This plan provides a summary of Aaltos architectural stategy in terms of circulation. The most important device he has used, is the orientation which takes advantage of the sun, in order to map out certain narratives. This is shown through the shadwo diagram and the arrows which point out the direction of the sun. This map also highlights the hierarchy of spaces, which is used as part of the social narrative reflecting Finish social values, where someone would be invited into a house for social interaction. They would start in the living room for a drink (largest area), and then closer friends would then be invited in the dining area (smaller space), after which, the closest guests would be invited into the sauna (the smallest space).
Aaltos strategy for circulation is to encourage people to go further. He uses a series of devices to do this, which I have graphically represtned in this model, in a series of rendered perpectives. It incldues the entrance, where the timber columns are strategically placed, in order to guide the visitors into the house. This is followed by the entrance room, whhere the curved partition points you to move into the living space. From here, more timber columns are utlised to further guide the journey into the dining room, where the asymmetric shape of the ceiling points the moving direction towards the door, which connects to the extneral canopy leading to the sauna. These architectural devices are used to imply a specific narrative which reflects a traditional Finish social occasion, where a visitor would be welcomed into a home.
This series of perspectives represents Aalto’s light strategy, which utilizes the movements of the sun to imply a narrative of circulation throughout the house. I have included three images, which capture certain moments in the house, which are influenced by the presence of the sun.
Materiality
Aalto saw things in terms of patterns, so to map out the materiality in the house, I used a floor plan divided by patterns to represent the variation of materials. From this distinction you can see how Aslot has cleverly used materials to imply particular uses for each space. For example he has used plenty of timber in the living room to give a warm, home-like feeling, whereas in the service parts of the house small tiles are utilised.
This extruded perspective of the facde depcits the strong relationship between materials. The main materials used include timber and brick render accented with stone, which are all layered in this image, showing the richness of the materiality.
Aalto’s attitude towards materials was based on a gret respect for nature and an urge to embrace this through materiality. He used the materials as a device to connect the architecture with the landscape. I represented this through a model of a space in the house which most clearly demonstrates this idea. The contrast between wood, stone, tiles, glass and brick render emphasises the diversity of materials and shows the way in which ee tried to ‘find a simple and honest way to use wood.’
Relationship between interior and exterior
One of the most interesting things about this building is it’s layers; overlapping of light and shade, tree foliage and trunks, bushes, colours and mateials, reflection and texture and the building itself. Everything overlaps to confuse the boundaries. This represntation shows the relationship in the way that when you take one layer away tt reduces the depth and interest. Without it the building looks like a box.
This extruded section is intended to portray the feeling of wandering through a forest in which spaces seem to form and re-form around you, which is a dominant feeling in this building.
This model which is made out of perspex, is a representation of the transparency of the house. It shows how Aalto has blurred the boundaries between interior and exterior particuarly through the extensive use of glazing which allows the occupants to keep a close sense of being in the forest. In contrast, the l-shape of the house defines a clear boundary between the forest and the house. This L-shape also appears to hug the nature, making the courtyard naturally extend to the landscape.
