The city of Seinäjoki in Finland's western province of Ostrobothnia is famous not only for its annual tango festival, but also for the Aalto Center. It is a modernist complex, inspired by Italian architecture, consisting of a church, town hall and library. It was designed and built between 1951 and 1980s.
From the workshop of Alvar Aalto, many beautiful, carefully thought out and innovative libraries for their time emerged: for example, in Vyborg, Rovaniemi, Wolfsburg, Germany, and, of course, in Seinäjoki. There are others, notably at the Espoo University of Technology.
But the library in Seinäjoki gradually became too cramped for the growing city: its population increased several times compared to the time of Aalto. In 2007, an architectural competition was organized in Seinäjoki to finally create a modern library there - large enough to accommodate an increasing number of users and meet the demands of a digital society. There was also controversy over the use of the Aalto library. Some local politicians suggested placing a children's and youth book department in her building. But there was a better idea.
The winner was announced in 2008 by the JKMM bureau, which has already shown its talent in the project of the Turku library - a beloved and actively used public building in the historical part of the city, next to the Aurajoki river and the cathedral.
The design of the new building looked simple from the outside: shamrock, in Finnish - APILA (as the authors called it). But the challenge for the architects of the table is more difficult than it seems at first glance: to create a large building and maintain a dialogue with Aalto's architecture, without imitating it, and to do it at the same time boldly and tactfully.
Seinäjoki is now proud of its world-class library, where children, youth, fiction and non-fiction lovers all have their own spaces under one roof, which looks like three.
The distribution of these spaces is extraordinarily ingenious. Architects and interior designers, artists and graphic designers (both JKMM and their partners) have created a vibrant yet cozy space where Seinäjoki residents love to gather. I spoke with a couple of townspeople who told me that they had never been interested in libraries or books before, but the new building is so welcoming that they now come here to read a lot. Some residents were already accustomed to holding their weekly meetings in the library café, which turned out to be a very pleasant, elegant and very “non-commercial” space. Even older people don't mind its cutting edge design at all.
In 2014, the Aalto Library building will open after restoration: the monument of modernism will retain its charm, and the old sense of library silence will remain intact there. An attractive underground corridor will run from the music and youth sections of the new building.
The facades of the APILA library are partly glazed, partly covered with white plaster and copper panels. In the large hall, the original ceiling is made of monolithic concrete. There is also a playful yet modern children's section and a bright white space for the youth book, music and video sections. Particularly popular are the soft "caves" and other cozy nooks, as well as the "reading steps" with their green pillows made especially for the library. The café-hall of periodicals, open to all, received not only horizontal showcases for newspapers and magazines, but also places for working on the Internet. Here you can go online from your tablet or laptop, or just sit with friends.
The profile of the ceiling is so well thought out in terms of acoustics that no noise enters the main hall. At dusk, you can admire the illuminated church and bell tower of Aalto through its large window. Those who wish can go up to the top of the bell tower and look at the Aalto Center complex and the APILA library from above, assessing how the two architectural eras meet.
The interior design specialist Päivi Meuronen worked on the project and has come up with many innovations here and in the library in Turku. The main architect of the project was JKMM partner Asmo Jaaksi. The APILA library auditorium is named after him.
The city of Seinäjoki has never left the architectural map of the world, but now its presence there is even more noticeable. It should also be noted that the new Turku libraries,
The University of Helsinki (Anttinen Oiva Architects) and Seinäjoki are examples of high-class architecture. The younger generation of Finnish architects is well aware of what a digital age library should be: elegant, fashionable, attractive, with a classic atmosphere of tranquility, but also with a fresh openness to the world.
To go to the top of the bell tower of Lakeuden Risti Church in Seinäjoki, all you have to do is contact the parish and the door will be unlocked for you.
