello a despecho de que muchos de stos puedan aparecer ante losdems como azarosos.

lllusory Form and FigurativeInspiraton in Alvar Aalto's Architecture(Wiih notes on the Architecture of llusion in the workof Asplund)

Translated by Muriel Feiner

>r Alvar Aalto reflected over his own method ofplanning and designing, perhapsir for thefirst time, when an American student, from his period as a teacher ate M1T, asked an ingenuous an d embarrassng question about how he did hisplanning; the question went unanswered.Th e answer would come later on , in the article "The Trout and the River"(Domus, 1947), in which he explained how, after examining and analyngthe diverse requirements ofa new project,he pu l i to one side and dedicatedhimself to making random, almost infantle an d unconscious drawings. Hewould do so , ntil he discovered in them, tho se features or ideas which weres capable ofbecoming a design: something which would intgrate the mltiplecondition an d resolve the contradictions.e

e He proposed the example of the Library of Viipuri, which arse out of then drawing of several mountains with a variety ofslopes, illuminated by severale suns ofdifferent inclinations. The great room, enclosed within a walled box,n with its elaborated set of levis on thefloor.and illuminated by the system ofround lights, had its origin in that Naturalist inspiration.'s Aalto continued explaining ho w "Architecture and the other plstic artsn have a common, more or less abstract origin, but one which is basedon the acquistions and knowledge accumulated in our sub-conscious".a Whatever the method, however, I no longer have any doubt that Aalto'sy architecture wa s supported by both his powerful sensitivity and his artistice talent, as well as by his no less overwhelming intelligence, capable ofa directing, with an enormous security and precisin of objectives, theo irrationality and complexity which he used. That is, he was absolutely aware>, of the valu of each decisin and each characteristic, despite the fact thats many of these characteristics might appear befare the rest as casual an drandom.

Antn Capitel es arquitecto y catedrtico de proyectos de la Escuela de Arquitecturad Madr id . Fue director de la revista Arquitectura durante 1981-1986.

Antn Capitel is an Architect and Proessor o Design at the Madrid School ofArchitecture. He was Director of the maga zine, Arquitectura, from 1981-1986.

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i:

Asplund. C ine Skandia, Estocolmo, 1922-23.Asplund. Skandia Cinema, Stockholm, 1922-23.

Me reservo, por ahora, la demostracin ms concreta de cuanto laatractiva arquitectura aaltiana se produca, en efecto, por la combinacin de la inspiracin y la racionalidad como toda arquitectura,podra decirse. O, expresado en otra forma, mediante la inspiracin,que haca nacer la idea, y la inteligencia, capaz de elegir, inventar ymanejar recursos capaces de convertirla en un edificio, acompaandoel proceso completo del proyecto hasta en sus aspectos msirracionales, gestuales o, en apariencia, inconscientes. Lejos de Aalto,en realidad, los recursos o rasgos puramente instintivos, sin reflexin,en lo que hace a su mtodo de trabajo. Aunque imposible, tambin,olvidar el instinto, lo subsconsciente, lo personal y biolgico, incluso,en cuanto a la idea: en cuanto a la inspiracin.Pero si un anlisis suficientemente observador puede desentraar elmtodo racional del trabajo de Aalto en cualquiera que fuere su obraaunque esta demostracin, como digo, quedar pendiente,tambin es posible investigar algo sobre su inspiracin.Ir as, pues, no tanto hacia los problemas del mtodo como haciaalguno de los, algo ms misteriosos, acerca de la inspiracin. Quierovolver, concretamente, a esos "vanos soles" que iluminan el interior dela Sala de lectura de la Biblioteca de Viipuri.Soles y lunas, y otras ilusiones. Asplund como maestroLos soles de Viipuri podran haberse convertido, desde la primitivainspiracin hasta el diseo, en unos lucernarios de muy diversasformas, pero permanecieron fieles a la idea inconsciente: son luces deforma redonda, y as el techo se convierte en un mgico firmamentopresidido por estos soles, ordenados a marco real.Tal parece, pues, que Aalto no slo se inspir en aquella idea, sino quela hizo permanecer como una concreta "ilusin" que el espaciocontiene, aunque bastante velada por la condicin abstracta de lasformas. El espacio ms o menos abstracto se convierte levemente

I will reserve, for the moment, the more specific demonstration ofhow muchthe attractive Aaltian architecture produced, in essence, due to thecombnation oj inspraton and rationality as we might say oj allarchitecture. Or, expressng i in another way, by means oj the inspiration,which made the idea come into being, and the intelligence, capable ojchoosing, inventing and handling resources, Aalto was capable, in turn, ojconverting it into its most irrational, gestual or, apparently, unconsciousaspects. It is, nevetheless, im possible, as well, tojorget the instinct, the sub-conscious, the personal and biolgica!, even in regard to the idea: in regardto the inspiration.However, ij a sujjiciently observant analysis can disentail Aalto's rationalwork method in any oj his works although this demonstration, as 1 havesaid, will remain pending , it is also possible to research something abouthis inspiration.I will proceed, then, not so much towards the problems oj the method astowards some oj the som ewhat more mysterious problems, regardinginspiration. I wish to return specijically to these "several suns" whichilluminate the nside oj the Reading Room oj the Viipuri Library.Suns and M oons, and Other Illusions. Asplund as a T eacherTh e "suns" ojViipuri co uld have been converted jrom the original inspirationto the design, in several lights oj very dijjerent jorms, but they remainedjaithjul to the unconscious idea: they are lights with a round shape, and thus,the ceilng becomes a magical heaven, presided over by these "suns , orderedwithin a real jramework.Thus, it seems that Aalto was not only inspired by that idea, but he made itremain as a specific "illusion", which the space contains, a lthough it isratherveiled by the abstract condition oj the jorms. The space "more or

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en figurativo al transformarse en una mgica y sutil naturaleza. Ellector, an sin saberlo, est leyendo en la representacin de una de lasladeras que tantos soles iluminan.Pero esta con dicin ilusionista de la arquitectura, acaso here dada de latradicin barroca y acadmica e incorporada a su ejercicio moderno,est tambin en el Aalto primitivo ya lo veremos luego, pero estms presente an en la obra de un arquitecto d e conocida ascendenciasobre l: en la de Erik Gnnar Asplund.Veamos algunos detalles de la obra de Asplund en este aspecto.La observacin de cuanto el ilusionismo afecta la obra de Asplund noes nueva. Ya lo hizo notar y la analiz Elias Comell en su artculo "Elcielo como una bveda... Gunnar Asplund y la articulacin delespacio" (traducido en el libro monogrfico Asplund, ed. cast. deBarcelona, 1988). Cornell trata sobre todo la cuestin de las cpulascomo ilusin del firmamento en la Biblioteca d Estocolmo, y en susesbozos primitivos, en la Capilla del" Bosque, en la Sala circular delvestbulo del cine Skandia y en el Cementerio de Estocolmo.Cornell trata tambin el ilusionismo del techo como firmam ento en ;espacios no cupulados, como ocurre en algunas de las iluminaciones^cenitales de sus distintos croquis para la ampliacin del Ayuntamiento ;de Gotemburgo. Explica igualmente este aspecto en relacin a lassuperficies acristaladas! de distintos pabellones de la Feria 'de,Estocolmo par a estar cub iertos po r la bv eda del cielo. ...'-/ . y.ySe refiere tambin al:ilusion ismo "celestial" a mi y pa re ce rm s yinteresante de Asplund, o, al menos, ms ce rcano a: los motivosconcretos de este ensayo. Es ste el del interior del Cine Skandia,/acerca del cual ya el propio Asplund haba explicado orno se hizodesaparecer visualmente el techo, dndole forma, de bveda,ligera ;ypintndolo de azul oscuro, para que produjera la ilusin del espaci cielo abierto, de noche , limitado por la bVda d el firmamento. Eii; lson muy significativas las redondas yi blancas lmparas, hoy inxisth-,tes, y que si bien parecen hacer de tales convirtiendo el espacio enalgo semejante a una fiesta o verberaal aire libre, a mi;entenderrepresentan igualmente, e incluso de una forma ms intensa iy directa,la sugestiva idea de una mgica noche de "muchas lunas". !Pero hemos de aadir que el ilusionismo; de Asplund no se agota en laidea del techo como cielo, pues podemos encontrar algunos otrosmatices y recursos, tambin ilusionistas, bien diferentes.Es sabido como el propio cine Skandia, tal parece que concebido ensu totalidad como una ilusin, contiene algunos ms, todos ellos decarcter tradicional, y realizados, por medio, de la decoracin. Ya lasprop ias caritide s qu e: susten tan el anfiteatro y algunos otroselementos arquitectnicos convertidos en representacin humanapertenecen a la ms vieja tradicin del ilusionismo arquitectnico: lapersonificacin figurativa de los rdenes.En el cine pueden destacarse tambin las puertas de entrada alanfiteatro, disfrazadas de pao mural, con puerta y ventana falsas, quese abre completo. El ms importante de estos recursos escenogrficos,pura men te teatrales, es el del pasillo de en trada a los palcos, en que laspuertas de stos forman un pequeo cuerpo que sobresale en ngulo.

less abst raet" become s slightly jigurative as it is transformed into amagical and subtle nature. The reader, even though he doesn't know it, isreading within the representation oj one of the slopes that so many sunsilluminate.But this i l lusionist condition of Architecture, inherited perhaps from theBaroque and Academic tradition and incorporated into its modera exercise,isfound also, in the primitive Aalto as we wl see later , but it is morepresent still in the work of an architect ofknown influence over him: in thework of Erik Gnnar Asplund.Let us have a look at several details of Asplund's work in this sense.The observation as to how much the lllusionism ajfects Asplund's work is notnew. It was already noted and ana lyzed by Elias Cornell in his aide, "TheSky as a Vault... Gunnar Asplund and the Articulation ofSpace " (translatedin the monographic book, Asplund , Spanish edition of Barcelona, 1988).Cornell deals, above all, with the qu estion of the dome s as an ilusin oftheheavens in the Library of Stockholm, and in his primitive sketches, in theChape l ofTheFor est,in,the circular Hall ofthe lobby ofthe Ska nia Cinemaand in the Stockholm Cemetery.Cornell also deals with the lllusionism o f the ceiling as ajirmam ent in "non-domed" spaces, as occurs in severa! of the zenithal illuminations of hisdifferent sketches for the expan sin ofthe Gotembu rg To wn Hall. He alsoexplains this aspect in relation with the glass enclosed surfaces of the/different pavilions ofthe Stockholm Fir to be covered by the celestial vault.He alsorefersto the "celestial" lllusionism, which 1 think is more interesting,in Asplund, or, at least, it is closer to the specific reasons for this essay. Thisis whdt isfound in the interior ofthe Skandia Cinema . Asplund himselfhadexplaind how he made the ceiling visually disappear, giving it the shape ofa lightvult dnd painting it dark blue, so that itwould produce the illusionofthe space. ofanpen sky, at night, limited by the vault of the frmamen t.Th e round, white lamps, which are today non-existent, were very significantin it, Ifiey appear to be significant and conv ert the space into so methingsimilar to, an open-air party or celeb ration; l fea they also represent, in amore intense and direct manner, the suggestive idea of a magical night of"many mpons" . \Howe ver, we have to add that Asplund's lllusionism does not exhaust theidea of the ceiling as a sky, for w e can fnd several other nuances a ndrecourses, which are also illusionist, but are, at the same time, quite different.It is well-known how the Skandia Cinema itself which seems to be conceivedin its entirety as an illusion, containsfurther characteristics, a ll of which takeon a traditional nature, and have been carried out as a means of decoration.The caryatids themselves, which support the amphitheatre and severalother archectonic elements turnedinto human repre sentations belong tothe oldest tradition of archecton ic lllusionism: the jigurative personificationofthe orders.In the Cinema, one can also stress the entrance doors to the amphitheatre,disguised as a mural panel, with afalse door and window, opens completely.The mos t important ofthese staged recourses, which are purely theatrical, isthat ofthe entrance way to the boxes, where the doors ofthe boxesform asmall body that stands out at an angle. These bodies are conceived of asindependent architectures, all of which are different and made with aPomp eyan classicism, altering the scale in orderfor them to appear larger;

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Estos cuerpos se conciben como arquitecturas independientes, todasdistintas, hechas con un clasicismo pompeyano, alterndose de escalapara parecer ms grandes, y configurando as una calle clsica. Laspuertas, por pequeas, son falsas, y el techo es oscuro paradesapar ecer visualm ente. La ilusin es, sin embargo, teatral; esto es, sereconoce como decorado y se comprende y acepta como representacin.Otros ilusionismos que creo encontrar en la obra de Asplund son b iendistintos. Est entre ellos el de la idea de aparente pureza, inmaterialidad e ingravidez de la Capilla del Bosque. Esto es, el de la imagen deun edificio que se presenta exterior e interiormente ocultando deforma muy intencionada la tectnica y compleja estructura de maderaque lo* soporta. En el acceso, la cubierta de la capilla es una pirmidepura, cuya continuidad volumtrica es cuidada por la pizarra, y queparece sostenerse en las puntuales y aisladas columnas. El techo deeste porche es una superficie continua, casi inmaterial, y las columnaslo reciben sin intermedio alguno visible de vigas o arquitrabes, enuna solucin aparen temente ingenua, como si hubiera sido la obra deun diletante.El volumen de la cubierta se presenta as como si fuera tan macizocomo ingrvido, no aludiendo en absoluto a la estructura ni al materialque hace posible su pureza. Esta es tan extrema en el porche que lacubierta y el sofito forman incluso un ngulo agudo, posible por elrevestimento inferior de madera.

and thus, forming a dassic street. The small doors arefalse, and the ceilingis dark in order to visually disappear. The illusion is, however, theatrical: itis recognized as a set; it is understood and accepted as a representation.Other Ulusionisms, which Ifind in Asplund's w ork, are quite different. Amongthem is the idea of the apparent purity, immaterialness and lightness of theChapel of the Forest; and specifcally, that of the image of a buildingpresented o n the outside and inside, hiding, in a highly intentioned manner,the tectonic and complex wood structure which supports it. In the accessrea, the Chapel is a pur pyramid, whose volumetric continuity is well caredfor by the slate, and which appears to he supported by the precise andisolated columns. The ceiling of ihis porch is a continuous, almostimmaterial surface rea, and the columns recave it without any visibleintermediary ofbeams or archtraves, in an apparently ingenuous so lution, asif it had been the work of a dilettante. .The volume of the roof is presented in ihis way, as if it were as massive asit is light, not refening at all to the structure or the material which makesits purity possible. This is so extreme in the porch that the ro of and soffit evenform an acute angle, which is possible due to the inferior covering ofwood.The same occurs inside. The cavity of the ceiling appears to be made in acompact and light mass, supported by the walls and by the pillars, in whichthe columns are converted. The idea ofform revealed in its true nature bythe clean and descriptive section is thus, falsely ingenuous, appearingvisually as ifit were the way in which one could construct a model ofplasteror any other material.

29

Asplund. Capilla del bosque, Estocolmo,1918-20.Asplund. Woodland Chapel, Stockholm, 1918-20.

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CUADERNO NOTEBOOK3 2 Las ondulaciones como formas arquitectnicas universales

Pero volvamos a la Biblioteca de V iipuri, y a sus m ucho s soles. Es biensabido como estos lucernarios redondo s se convirtieron en un recursomuy abundante en la arquitectura aaltiana, aunque sin trasmitir nun cacon claridad su significado, debilitando su capacidad ilusoria como sideliberadamente quisiera evitarse, y reduciendo as sus efectos a losque realmente se obtienen como iluminacin y como resultadoplstico y espacial. Parece as que las cualidades de imitacin de lanaturaleza y los valores inconscientes de la inspiracin fueronsuficientes para los objetivos perseguidos por el proyectista, que

Aallo. Biblioteca de Viipuri, 1935.Aalto. Viipuri Library, 1935.Foto: Martti Kapanen, Museo Alvar Aalto.

Although we could insist on other touches of this type, in Asplund's work, itis preferable to proceed to verifying another kind of lllusionism, alreadyobserved, and in which modern architecture participated greatly. It is amatter ofwhat affected the pavilions ofthe Stockholm Fair, in general, andespecially that of the Paradiset Restaurant and the Dance Pavilion.Influenced by Constructivism, and as has already been observed, Asplundconceived of the exhibition architectures, by manipulating the "miracle"offered by the modern materials, whereby the buildings were converted intolight and immaterial structures, but without the load of ormal violence, thedefiance ofgravity and the radical instability ofthe avant-garde Russians.The glassed-in restaurant, with forms which float in the air, in an almostmagical manner, exhibits these qualities, representative, as 1 have said, ofmoder n arch itecture, which has in its roots, an illusionism, if you wish,which is representative as well ofmuch ofthe architecture of the Past. TheDance Pavilion becomes extreme in its lightness due to. the unique columnsthat appear to barely support the large vault.Classic lUusion and M odern lusionAlvar Aalto practiced in his youth, the so-called "Nordic Classicism". Anadmirer of Asplund and belon ging to a common culture, it is possible that thelllusionism reached him through this proximity. In the building of theWorker's Club offyvskila (1923-1 924), ofacademic a rchitecture, there aresevero! illusionist detoxis that deserve to be mentioned due to their significantnature, more than their intrinsic importance. These details correspond to thelamps with the shape of a star on the inside of the Hall, a moderatedrepresentation ofthe "moons " ofthe Skandia Cinema, and a small supportin the shape of an amphora, placed on high above a wall and supports theceiling. They are very slight details, but indica tive of the Aaltian intentions.In a building of modrate Rationalism, that of the Agricultural CooperativeofTurku (1927-1929 ), there is an interesting and scenograp hical staircasewhich falsifies the persp ective and is derived from a theatrical concept.Howe ver, it was in another building of Turku, the one intended for theTurun Saroma t newspa per (1928-1929), where an illusory effect of a verydifferent nature was projected.The Newspaper Building is a construction between party walls, with aRationalist facade o/"fenet res en longueur". Occupying two levis, it has agreat vertical window that characterizes thefron t, and in it, contrasting withthe abstract nature o f the facade, Aa lto had though t that there would be agreat screen on which to project the gigantic image ofthefirst page of thenewspa per copy ofthe day, to be readjrom the street. Thus, it appears in theoriginal perspective of the b uilding, although I assume that it never existedin reality.The recou rse carne from Constructivism, for it had been used by the Vesn inBrothers in the project for the Pravda Offices in Leningrad (1924). TheTurku building had acquired with it ajigurative and emblematic nature thatit did not have on its own.The introduction ofthe projected photograph that is, ofsomething entirelyillusory of a known image, but o n a great scale, signijies an importantpoint of inflection in the manner of understanding this type of recourse,previously derived from tradition and then transferred by the newspaper tomodern positions. Both in the Vesnin Brothers as well as in Aalto, it meant

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"difumin" el efecto ilusorio y figurativo en favor de la abstraccinmoderna.Pero en la propia Biblioteca hay otros detalles que nos interesan, estavez, en la Sala de conferencias.Destaca en ella el conocido techo ondulado. Es bien sabido como fueste un recurso, el del empleo de lneas, superficies y formasonduladas, uno de los apriorismos formales que Aalto emple con unagran abundancia y con muy diversas naturalezas en cuanto a sucondicin de instrumentos proyectuales. Pues utiliz estas trazasonduladas como lnea, como superficies, y como volmeness; envertical, en horizontal y en inclinado; reales y virtuales; para objetos ymuebles y para edificios; para la definicin de espacios interiores ypara la de volmenes externos; como elementos secundarios, comoelementos principales e, incluso, como definicin de una totalidadedificada.Es ste, el de los invariantes formales apriorsticos, un tema clave enel modo aaltiano de proyectar, originado tambin en una analoganaturalista, pero en el que no nos entretendremos ahora ms de lonecesario para nuestro tema.En el techo de la Sala de conferencias la superficie ondulada tienevarios sentidos o intenciones. Se ha popularizado ms el quecorresponde al carcter funcionalista, tal y como Aalto mismo trasmitia travs de un dibujo; esto es, para ayudar a la buena acstica de unasala demasiado larga y con vigas en el cielo raso.Pero el techo alcanza tambin otro sentido, tan importante como elanterior: es tambin el modo de negarse a que la sala respondiera almodo convencional de proyectar los espacios y elementos lineales enla arquitectura racionalista; esto es, a ser generada por una seccin oun tramo transversal que, simplemente, se repite por traslacin. PuesAalto buscaba siempre prescindir de este habitual esquematismo en laconfiguracin de lo lineal, an cuando no rechazara, sino ms biensiguiera con frecuencia tales disposiciones.Por ltimo, el techo ondulado constituye una ilusin de movimiento,de vida. Como si el techo fuera un oleaje, sorprendido en un instanteen que es "congelado", solidificado, y reproducido mediante lamadera, invita al espectador a acercarse a la escena de tan larga sala,volviendo as atractivo el problema que precisamente la afecta: esaexcesiva longitud. El lugar, con el techo, se vuelve inslito, y sucualidad figurativa es acentuada an por los asientos.Los asientos diferentes son un m odo de invitar a ocupar los primeros,mucho ms cm odos, insistiendo as en la solucin al problema de lalongitud. Pero a mi parecer, al menos hay en ellos tambin unmatiz ilusionstico: los asientos, en la diversidad de sus tres versionessillones, sillas, taburetes y en sus inevitables alusiones antropo-rnrficas, semejan las diferentes personas sentadas en ellos. Evitar launiformidad y la repeticin supona, de nuevo, reforzar la eliminacinde las antipticas convenciones que para Aalto tiene lo lineal, pero, altiempo, "poblar" la sala de "especies" diferentes de asientos suponatambin lograr que sta siempre estuviera llena, an cuan do perma neciera en realidad vaca.

the use oj instruments that anticipated on e oj the radical positions, wh ich,manyyear s later, would ma ke Ve nturi popular. In Aalto, it would h ave somecontinuity, as we will see.The Undulations as Universal Architectonic FormsHowever, let us retuvo, to the Viipuri Library and to its many suns. It is wellknown how these round lights became a very abundant recourse in theAaltian architecture, although they never transmitted their meaning withany great clarity. Their illusory capacity was debilitated as ij it weredeliberately avoided; and thus, their effects were reduced to those which werereally obtained as illumination and as a plstic and spacial result. It seems,therejore, that the aualities oj imitation oj Nature and the unconsciousvales ojinspration were sufficientjor the objectives pursued by the planner,which "stumped" the illusory and figurative and figurative ejject on behaljojthe modern abstraction.However, in the Library itselj, there are other details which interest us, thstime in the Conjerence Hall.Standing out in it is the well-known undulated ceiling. It is well-known as itwas a recourse, that ojusing the Unes, surjaces and undulated jorms, one ojth e formal apriorisms, which Aalto used with a great abundance and withvery diverse natures as designing instruments. He used these undu lateddesigns in th e jollowing ways: as Unes; as surjaces; and as volumes; invertical, horizontal and inclined; real and virtual; jor objects and jurnitureandjor buildings; jor the definition oj interior spaces and extemal volumes;as secondary elements; as main elements; and even, as the definition oj anbuilt totality.This is that oj the aprioristic jormal invariants, a key theme in the Aaltianmanner ojplanning, which originated as well in a Naturalist analogy, but onwhich we will not dwell now mor e than what is necessary jor our theme.In the ceiling oj the Conjere nce H all,, the und ulated surjace has severalmeanings or intentions. The one corresponding to the Functionalist naturehas been popularized more, just as Aalto himselj transmitted thro ugh adrawing; this is, in order to help thegood accoustics oja room that was toolarge andjurnished with beams.How ever, the ceiling also attains another m eaning, as important as theprevious one. It is also the way ojdenying that the H all would resp ond to theconventional manner oj designing spaces and linear elements in Rationalistarchitecture; that is, to be produced by a section or transveral tram which issimply repeated by transjer. Thus, Aalto always sought to do away with thiscustomary sche matism in the configuration ojwhat is linear, even when hewould not reject, but rather jollow jrequently the use ojsuch arrangem ents.Andjinally, the undulated ceiling constitutes an illusion ojmovem ent, ojUje,as ijthe ceiling were a series ojwaves, surprised in the instant in which theyare "jrozen", solidified and reproduced by means ojthe wood. It invites thespectator to approach the scene ojsuch a long room, m aking as attractive aspossible the problem which precisely ajjects it: its excessive length. The place,with the ceiling, becomes unusual; and its figurative quality is accentuatedstilljurther by the seats.The dijjerent seats are a way ojinviting one to occupy thefirst ones, whichare much mofe comjortable, insisting in this way on the solution to the

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34 El espacio como ilusin absoluta: el pabelln de Nueva YorkEl pabelln finlands en la Feria de Nueva York de 1939 fue realizadopor Aalto despus de un concurso al que present tres proyectos y conlos que gan los tres primeros premios. En los tres la idea bsica erala de una caja casi ciega, dentro de la cual el espacio se desarrollacomo un intenso valor, dotado de riqueza y libertad. Esto es, en todosellos se utiliza el mtodo de disponer interiormente el espacio de unvolumen previamente dado. Tambin en todas las variantes laexistencia de un cine ilusin pura de vida y movimiento tomabauna importancia fundamental, a travs de la instalacin de uncinematgrafo-bar, nica dotacin concreta del pabelln, ms all delespacio dedicado a exposicin de objetos y fotografas.En todos los proyectos se utiliza asimismo la posibilidad de disponerdistintos niveles para el suelo y de usar la geometra curva u oblicuacomo medios de la riqueza espacial. Tan slo en el del tercer premioconcebido como un espacio de matriz corbuseriana, en cuanto estnicamente ligado a la idea de libertad geomtrica de la planta y a lasdobles alturas se separaron el bar y el cine, situados uno encima delotro, uniendo ambas cosas en los otros dos.El proyecto del segundo premio es, como la Sala de lectura de laBiblioteca de Viipuri, un espacio iluminado cenitalmente, y de modomuy abundante, para provocar }

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i i j ] ) | j

interior apareca ante el hipottico visitante como un mundo propioque desde fuera no poda en absoluto ser adivinado. Al entrar, lacondicin paralepipdica del volumen quedaba desmentida por lainmensa complejidad interna.Pero esto tambin es ilusorio, pues la enorme complejidad es, en ciertomodo, falsa: el interior, no tiene, en realidad, la inmensa complejidadque aparentaba y que es percibible an en las fotografas. Pues enefecto, las operaciones geomtricas que con el proyecto se hacen noson tan complicadas como a primera vista parecen, y stas puedendefinirse mediante la planta y mediante la seccin transversal,documentos en definitiva convencionales, y a travs de los que eledificio se entiende por completo. La planta introduce la oblicuidadno era ste un recurso original de Aalto: recurdese al respecto queel famoso pabelln de M elnikov se hizo para la Exposicin de Pars de1925, esto es, 14 aos antes y la forma de la lnea ondulada, pococompleja en realidad, que sirve de directriz a las pantallas quecualifican y caracterizan el espacio.No existe, por ejemplo, ninguna doble curvatura cuestin que uncpula tendra, ni mucho menos una triple. Tampoco existen lassuperficies a labeadas. La seccin transversal seala las alturas del sueloy la inclinacin de las superficies onduladas, pero stas son ya todaslas variaciones que el diseo introduce frente a un espacio definidopor el triedro ortogonal. Si dibujramos una seccin longitudinalcosa que Aalto no hace, o, al menos, no publica veramos que stapodra ser construida con los datos de la planta y de la seccintransversal, pues la longitudinal sera del todo fiel a la geometracartesiana, no introduciendo as ninguna otra variacin.El mecanismo del proyecto es tan astuto como elemental, pues se tratade seguir el modo en que se configuran los espacios lineales, slo que

Aalto. Pabelln finlands en la Feria Mundial de Nueva York, 1939.Aalto. Finnish Pavilion at the New York World's Fair, 1939.

eliminated, incorporating the cinema into the main space and situating it ata greater height; that is, in a very similar manner to that of the othersolutions.The pavilion was an architectonic place of absolute illusion and until itscurrent non-exstence its only Ufe exists on paper it reinforces today thismain condtion. In thefirst aspect, the pavilion is produced as an unexpected,unique place, diffcult to understand and almost magical: the interiorappeared befare the hypothetical visitor as a world ofits own; andfrom theoutside, no one could guess about it at all. Upon entering, the parallepipediccondition of the volume was belied by the immense internal complexity.However, this also is illusory, for the enormous complexity is, to a certainextent, false: the interior does not have, in realty, the immense complexitywhich it showed and which is perceivable even in the photographs. For, infact, the geometric operations with which the project was carried out, are notas complicated as they may seem at first glance. These can be defined bymeans of the ground plan and by means of the transversal section; that is,by conventional documents, through which the building can be completelyunderstood. The ground plan introduces the oblqueness this was not anoriginal recourse of Aalto: rememb er in this sense that the famous pavilionof Melnikov w as made for the Taris Exhibition of 1925, that is, 14 yearsbefare and theform of the undulated U ne, which is not very complex inreality, serves as the guidelinefor the screens, which qualijy and characterizethe space.There is;for example, neither double curvature a question which a domewould have or much less a triple one, or are there warped swfaces. Thetransversal section marks the heights over thejloor and the inclination ofthe

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36 de forma singular: el espacio se consturye trasladan do la generatrizcompuesta por la seccin inclinada de las pantallas a travs de ladirectriz que en planta dispone la mixta lnea ondulada. Estaoperacin, unida a la oblicuidad dada al espacio, provoca la ilusin deenorme complejidad y obtiene, mediante la luz, la apariencia inslita.Huir de los esquematismos propios de lo lineal, pero conservar sussencillas reglas de configuracin: tal la idea que aparece, en tantos ytan diversos casos, en la obra de Aalto.Que la complejidad podra ser fcilmente mucho mayor es obvio, apoco que se piense, y el propio Aalto lo seala al indicar una de lasposibles y no seguidas vas: en el extremo de las superficies onduladascercano a la puerta stas pierden su paralelismo. Pero esta simplicidadde instrumentos al servicio de efectos complejos no es slo una pruebade maestra: tambin lo es de racionalidad, de sentido de laconstruccin material, de control sencillo mediante dibujos endidrico. Aalto no necesita para proyectar ni perspectivas ni maquetas:los esbozos del interior con el efecto de las ondulaciones inclinadasson concesiones al buen entendimiento de la propuesta en elconcurso y comprob aciones, o, mejor an, placeres personales; en lasmonografas no aparecen.En un segundo aspecto, el interior finge, mediante la luz, estardirectamente relacionado con el exterior: la luz artificial se identificay funde con la luz natural y las pareces onduladas semejan ser unmuro-cortina de cerramiento. Este ilusionismo se completa con elpropio de la fotografa que por transparencia se exhibe, y quedaemblematizado por el cine, ilusin absoluta, lumnica'y "nocturna",apretada sntesis, y acaso inspiracin, de las ides del edificio.Hay ms, desde luego: la ilusin de ingravidez, de irrealidad o fantasa,y hasta de vida o m ovimiento. Est tambin la apariencia aleatoria dela forma, falsamente gestual o improvisada, y magistralmente frreamente modelada, en realidad. Todo ello al servicio del carcter y delprograma, y todo ello maravillosamente efmero, ferial, desaparecido:conservado tan slo en la ilusin grfica que llamamos libro.El edificio "animado": los dormitorios del M.l.T.y la Urbanizacin de PaviaVuelve la lnea ondulada, tantas veces empleada por Aalto de tandistintas formas, a servir de sop orte del proyecto . Y vuelve, en elpabelln de dormitorios del M.l.T., para tomar grosor y convertirse enbloque, en edificio lineal.Pues de nuevo nos encontramos ante el problema que a Aaltoobsesionaba: usar los instrumentos de la composicin lineal sinaceptar sus precariedades. Esto es, sin aceptar los esquematismos,durezas y problemas formales que se encuentran al trabajar comodirectriz con una lnea recta, de por s indefinida, al pretenderlimitarla y convertirla en un "segmento arquitectnico".La lnea recta, al ondularse, se convertir en igura.Pero sin necesidadde ser cerrada, como en la tradicin, sino continuando como lnea, alfin, y siguiendo as las ideas mo dernas, an cuando aceptndolas slo

undulated surfaces, but they are, then, all the variations which the designintroduces bejore a space defined by the orthogonal trhedron, Ijwe were todraw a longitudinal section something which Aalto does not do, or at least,does not publish we would see that it could be constructed with the datafrom the ground plan and the transver sal section, because the longitudinalUne would be entirely aithjul to Cartesian geometry, without introducing anyother variation. .The design mecha nism is as astute as it is elementary, jor it is a matter ojjollowing the manner in which the linear spaces are shaped, but in a uniquemanner. The space is constructed by transjerring the generatrix, made up ojthe inclined section oj the screens, through the guideline which the mixed

undulated Une has on the ground plan. T his operation, together with theobliqueness given to the space, produces the illusion ojenormous complexityand obtains, by means oj the light, its unusual appearance. Avoiding theschematisms representativa oj what is linear; but conserving their simplerules oj configuration is the basic idea which appears, in so many anddiversified cases in Aalto's work.The jact that the com plexity could easily be much greater is obvious, nomatter how little we think about it, as Aalto himselj points it out, when hetalhs ojthe possible, but notjollowed solutions: at the end ojthe undulatedsurfaces, cise to the ground plan, the parlelism is lost. However, thissimplicity oj instruments at the service ojcomplex ejjects, is not only a proojojskill, but also, one ojrationality, ojthe sense ojthe material construction,and oj simple control by means ojdihedral drawings. Aalto does not need todesign either perspectives or models. The sketches oj the interior with theejject ojthe inclined undulations are concessions to the sound u nderstandingoj the proposal in the contest; they do not appear in the monographs..In a second aspect, the interiorpretends, by means ojthe light, to be directlyrelated to the exterior. The artificial light appears as natural light and theundulated walls resemble an enclosure wall. This illusionism is completedwith that oj the photograph exhibited with transparency and emblematizedby the cinema the absolute, illuminated and "nocturnal" illusion, the tightsynthesis and perhaps the inspiration oj the ideas oj the building.There is more; ojcourse, the illusion ojlightness, ojirreality orjantasy, andeven lije or movement. There is also the contingent appe arance ojthe jorm,jalsely gestural or improved, and magnificently jerreously modelled, inrealty. All oj this is at the service oj the character and the program and alloj this is marvellously ephemeral, jair-like, disappeared conserved only inthe graphic illusion which w e calljree.

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del lado de sus virtudes. Con servando el mecanismo proyectual de larepeticin de mdulos que setrasladan siguiendo ladirectriz y elapilamiento simple en altura con que la lgica elemental ha caracterizado a los edificios residenciales.Observar la planta es suficiente para entender los recursos de refuerzoque Aalto utiliz para convertir la lnea en figura, an cuando el sutily cuidadoso trazado de ladirectriz que evita el paralelismo y laortogonalidad le hubiera permitido conformarse con la ondulaciny hacer un bloque ms esquemtico, ms puro. Vase el elaboradomodo en que se resuelven sus extremos, puntos clave de tal asunto, yvase tambin como el proyectista se ha negado al fin a que el edificio safes V M . . p 1 . i ; , /

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Aalto. Residencia de estudiantes, M.I.T, Cambridge, Massa., EE.UU., 1947-'Aalto. Students Dormitory, M.I.T. Cambridge, Massa., EEUU., 1947-48. Alvar Aalto Foundation.

sea realmente lineal al darle en algunas partes mayor grosor y adoptarpara su configuracin una cara yuna espalda, un haz yun envs,geomtricamente diferentes y bien identificables. La cara es ondulada,fiel a su figura, y, cncava, se abre al jardn, al paisaje. La espalda esquebrada, dejando espacio para el resto del programa, y se presentahacia afuera, convexa, como una muralla. El edificio es lineal y, altiempo, deja de serlo. Tantos problemas de cara y espalda en losbloques lineales dejaban as de existir al hacer hincapi, en vez dehuir, en sus caractersticas ms elementales.En cuantoRiver es iqsprracin, la referencia a los meandros del Charlestidji evitstblerignoro su fundamento. En su base est

Va ^ ^ ~ - . V..J-" - - -. , . . ,presente, ptesd e lluego") el naturalismo atanp, pero en todo sud e s a r r o l l o w j i S ^ a t a ^ ^ c l a m e i f r = * ! s y g ^ lme"we^ms-md^t^rkeccmefagnMt\as, however, nod e u na n i * t f f t * s a f a a g a j | s ^ . j N s a - . ^ ; -*

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38 Tambin puede verse en otro.modo si prescindimos del naturalismode la ilusin de vida y movimiento para quedarnos tan slo conel hecho inslito de que un edificio lineal, objeto rgido material einanimado, se curve y pliegue a pesar de todo. Visto as, se produce uninteresante matiz surrealista de lo ilusorio, esto es, de un sentimientocon matices literarios o conceptuales cercano al que llev a Dal apintar relojes blandos. Se trata de una ilusin algo velada, comosiempre, pero poderosa. Y tengo para m que cargada de intencin.En la urbanizacin proyectada para Pavia (Italia, 1966) un tipo debloque ondulado, ahora linealmente puro aunque compuesto porescalones en "diente de sierra" constituye la unidad bsica de unsistema basado en una trama. Un sistema de ciudad abierta quecombina y rechaza, simultneamente, aspectos procedentes del Planpara Argel de Le Corbusier (1930) y de las ideas de ciudad del primerHilberseimer. De acuerdo con la forma del terreno, los bloques sedispusieron formando cuatro grupos distintos, y compuestos poredificios siempre diferentes entre s. En efecto, todos los bloques delproyecto, sin dejar de pertenecer a la misma trama y geometra, sondesiguales: se distinguen en su longitud, que vara la forma, en suslmites, en su altura y n_ su escalon amiento. Tanto la "ciudad"completa como cada grupo y cada edificio se someten a las mismasreglas formales, pero sin que exista la repeticin, pues, a pesar de lainexorable trama de base, todo se individualiza y se vuelve distinto,aunque de l misma clase.Estamos as en presencia de la "ciudad orgnica", de aplicaciones deanalogas con las leyes de la naturaleza, y no slo por la idea denucleacin o por la propia forma, sino, sobre todo, por esa condicinsingular que afecta a los elementos: stos toman la individualidad quecorresponde a los seres vivos, pero, al tiempo, la igualdad bsica quedistingue a las especies.De nuevo se trata de recoger las virtudes de lo lineal sin aceptar susdefectos: de Le Corbusier en Argel se recoge la idea de forma y serechaza la escala; de Hilberseimer se acepta el orden, la necesidad delsistema, pero no la repeticin ni el esquematismo. El proyecto obedeceal entendimiento de la condicin discontinua como verdaderanaturaleza de la corteza terrestre, logrando la singularidad, la variaciny la precisin y atractivo del espacio abierto.La ordenacin lineal y sistemtica ha sido vencida sin necesidad deabandonarla. El conjunto de lneas abstractas se convierte en temafigurativo, pero tanta ha sido la insistencia que, premeditada o no, unafuerte y nueva ilusin se produce: la ciudad se mueve, est "animada",serpentea; los bloques, individualizados y dotado s de la ilusin d e movimiento que crean sus ondas, parecen aludir a gigantescos animalesque, en manada, se deslizaran sobre el terreno. Las fotos de la maquetason al respecto bien expresivas, si bien es preciso admitir que larealidad edificada tal vez no lo hubiera sido tanto. Un ilusionismosemi-oculto, voluntariamente escondido entre la condicin abstractade las formas, con respecto al que no se logra distinguir en qu medidaprocede de la inspiracin est en el Origen o cunto es unproducto del mtodo, imagen final de las intenciones, de las ideas.

geometrically different and well identijiable. Thefront is undulated, faithfulto its figure. It is concave, and opens to the garden, to the andscape. Theback is broken, leav ing a spacefar the rest ofthe program . It is presentedtowards the outside, convex, as ramparts. The building is linear, but at thesame time, ceases to be so. Both the problems ofthe front and the back inthe linear blocks disappeared when emphasis was placed on, instead offleeingjrom, the more elementary characteristics.As regards inspiration, reference to the meanders of Charles River can beavoided, because it is repetitious; I am not familiar with the grounds. O fcourse, the Aaltian Naturalism is present at the base, but in all of itsdevelopme nt and in its results, I see clearly believe to read the intensityof a new and attractive llusion.The undulated building presents itself as a comparison with the straightbuilding and the existence ofthis last one as a starting point is even reflectedin thefirst dra wings ofthework, in which a conventional block was sketched.That is, the curved block appears as an image befare any spectator, makingan unm istakable reference to the straight block from which it comes: itappears unusual precisely because it is different than normal. This is betterstill, because it seems, in reality, that what is normal has been curved.However, the block, when it is curved, has become "natural", as if it hadmovement and Ufe, as ifit could straighten itself out again. And that illusion,in a veiled manner, can be transmitted: a building with a living,"animated" 'appearance.Ifwe do away with the Naturalism the illusion oflife and movement itcan also be seen in another way. In order to remain only with the unusualevent that a linear building, the object of rigid and inanimate material, iscurved and falds over itself despite evcrything. Seen in this way, an interestingsurrealistic nuance is produced ofwhat is illusory; that is, ofa sentiment withliterary or conceptual touches, similar to when Dali painted his soft docks.It is a somewhat veiled illusion, as always, but powerful. And I consider itloaded with ntention.In the ur ban d evelopmen t design ed for Pavia (Italy, 1966), a type ofundulated block, linearly pur, although made up ofsteps in theform of'theteeth of a saw", constitute the basic unity of a system based on a tram. Itrepresents a system ofan open city that com bines and rejects, simultaneously,aspectsfrom the Le Corbusier's Plan for lgeria (1930) and the ideas ofthecity of thefirst Hilberseimer. In accordance with theform ofthe terrain, theblocks were arrangedforming four different groups, and they were made upofbuildings which wer e always different from one another. Infact, all theblocks of the project, without ceasing to belong to the same tram andgeometry, are uneaual. They are distinguished in their length, which varesthe form, depending upon their limits, their heght and their spacing out.Both the complete "city" as well as each group and each building aresubmitted to the same formal rules, but without any repetition existing)because, despite the inexorab le tram ofthe base, everything is individualizedand becomes different, although they are of the same class.We a re thus in the presence ofthe "organic city, of applications ofanalogieswith the Laws of Nature, not only because of the idea of nucleation orbecause of the form itself, but also, above all, due to that unique conditionwhich affects the elements: they assume the individuality which corresponds

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Pues el ilusionismo en Aalto cuyos matices podramos, tal vez, seguirobservando en algunas otras obras no slo se relaciona con lainspiracin y aade a su arquitectura un aspecto que la enriquece, quele da un mayor atractivo y que altera el significado que convencional-mente se tuvo de ella. Tambin se refiere y simboliza su reflexinacerca de la disciplina, cuando apoyado en su fertilidad formal y en supoderosa inteligencia fue capaz de transformar la modernidad sinnegar sus principios. Hacindolo por aadidura con realismo y conbastante simplicidad frente a sus objetivos: con economa de mediosformales.Su leccin se vuelve hoy actual cuando algunas de las ambicionesarquitectnicas que contemporneamente se persiguen parecen continuar la explotacin de la herencia moderna con matices semejantes, obien alternativos, pero siempre con una general sobreabundancia demedios, poca nitidez de objetivos y mayor complicacin. El presentetexto no alcanza en su brevedad ms que a enunciar una leveinsinuacin de lo que el anlisis de su rica obra puede ofrecer, peroaspira a manifestar sta como un exigente elemento de comparaciny, en algunos casos, como la imagen de su propio lmite.Madrid, verano-otoo de 1990 y enero de 1992.

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Aalto. Urbanizacin en Pava, Italia, 1966.Aalto. Housing Complex in Pava, Italia, 1966.

to living beings but, at the same time, the basic equality which distinguishesthe species.Once again it is a matter of adopting the virtues of what is linear withoutaccepting its defects: from Le Corbusier in Algeria, we can pick up the ideaofform and reject the scale;from Hibersemer, the order, the needfor thesystem can be accepted, but not the repetition or the schematism. Theproject obeys the understanding of the discontinuous condition as the realnature ofthe earthly crust, achieving the uniqueness, variation and precisinand attractiveness of the open space.The linear and systematc arrangement has been overeme without the needto abandon it. The set ofabstract Unes becomes afigurative theme, but suchhas been the insistence that, premedtated or not, a strong and new Ilusinis produced in thefollowing ways-. the city is moved, "animated" by twists andturns; the blochs are individualized and fumished with the illusion ofmovement which its waves crate, seems to refer to gigantic animis which,in herds, slide over the terrain. The photos of the scale moda are quiteexpressive, although it is necessary to admit that the constructed realitymight not have been exactly so. It is not possible to determine to what extenta half-hidden illusionism, voluntarily concealed between the abstractcondition oftheforms, comes from insp iration it is in the origin or ho wmuch is a product ofthe method, the final image ofthe intentions, the ideas.

* * *Aalto 's Illusionism whose touches we could perhaps continu observing incertain works cannot only be associated with inspiration. It adds to hisarchitecture, an aspect which enriches it, giving it a greater attraction andaltering the meaningw hich was conventionally had ofit. It also refers to an dsymbolizes his reflections about discipline, when, supported by his formalfertility and his powerful intelligence, it was capable of transformingModemity without denying its principies. Besides, he does so with realismand with considerable simplicity befare his objectives: with an economy offormal means.His lesson becomes current today when several of the architectonicambitions which are currently pursued, seem tofollow the exploitation ofthemodem heritage with similar touches, or even altematives, but always witha general over-abundance of means, rather unclear objectives and a greatercomplication. The present text does not manage, in its brevity, analysis ofhisrich work can offer, but it aspires to express his work as a strict element ofcomparison and, in some cases, as the image of its own limits.

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40

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41

Lmparas como estrellas. Aalto traslada al san de Jyvskyla, y de forma mucho ms moderada, elilusionismo de Asplund en el cine Skandia con su noche de muchas lunas.La fachada racionalista del edificio del peridico en Turku quedaba figurativamente afectada por lailusin de la imagen de la primera pgina gigante del diario del da.

Lamps lke stars.Aalto transfers to fyvaskyla's living room and in a much m ore mod rate form,Asplund's illusionism in the Skandia Cinema, with his night of many mo ons.The Rationalist facade of the bulding of the Tu rku newspaper w as figuratively affected by theIlusin of the mage of the first giant page of the day's newspaper.

Alvar Aalto Museum. Suomen Rakennustaiteen Muse o.

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4 :

El pabelln f inlands de la exposicin universal de Nueva York, de 1939, era un volum en cerrado, casi opaco, que encerraba sinanunciarlo un interior sorprendente, concebido en su total idad como una forma i lusoria.The Finnish PavUion o the New York World's Fair of 1939 was a closed, almost opaque volume, whch enchsed without announcing it, asurprising interior, conceived in ts entirety asan illusory form. Alvar Aalto Found ation.

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43

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La com plejida d del pabelln de Nueva York se cont rol casi por com pleto m ediante la planimetra h orizo ntal. La gran comple jidad que pareca alcanzar la Imagen de I U Interior seconfiguraba tambin como una i lusin.

The complexity of the New Y ork World's Fair Pavilion wa s controlled almost entlrely by mean s of the horizontal planlmetry. The great complexity, whlch the Image of ti interior seeme ndto attan, took shape also as an Ilusin. Suomen Rakennustaiteen M useo.

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Secciones constructivas inditas del pabelln de Nueva York. Elcontrol del espacio se completa mediante la seccin transversal ysu sencillez contrasta con la complejidad de la imagen que crea.Unique constructlve seciions of the New York world's FairPavillion. The control of space s completed by means of thetransversal section an d Its slmplidty contrasts wlth the complextyof the Image whlch it creates.e Alvar Aalto Foundation.

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Exterior de la Biblioteca de Viipuri entendida como una composicin por partes yuxtapuestas, mtodo que su interior desmiente en granmodo .The exterior of the Viipuri librar/ is underslood asa compos ition of uxtaposedpa rts, a method which its interior belies to a greatextent. Alvar Aalto Museum .