viipuri library case study

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AD Classics: Viipuri Library / Alvar Aalto

• Written by David Langdon

Despite being one of the seminal works of modern Scandinavian architecture, Alvar Aalto ’s Viipuri Library languished in relative obscurity for three-quarters of a century until its media breakthrough in late 2014. Its receipt of the World Monuments Fund/Knoll Modernism Prize for a recent renovation was covered by news outlets around the world, bringing the 1935 building previously unseen levels of attention and scrutiny.

This renaissance is nothing less than extraordinary. Abandoned for over a decade and allowed to fall into complete disrepair, the building was once so forgotten that many believed it had actually been demolished. [1] For decades, architects studied Aalto’s project only in drawings and prewar black-and-white photographs, not knowing whether the original was still standing, and if it was, how it was being used. Its transformation from modern icon to deserted relic to architectural classic is a tale of political intrigue, warfare, and the perseverance of a dedicated few who saved the building from ruin.

When Aalto won the competition to design Viipuri’s city library in 1927, it was among the first in a series of seminal modernist projects he undertook throughout his native country of Finland. [2] Viipuri was at that time a thriving industrial and commercial port city located near the country’s volatile Eastern border with the U.S.S.R. Construction ended in 1935, but its residency in Finland was to be short-lived. The Finnish government officially ceded Viipuri to the Soviet Union by treaty after the Winter War of 1939-40, upon which it was recaptured by Finnish troops during World War II and then retaken by the Soviets in 1944. Located in the center of the fighting and largely evacuated by its population, Viipuri lost well over half of its buildings to war and most that remained were heavily damaged. What was once Finland’s second most populous city suddenly became a ghost town, a Soviet boundary outcropping thereafter named Vyborg . [3]

Photographs from before 1940 show Aalto's library at the heart of a proud city, located just behind Viipuri’s stoic, neo-Gothic cathedral. When its neighbors—including the cathedral itself—were reduced to rubble under Soviet artillery, the library was abandoned and allowed to fall into disrepair. Hidden behind the increasingly impenetrable Iron Curtain, knowledge of the building was lost to the western world, and it was presumed destroyed. [4]

Against the odds, the library survived the wars. In the late 1950s, a renewed interest in the town led to the first hasty renovation of the building by Soviet architects who allegedly did not have access to Aalto’s original plans. [5] Sickly but standing, the building continued to serve as a library for the growing population of Vyborg , showing ever increasing signs of age and wear. When Mikhail Gorbachev’s glasnost of the late 1980s gave the outside world its first glimpses of the library in nearly fifty years, they were greeted with an ignominious sight. With its stained and cracked white stucco, defaced by graffiti, the library more closely resembled the Villa Savoye of Tschumi’s Advertisements than the architectural treasure it had once been.

In 2000, the library's appreciation reached a turning point. It was listed on the 100 Most Endangered Sites by the World Monuments Watch, a stern warning (and a dubious honor) that it would receive again two years later . Amidst the perpetual tensions between Finland and Russia, interest in the building became a welcome point of cooperation. Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin and Finnish President Tarja Halonen secured joint funding in 2010 for a complete restoration of the library. Refinishing the façade and interior walls in their entirety and meticulously rehabilitating Aalto’s trademark interior details, the renovation brought the building back to life.

The library's massing consists of two simple rectangular blocks that are offset horizontally from one another, but the internal spatial organization is deceptively more complex. What is often described as three floors in plan is actually six or seven in section, resulting in a variegated array of volumetric conditions and a complex field of transitional spaces. The programmatic arrangement bears some resemblance to the simpler massing, with administrative and ceremonial spaces in the main entrance block and the bulk of the reading spaces and bookshelves in the larger rear block. The intricacy of the plans, however, reveals this diagram not to be so straightforward in practice.

The circulation of this complex interior arrangement captures the essence of Aalto’s design. Analogizing to a rugged mountain topography defined primarily by changes in elevation, he strove to create a stepped “interweaving of the section and ground plan” and “a kind of unity of horizontal and vertical construction.” [6] Unlike the flat hallways often typified by functionalist projects, movement corridors through the building deviate upward as they progress inward, culminating at a central administrative desk at the path's symbolic summit. In a modified display of modernist axioms, Aalto capitalizes on the resulting transitional areas by giving them programmatic value, expanding landings into reading platforms and bridging inter-floor gaps with bookshelves. The result is a seamless, continuous journey that meanders through the entirety of the building with stream-like fluidity.

Despite its experientialist inspirations, the composition of the building is determined by a rigorously logical process. Dialogue between different elements of the building is geometrically driven by scalar grids, proportional relationships, and rotations. The administrative desk—the programmatic heart of the building—is also its geometric center, generating a radial pulse that aligns bookshelves and stairwells with a single point, a powerful circular motif in an otherwise orthogonal system. Grid overlaps result in the creation of interstitial spaces, such as the corridor behind the lecture hall, in a language so process-driven as to be strangely prescient of deconstructive methodologies that would not appear for another forty years.

On a more functional level, the library presented an opportunity for the young Aalto to begin testing his ideas on natural lighting, a pursuit he would continue throughout his career. Aiming to fill the reading rooms with diffuse light, he invented a conical skylight that would funnel in daylight without allowing direct, shadow-producing solar rays. Relying on the generative grid that organizes the reading rooms, he systematically perforated the roof with two-meter light wells, giving the roof its trademark futuristic appearance. This highly effective lighting model became a staple of Aalto’s design, receiving cameo appearances at the Otaniemi Library and at Rautatalo . These skylights also became an enduring ideal of library design in general, as is demonstrated by the recent completion of Gwathmey Siegel & Associates ’ Haas Fine Arts Library at Yale .

While the Viipuri Library irrefutably belongs to the budding modernist tradition, it consistently displays a calculated tendency to depart from pure functionalism. Rich details that are neither rational nor purely ornamental, such as his diagonal entrance door bracings or the sensuous banisters of the stairwells, add an expressive and distinctly personal flare to modern forms. The formal organization of the building and its "tendency to highlight particular design elements" is likewise aberrant in its composition and complexity. [7]

Ever sensitive to the environment and traditions of his country, Aalto enriched the formal purities of Viipuri’s modern design with a material palette more typical of Finnish architecture. The white stucco, concrete, and glass of the façade finds delightful contrast with the warm wood finishes of the interiors, including a spectacular rolling wooden ceiling in the lecture hall. Aalto’s concern over natural lighting, a timeless hallmark of Scandinavian design, alludes to distinctly local construction methods. These impulses away from mainstream modernism allow the library to fall into an early category of regional modernism that stylistically integrates local tradition with the progressive sensibilities of L’Esprit Nouveau of mainland Europe.

Even if it was luck alone that shielded the Viipuri Library through its tumultuous adolescence, it was the richness of its design and its priceless value to modern architecture that allowed it to survive the decades that ensued. And while Viipuri’s story is one of the enduring power of great architecture, it also one of architecture’s inextricable interconnectedness and occasional subservience to politics; it is proof that buildings cannot exist in a realm above the cities and nations in which they are located, and like the world around them, can fall prey to the ruminations of international politics and the perils of war.

[1]“Viipuri Library.” Alvar Aalto Museo . Retrieved 1 December 2014 from http://www.alvaraaltoresearch.fi/files/3213/6093/2171/AAM_RN_Passinmaki.pdf

[2] See generally Koepper, H.F. "Alvar Aalto." Encyclopedia Brittanica. Retrieved 3 Dec. 2014 from http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/241/Alvar-Aalto .

[3] See generally "Vyborg." Encyclopedia Brittanica. Retrieved 3 Dec. 2014 from http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/633556/Vyborg.

[4]“Viipuri Library.” Alvar Aalto Museo . Retrieved 1 December 2014 from http://www.alvaraaltoresearch.fi/files/3213/6093/2171/AAM_RN_Passinmaki.pdf

[6] Passinmaki, Pekka. “The Trout, the Stream, and the Letting-Be. Alvar Aalto’s Contribution to the Poetic Tradition of Architecture.” Working paper – Alvar Aalto Researchers’ Network. Retrieved 1 December 2014 from http://www.alvaraaltoresearch.fi/files/3213/6093/2171/AAM_RN_Passinmaki.pdf

[7] Musgrove, John, ed. Sir Banister Fletcher’s A History of Architecture . Butterworth Group: Great Britain, 1987.

• Architects: Alvar Aalto
• Area Area of this architecture project Area:  2500 m²
• Year Completion year of this architecture project Year:  1935
• Photographs Photographs: Denis Esakov , The Finnish Committee for the Restoration of Viipuri Library and Petri Neuvonen , Flickr user ninara , Flickr user : Liz Waytkus , David Langdon

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Alvar Aalto’s Vyborg / Viipuri Library: Transcending Boundaries

Alvar Aalto, an iconic figure in the realm of modern architecture, carved a niche for himself with his nuanced understanding of form and space, and his sensitivity towards the surrounding environment. One of his early masterpieces, the Viipuri Library (1935), nestled in Vyborg, Russia (formerly Viipuri, Finland), encapsulates his groundbreaking design philosophy. The library is an exceptional synthesis of Aalto’s vision, innovation, and boldness to challenge conventional norms. 

Vyborg Library Technical Information

• Architects: Alvar Aalto
• Location: City Park, Vyborg (Viipuri), Russia
• Topics: Libraries
• Area: 2,500 m 2
• Project Year: 1927-1935
• Restoration: 1994-2013
• Photographs: © Alvar Aalto Foundation, © Petri Neuvonen, © Gustaf Welin

Architecture is only a very, very small part of man’s life. It is not more than that unless we think that it is more. One of the qualities that immediately impresses us in any architectural masterpiece, from the Gothic cathedral to the simplest dwelling, is the feeling that the architecture is completely dominated by and fused with the basic facts of life. – Alvar Aalto 1

Vyborg Library Photographs

Architectural Innovation: Light, Material, & Acoustics

Aalto’s design philosophy was deeply rooted in humanism and naturalism, which found its essence in his designs. He envisioned his buildings as living entities, harmoniously blended into their environments. His designs catered to the function, the needs of the users, and the context, reflecting an organic and democratic architecture approach.

The Viipuri Library is an embodiment of this philosophy. Conceived as a “forest of columns,” the library was designed to house a growing collection of books and serve as a community space for Viipuri’s residents. The building’s organization represented an intuitive understanding of public space, with separate zones for children and adults, a lecture hall, and an open circulation space. The highlight of the original design was the main reading room with its undulating, wave-like ceiling, made of reinforced concrete slats designed to modulate natural light – a testament to Aalto’s innovation and thoughtfulness.

The Viipuri Library is remembered as much for its architectural forms as for its pioneering approach to materials and technology. Aalto’s experimental attitude towards materiality and construction is evident in the library’s design, especially in his innovative use of light and sound.

The most renowned aspect of the Viipuri Library is the wave-shaped ceiling of the main reading room. Aalto innovatively used reinforced concrete, forming a rhythmically undulating, free-form structure that enabled both acoustic and light control. The waved ceiling was a pragmatic and aesthetic element, where form followed function – it modulated natural light to minimize glare and created excellent acoustics for the reading room.

Aalto’s application of wood and other natural materials, his careful handling of light, and his innovative use of construction techniques mark the Viipuri Library as a transition point from his early classicism toward a unique brand of modernism that would define his later works.

Restoration: A Journey Back in Time

Over the years, due to the turmoil of war and political changes, the Viipuri Library had fallen into a state of disrepair. The building’s historical and architectural significance led to a monumental restoration effort spearheaded by the Finnish Committee for the Restoration of Viipuri Library and architect Tapani Mustonen .

The restoration process, lasting from 1994 to 2013, was painstaking. Every effort was made to stay faithful to Aalto’s original design, maintaining the authenticity of the materials, design details, and overall spirit of the space. This commitment to preservation offers us a glimpse of Aalto’s original intent and design, fostering an appreciation of his contribution to modern architecture.

Alvar Aalto’s Viipuri Library continues to inspire and educate, transcending boundaries of time and geography. The library serves as a reminder of Aalto’s holistic vision of architecture, where form and function, interior and exterior, man-made and natural, exist in harmony. A visit to the library is a journey into the heart of Aalto’s design philosophy – a timeless exploration of light, space, material, and the human experience. Through the Viipuri Library, Aalto has etched an enduring mark in the annals of architectural history.

Vyborg Library Plans

Vyborg Library Image Gallery

About Alvar Aalto

Alvar Aalto (1898–1976) was a Finnish architect and designer, recognized as a pivotal figure in the development of modern architecture during the 20 th century. His humanistic approach to modernism, often termed as “ Nordic Classicism ” or “ Functionalism, ” resulted in an iconic architectural language that gracefully merged form, function, and context. Aalto’s buildings, such as the Viipuri Library and Paimio Sanatorium , demonstrate a sensitivity towards natural materials, light, and the human experience. Moreover, his furniture and product designs extended his holistic vision, reinforcing the idea of Gesamtkunstwerk – a total work of art. Aalto’s work, characterized by its warmth, naturalism, and defiance of standardization, profoundly influenced subsequent generations of architects and designers, making him a beacon in global architectural history.

Notes & Additional Credits

• Alvar Aalto: Architect  by  John Stewart  & Richard Rogers 

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Viipuri Library

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• ACRIS instructions

The building that disappeared: The Viipuri Library by Alvar Aalto

• Department of Architecture

Research output : Thesis › Doctoral Thesis › Monograph

• Viipuri Library
• material culture
• architecture

Access to Document

• http://urn.fi/URN:ISBN:978-952-60-8073-4 Licence: Unspecified

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• Buildings Social Sciences 100%
• Alvar Aalto Arts and Humanities 100%
• Meaning Social Sciences 33%
• Restoration Arts and Humanities 20%
• Finnish Social Sciences 16%
• Materials Social Sciences 16%
• Architecture Social Sciences 13%
• Architects Social Sciences 13%

T1 - The building that disappeared

T2 - The Viipuri Library by Alvar Aalto

AU - Berger, Laura

N2 - This dissertation introduces the `life´ of one building: the Viipuri Library, designed by Alvar Aalto in 1927-1935. The theoretical perspective draws from the field of material culture studies and the agency of objects. In the case of this particular building, the research enquires what buildings `do´as part of our material environment. In the context of architecture, the library has a role as an important early work by Aalto, while it is also internationally valued as a key building of modernist architecture. The meanings associated with this building are, however, also rooted in its geopolitical context. The library was originally opened in the Finnish city Viipuri, but at the end of World War II the city along with the larger region referred to as ´lost Karelia were annexed to the Soviet Union. Since 1991 the building has been located in present-day Russia. After the end of the Cold War, the Soviet/Russian, Finnish and international architectural community has advocated for the need to restore the library. The restoration was realized through Finnish-Russian cooperation, and completed in 2013. Regarding the building, this research aims to provide answers to two questions: 1) What exactly are the contexts in which the library has been presented as a building of importance? 2) What, if anything, is special about this particular library, enabling it with the ´capacity´to bring together recognizably different contexts? The study proceeds from two notions. First, that the library has been associated with contexts where there is something larger at stake, making the building stand out as a case of `more than just a building´. Second, that this particular building surfaces in very different types of materials ranging from professional architectural publications to war histories and opinion pieces in Finnish newspapers, which locate the building in Viipuri and lost Karelia. With use of materials from archival documents, military photographs, newspapers of the period, architectural drawings and publications, this work aims to unravel the `life cycle´ of the library to the present day. The structure of the thesis is thematic and approximately chronological. The main body consists of four thematic chapters. The first chapter titled `The City´ introduces the local context, the events behind the realisation of the library. The second chapter, `The Architect´. brings forth the context of architecture. focusing on the design process, Alvar Aalto building his career as an internationally recognized architect and the first Finnish and international reception of the library. The third chapter titled `The Lost Library´ describes the period of World War Ii when the borders moved back and forth between Finland and the Soviet Union. The fourth chapter, `The Restoration´, is where all the preceding events come together, as the building’s architectural importance and its geopolitical history are all discussed in association with the restoration project. The contents of the fourth thematic chapters are analysed through the lens of a theory developed by Alfred Gell in his work Art and Agency. An Anthropological Theory (1998). This theory is widely known in the field of anthropology, but has remained essentially unused. I suggest that Gell’s theory offers thought-provoking terminology and tools for analyzing the built environment, specifically objects of architecture. Gell’s main assertion is that meanings are not given, and it is instead the social-relational-matrix within which material objects gain their meanings. As situations and interpretations change, material objects, such as the library, are not about assigned meanings, and their efficacy is instead rooted in specific contexts. In this way, objects such as the library can `abduct´ meanings. This work introduces the library as an exemplary case of a Gellian `distributed´ object, a building that has come to stand for notions much larger and more abstract beyond itself.

AB - This dissertation introduces the `life´ of one building: the Viipuri Library, designed by Alvar Aalto in 1927-1935. The theoretical perspective draws from the field of material culture studies and the agency of objects. In the case of this particular building, the research enquires what buildings `do´as part of our material environment. In the context of architecture, the library has a role as an important early work by Aalto, while it is also internationally valued as a key building of modernist architecture. The meanings associated with this building are, however, also rooted in its geopolitical context. The library was originally opened in the Finnish city Viipuri, but at the end of World War II the city along with the larger region referred to as ´lost Karelia were annexed to the Soviet Union. Since 1991 the building has been located in present-day Russia. After the end of the Cold War, the Soviet/Russian, Finnish and international architectural community has advocated for the need to restore the library. The restoration was realized through Finnish-Russian cooperation, and completed in 2013. Regarding the building, this research aims to provide answers to two questions: 1) What exactly are the contexts in which the library has been presented as a building of importance? 2) What, if anything, is special about this particular library, enabling it with the ´capacity´to bring together recognizably different contexts? The study proceeds from two notions. First, that the library has been associated with contexts where there is something larger at stake, making the building stand out as a case of `more than just a building´. Second, that this particular building surfaces in very different types of materials ranging from professional architectural publications to war histories and opinion pieces in Finnish newspapers, which locate the building in Viipuri and lost Karelia. With use of materials from archival documents, military photographs, newspapers of the period, architectural drawings and publications, this work aims to unravel the `life cycle´ of the library to the present day. The structure of the thesis is thematic and approximately chronological. The main body consists of four thematic chapters. The first chapter titled `The City´ introduces the local context, the events behind the realisation of the library. The second chapter, `The Architect´. brings forth the context of architecture. focusing on the design process, Alvar Aalto building his career as an internationally recognized architect and the first Finnish and international reception of the library. The third chapter titled `The Lost Library´ describes the period of World War Ii when the borders moved back and forth between Finland and the Soviet Union. The fourth chapter, `The Restoration´, is where all the preceding events come together, as the building’s architectural importance and its geopolitical history are all discussed in association with the restoration project. The contents of the fourth thematic chapters are analysed through the lens of a theory developed by Alfred Gell in his work Art and Agency. An Anthropological Theory (1998). This theory is widely known in the field of anthropology, but has remained essentially unused. I suggest that Gell’s theory offers thought-provoking terminology and tools for analyzing the built environment, specifically objects of architecture. Gell’s main assertion is that meanings are not given, and it is instead the social-relational-matrix within which material objects gain their meanings. As situations and interpretations change, material objects, such as the library, are not about assigned meanings, and their efficacy is instead rooted in specific contexts. In this way, objects such as the library can `abduct´ meanings. This work introduces the library as an exemplary case of a Gellian `distributed´ object, a building that has come to stand for notions much larger and more abstract beyond itself.

KW - buildings

KW - Viipuri Library

KW - material culture

KW - architecture

KW - rakennukset

KW - Viipurin kirjasto

KW - materiaalinen kulttuuri

KW - arkkitehtuuri

M3 - Doctoral Thesis

SN - 978-952-60-8072-7

T3 - Aalto University publication series DOCTORAL DISSERTATIONS

PB - Aalto University

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Restoration of Aalto’s Viipuri Library

• Typologies Library  Culture / Leisure  Refurbishment 
• City Vyborg 
• Country Russia 
• Photographer Petri Neuvonen 

Completed in 1935, the Viipuri Library was along with the sanatorium of Paimio one of the works that marked the Finnish master Alvar Aalto’s evolution from the Nordic classicist style of architecture to modernity. It suffered damages during World War II bombings, but ultimately more destructive was the negligence and abandonment that was the fate of the building after Viipuri fell into Soviet hands and became Vyborg.The library suffered so much ruination that Alvar Aalto himself came to say that “the library exists, but the architecture has gone.” In the course of the 1960s the Russian authorities undertook a restoration that was well-intentioned but altogether lacking in rigor, thanks to limited funds and the absence of the original project documents, all in Helsinki.

It was not until the 1990s that a Finnish committee was formed and began to raise funds for a scientific restoration, completion of which took another twenty years. The intervention has centered above all on the three most unique elements of the building: the glazed surfaces of the stairs, the skylights, and the conference hall. In the first, the main metal profiles have been preserved, but the glass surfaces have been replaced. The skylights are almost entirely reconstructed, but with a new double glazing that serves as thermal insulation and prevents condensations. Finally, the wooden ceiling of the conference hall – which was wrongly rebuilt in the 1960s – has been replaced by one inspired in the original, put together in the 1930s by a team of naval carpenters.

Biblioteca en Viipuri Vyborg Library (Russia).

Responsables del proyecto   In charge of the project

The Finnish Committee for the Restoration of Viipuri Library (Eric Adlercreutz, Tapani Mustonen, Maija Kairamo, Leif Englund, Maren Nielsen, Olli Helasvuo, Eero Pekkari, Heikki Pekonen, Ben-Roger Lindberg, Aki Schadewitz, Mariel Pohlman).

Equipo local Local team

The Central City Alvar Aalto Library / Tatiana Svetelnikova, Helen Rogozina, Alexander Batalin.

Fotos Photos

Petri Neuvonen.

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The restoration of Alvar Aalto Library in Vyborg

By Alvar Aalto Foundation

"‘W.W.W.’ - THE ALVAR AALTO LIBRARY IN VYBORG"

Alvar Aalto won the design competition for the new Vyborg Central library in 1927 with a proposal to which he gave the pseudonym ‘W.W.W.’ The design was modern yet still steeped in the Classical tradition. Funds for building the new Central Library had been left in the will of Maria Lallukka, wife of Juho Lallukka, a Vyborg business tycoon.

The period between the competition proposal and the final design stage lasted five years. During that time, a great deal happened, both in European architecture and in Aalto’s own architectural thought processes. By the time the final drawings were prepared in December 1933, Aalto had become a thoroughbred Functionalist. When the Library was completed, it attracted worldwide attention and, in conjunction with Paimio Sanatorium, it raised Aalto up to become one of the figureheads of Modernism.

Vyborg Library ceased to be used by the Finns at the end of the Second World War, when Vyborg was ceded to the Soviet Union. The building survived the war with little damage, but remained unused for twenty years after the war with disastrous consequences. In 1961, the Library was reopened after being renovated according to the conditions that prevailed at the time.

The condition of the building deteriorated over the years and initiatives to save the building were made as early as the 1970s. The restoration project did not get started, however, until 1991 when some funds had been collected by public subscription.

From the very beginning, the Finnish Committee for the Restoration of Vyborg Library has acted as designer, director and supervisor of the project. The work was completed in November 2013, largely due to the allocation of substantial funding by the Russian Government. This restoration project, straddling the frontiers of two countries, has successfully brought back to life the original architectural value of the building.

"The restoration of the Central City Alvar Aalto Library in Vyborg is completed and was officially inaugurated on 23rd November 2013."

The restoration has been a long process which started in 1991. The work was carried out as a Russian-Finnish joint cross-border project within the context of two different socio-cultural societies, customs difficulties, economic fluctuations and currency rates, which could change the situation overnight. The project has been a learning process for all who have participated during the past years.

The building is a world famous masterpiece of 20th century modernism. The tectonic forms are a result of functions. The architectural values are composed of modern technical solutions, which are the essential object of preservation, conservation and restoration.

The goal of the restoration has been to restore the original architectural values of the building. Some fragments from the Soviet renovation 1955-62 are preserved as a historical layer and some new solutions have been necessary in order to provide modern spaces and technology for the library.

The Aalto Library is a potential site to be included to UNESCO´s World Heritage List. The WH selection criteria on authenticity of forms and design, materials and substance, use, techniques and function were bared in mind during the work.

In the beginning due to limited resources, the restoration was divided into sub-projects which were carried out in order of urgency to stop the further degradation of the building. First it was necessary to ensure the adequate functioning of the technical infrastructure, electricity, heating, fresh-water supply and drainage.

"1992"

The Finnish Committee for the Restoration of the Library was established under the initiative of architect Elissa Aalto. A similar Committee was established in Russia. An international fund-raising campaign was initiated.

"1993"

A preservation plan was begun and the most urgent repairs were made.

"1994"

Conservation and restoration of the great glass wall adjacent to the main entrance (completed 1996). Viipuri Library exhibition began an international tour.

In order to propagate the aesthetic values of Modernist architecture and as a manifestation of the restoration of Aalto’s architecture the great glass wall was chosen. The original steel frame of the glass facade was conserved, as were the original brass hinges. All the metal parts were given rust-protection and painted and the wooden parts were protected with linseed oil. This method was later used to renovate all the steel windows, which mostly are originals from 1930’s.

"1995"

General principles and overall design for the restoration were established. Emergency repairs made for the continuous functioning of the library.

"1996"

Restoration of the small roof terrace by the Reading Hall, which also served as a pilot project for the restoration of all the roof terraces.

"1997"

Renovation of the former caretaker's apartment begun as a case study project for the Library’s overall restoration (completed 2000).

"1998"

A ten square meter prototype of the Lecture Hall’s undulating ceiling was installed.

"1999"

The Lecture Hall Wing roof repair begun (completed 2001).

"2000"

Repair of the Children's Library entrance roof completed, financed by the Russian partner. Restoration design of the Reading and Lending Hall roofs (including the skylights) continues.

"2001"

Repair of the Lending Hall terrace staircase.  Conservation of the Periodicals' reading room entrance doors.  Publication of the Getty Grant Report.

"2002"

Repair of the Lending Hall roof completed and the Reading Hall roof repair begun. Restoration of the Lecture Hall window frames (completed 2008). Conservation and restoration of the Children's Library entrance doors.

"2003"

The roof repair of the Reading Hall, the main entrance and the Lending Hall terrace completed.

"2004–2005"

Restoration of the Periodicals reading room, and the entrance of the Children's library.

"2005"

The 70th Anniversary of the Library on 13th October 2005. An international campaign for Aalto furniture for the Lecture Hall organised during the year in co-operation with ARTEK and Furniture Manufacturer Korhonen.

"2006-2010"

Restoration of the Lecture Hall. Restoration of the entrance hall and the adjoining corridor.

"2010"

The Decree of the Government of Leningrad region from 29.12.2010 No 378 allocated 255,5 million Roubles (c. 6,5 million €) for the restoration works in the building of the Vyborg Central City Alvar Aalto library. The decision gave 2,5 years to complete the project.

Aalto Library which was going to manage the works, agreed with the Finnish Committee about  consulting, granting of the iconographical materials, original documents, restoration design, technical and architectural supervision on the restoration works and presence at the library once a week during the construction period.

"2011"

The works of the lending and reading department started in 2011 and were finished in May 2012. To renovate the ceiling heating system of the lending and reading halls took one year. Brick walls were plastered with three layer St. Astier-lime plasters.

Floor and stair coverings are DLW linoleum and Artigo Rubber, Multifloor/DN-UNI carpets.

The book shelves, lending hall counter, the book lift and its wooden cowering, the stair railings were reconstructed according to Aalto’s original specifications, drawings and photographs from 1930’s.

"2012–2013"

The works in cellar begun with dismantling the jungle of old pipes and heating systems. The trench around the whole basement was excavated. New external double ground water drains were installed around the library. The sprinkler system was installed on the ceiling of the book storage, which was entrusted with Compact bookshelf system.

Reconstruction of the interior was restored to its original state according to original drawings and original building descriptions in the Children’s library.

Office rooms, corridor and stairs were repaired thoroughly by using original working methods and materials. The marble mosaics of the both stairs were repaired. Fire detectors, security cameras etc. in the corridor were assembled asymmetrically on neutral places not to disturb the corridor’s original minimalistic appearance.

Exterior granite steps were removed; concrete base was partly renewed and old granite steps were installed back. The black polished granite stone gladding from the Soviet period was removed and new soap stone gladding was built following the original appearance. Main entrance doors from the Soviet era were dismantled and new bronze doors were reconstructed according the original design.

In the main lobby and the drought chamber there is ceiling heating which was renewed on the same manner than in other spaces. Ceilings and walls were rendered and painted with lime plaster and natural resin paints. New toilets were built on the original places. The cloth storage space from 1960’s renovation was preserved.

A new information desk was built and the Soviet steel and glass doors preserved at the entrance to reading and lending halls. Paimio lamps on the ceiling of the lobby and the drought chamber were cast and produced in St Petersburg according the original lamps borrowed from Paimio hospital.

The whole exterior was renewed with lime plasters and painted with lime paint. Most of the window sills were made according to the original details. Exterior doors were maintained according to the old restoration descriptions. All the roofs and skylights were maintained.

"23.11.2013"

The official opening of the Alvar Aalto Central City library attended by President Tarja Halonen and the chief of the office of President of the Russian Federation Sergey Ivanov and the governor of the Leningrad Oblast Alexander Drosdenko.

“W.W.W.” - Alvar Aalto Library in Vyborg  23.5.–14.9.2014 In the Gallery at the Alvar Aalto Museum

Exhibition —Alvar Aalto Museum

A Stool Makes history

Alvar aalto foundation.

A photographic tour of Alvar Aalto's restored Viipuri Library

For almost twenty years, The Finnish Committee for the Restoration of Viipuri Library worked to restore Alvar Aalto's rarely seen Viipuri library . Located in Vyborg, Russia, which was under Finnish rule when the library was originally conceived (hence its occasional moniker of the Vyborg Library) the newly restored interior and exterior of the library has been comprehensively photographed by  Denis Esakov .

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Restoration of alvar aalto's viipuri library wins 2014 modernism prize.

News: the World Monuments Fund/Knoll Modernism Prize for preservation of a modern landmark has been given to a Finnish committee responsible for restoring architect Alvar Aalto's Viipuri Library in Vyborg, Russia (+ slideshow).

The Viipuri Library was built between 1927 and 1935 in what was then the Finnish city of Viipuri, and has been restored by a specially formed committee in collaboration with the building's current management.

Barry Bergdoll, chairman of the Modernism Prize jury and curator of architecture and design at New York's Museum of Modern Art , said the building was "an icon of 20th century architecture".

"With its distinctive sky-lighted roof, undulating wood-slatted lecture hall ceiling, and glass facade-enclosed staircase — the library at Viipuri is one of Aalto’s most important buildings from the years in which he was adventurously exploring a new Modernist vocabulary; indeed, photographs of the building soon made him known around the world," said Bergdoll.

War and changing borders saw the town the structure was designed for change both countries and names – from Viipuri to Vyborg. It is now known locally as the Central City Alvar Aalto Library.

Under the Soviet regime, few outsiders were able to visit the building and it was threatened by abandonment and "inappropriate renovations", according to the World Monuments Fund (WMF) .

The Finnish Committee for the Restoration of Viipuri Library, whose members include chairman Eric Adlercreutz, Tapani Mustonen, Maija Kairamo, Leif Englund, Maren Nielsen, Olli Helasvuo, Eero Pekkari, Heikki Pekonen, Ben-Roger Lindberg, Aki Schadewitz, and Mariel Pohlman, was formed in 1992 after the fall of the USSR.

They were assisted by the new management of the library, including Tatiana Svetelnikova, Helen Rogozina, and Alexander Batalin.

Completed in 2013, the restoration required cooperation between the Finnish and Russian governments, regional authorities and international funding.

"The restoration organised and executed an impressive international campaign that has ensured the survival and revival of Aalto's masterpiece by restoring it to its original function as a vibrant municipal library," said Bergdoll.

The project took two decades and the building was twice listed on the World Monuments Watch list for modern buildings at risk – once in 2000 and once in 2002.

The WMF contributed a grant of $300,000 (£200,000) to restore 58 signature skylights over the reading room and lending library.

"The project reflects the highest standards of scholarship, authenticity, architecture, materials conservation, functionality, social impact, stewardship, and technical imagination," said a statement from the World Monuments Fund.

Launched in 2008, the Modernism Prize is granted every two years for an architectural or design solution that has preserved or enhanced a Modern landmark or group of landmarks.

It will be presented at New York's Museum of Modern Art on December 1 by WMF president Bonnie Burnham and Andrew B Cogan, CEO of furniture brand Knoll , which sponsors the prize.

The winners will received $10,000 (£6,200) and a limited edition Mies van der Rohe Barcelona Chair from Knoll.

"Viipuri Library is an iconic modern structure and we are delighted to witness its successful restoration through an international network of funders and professionals," said Burnham. "It speaks to the fundamental mission of WMF, which was founded on the belief that international cooperation can play a catalytic role in saving important historic sites around the globe."

Images courtesy of The Finnish Committee for the Restoration of Viipuri Library and Petri Neuvonen.

• Cultural buildings
• Alvar Aalto
• Architecture
• World Monuments Fund

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Published in 2/2019 - Education and Research

The Building that Disappeared – the Viipuri Library by Alvar Aalto

Laura Berger

Laura Berger's doctoral thesis (2018) traces the history of Viipuri Library designed by Alvar Aalto.

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An observer of contemporary finnish architecture since 1903..

Alvar Aalto Foundation | Alvar Aalto -säätiö EN Alvar Aalto Foundation | Alvar Aalto -säätiö EN

Architecture

9. 9. M o n d a y

Guided tours.

for groups by appointment

The Aalto House

Studio Aalto

Alvar Aalto Symposium 2024

Exhibition: the pool – the origin of pool skateboarding, 10. 9. t u e s d a y.

12:00, 13:00, 14:00, 15:00 and 16:00

14:30, 15:30 and 16:30

11. 9. W e d n e s d a y

12. 9. t h u r s d a y, 13. 9. f r i d a y.

14:30, 15:30 and 16:3014:30

14. 9. S a t u r d a y

12:00, 13:00, 15:00 and 16:00

13:30 and 14:30

15. 9. S u n d a y

16. 9. m o n d a y, 17. 9. t u e s d a y, 18. 9. w e d n e s d a y, 19. 9. t h u r s d a y, 20. 9. f r i d a y, 21. 9. s a t u r d a y, 22. 9. s u n d a y, 23. 9. m o n d a y, 24. 9. t u e s d a y, 25. 9. w e d n e s d a y, 26. 9. t h u r s d a y, 27. 9. f r i d a y, sacred spaces: community and continuity in aaltos’ architecture, 28. 9. s a t u r d a y, 29. 9. s u n d a y, 30. 9. m o n d a y, 1. 10. t u e s d a y.

12:00, 13:00 and 14:00

2. 10. W e d n e s d a y

3. 10. t h u r s d a y, 4. 10. f r i d a y, 5. 10. s a t u r d a y.

12:00 and 13:00

6. 10. S u n d a y

14:30 and 15:30

7. 10. M o n d a y

8. 10. t u e s d a y, aino & alvar aalto – the honeymoon route in italy.

Firenze, Padova, Venetsia

9. 10. W e d n e s d a y

10. 10. t h u r s d a y, 11. 10. f r i d a y, 12. 10. s a t u r d a y, 13. 10. s u n d a y, 14. 10. m o n d a y, 15. 10. t u e s d a y, 16. 10. w e d n e s d a y, 17. 10. t h u r s d a y, 18. 10. f r i d a y, 19. 10. s a t u r d a y, 20. 10. s u n d a y, 21. 10. m o n d a y, 22. 10. t u e s d a y, 23. 10. w e d n e s d a y, 24. 10. t h u r s d a y, 25. 10. f r i d a y, 26. 10. s a t u r d a y, 27. 10. s u n d a y, 28. 10. m o n d a y, 29. 10. t u e s d a y, 30. 10. w e d n e s d a y, 31. 10. t h u r s d a y, 1. 11. f r i d a y, 2. 11. s a t u r d a y, 3. 11. s u n d a y, 4. 11. m o n d a y, 5. 11. t u e s d a y, 6. 11. w e d n e s d a y, 7. 11. t h u r s d a y, 8. 11. f r i d a y, 9. 11. s a t u r d a y, 10. 11. s u n d a y, 11. 11. m o n d a y, 12. 11. t u e s d a y, 13. 11. w e d n e s d a y, 14. 11. t h u r s d a y, 15. 11. f r i d a y, 16. 11. s a t u r d a y, 17. 11. s u n d a y, 18. 11. m o n d a y, 19. 11. t u e s d a y, 20. 11. w e d n e s d a y, 21. 11. t h u r s d a y, 22. 11. f r i d a y, 23. 11. s a t u r d a y, 24. 11. s u n d a y, 25. 11. m o n d a y, 26. 11. t u e s d a y, 27. 11. w e d n e s d a y, 28. 11. t h u r s d a y, 29. 11. f r i d a y, 30. 11. s a t u r d a y, 1. 12. s u n d a y, 2. 12. m o n d a y, 3. 12. t u e s d a y, 4. 12. w e d n e s d a y, 5. 12. t h u r s d a y, 6. 12. f r i d a y, independence day, 7. 12. s a t u r d a y, 8. 12. s u n d a y, 9. 12. m o n d a y, 10. 12. t u e s d a y, 11. 12. w e d n e s d a y, 12. 12. t h u r s d a y, 13. 12. f r i d a y, 14. 12. s a t u r d a y, 15. 12. s u n d a y, 16. 12. m o n d a y, 17. 12. t u e s d a y, 18. 12. w e d n e s d a y, 19. 12. t h u r s d a y, 20. 12. f r i d a y, 21. 12. s a t u r d a y, 22. 12. s u n d a y, 23. 12. m o n d a y, 24. 12. t u e s d a y, christmas eve, 25. 12. w e d n e s d a y, christmas day, 26. 12. t h u r s d a y, 27. 12. f r i d a y, 28. 12. s a t u r d a y, 29. 12. s u n d a y, alvar aalto library.

Alvar Aalto won the design competition for the new Vyborg Central library in 1927 with a proposal to which he gave the pseudonym ‘W.W.W.’ The design was modern, yet still steeped in the Classical tradition. Funds for building the new Central Library had been left in the will of Maria Lallukka, wife of Juho Lallukka, a Vyborg business tycoon. 

The period between the competition proposal and the final design stage lasted five years. During that time, a great deal happened, both in European architecture and in Aalto’s own architectural thought processes. By the time the final drawings were prepared in December 1933, Aalto had become a thoroughbred Functionalist. When the Library was completed in 1935, it attracted worldwide attention and, in conjunction with Paimio Sanatorium, it raised Aalto up to become one of the figureheads of Modernism.

In the final design, the different parts of the building were given their own entrances and internal circulation was ingeniously controlled between spatial entities extending throughout the various floors. Aalto stressed the different functional characteristics of the spaces – on the outside, the library proper is separated from the lecture hall and the rest of the ‘socially active side’, opening up to the outside through huge windows. The architect carefully considered problems associated with lighting and acoustics, including in his drawings a large number of studies and sketches dealing specifically with these aspects.

The Library ceased to be used by the Finns at the end of the Second World War, when Vyborg was ceded to the Soviet Union. The building survived the war with little damage but remained unused for twenty years after the war with disastrous consequences. In 1961, the Library was reopened after being renovated according to the conditions that prevailed at the time.

The condition of the building deteriorated over the years and initiatives to save the building were made as early as the 1970s. The restoration project did not get started, however, until 1991 when some funds had been collected by public subscription. From the very beginning, the Finnish Committee for the Restoration of Vyborg Library has acted as designer, director and supervisor of the project. The work was completed in November 2013, largely due to the allocation of substantial funding by the Russian Government. This restoration project, straddling the frontiers of two countries, has successfully brought back to life the original architectural value of the building.

Designed in

Russia, Vyborg

Alvar Aalto Library, Viipuri. Photo: Gustaf Welin, Alvar Aalto Foundation

Facade towards the park. Photo: Maija Holma, Alvar Aalto Foundation.

Entrance floor. Drawing: Alvar Aalto Foundation.

Photo: Maija Holma, Alvar Aalto Foundation.

Aino and Alvar Aalto together with architect Aarne Ervi in 1930s in the library entrance hall. Photo: Gustaf Welin, Alvar Aalto Foundation

The lecture hall in the 1930s. Photo: Gustaf Welin, Alvar Aalto Foundation

In order to improve the acoustic properties of the long and narrow lecture hall, Aalto designed an undulating wood-panelled ceiling. Drawing: Alvar Aalto Foundation.

Detail of the lecture hall ceiling. Photo: Gustaf Welin, Alvar Aalto Foundation

The gently undulating wood ceiling in the lecture hall was made of Karelian red pine. Photo: Maija Holma, Alvar Aalto Foundation.

Acoustic study of the hall. Drawing: Alvar Aalto Foundation.

Aalto used many themes in Viipuri Library that were to be repeated in his later work, such as skylights and a sunken library. Photo: Gustaf Welin, Alvar Aalto Foundation

Drawing: Alvar Aalto Foundation.

The unpartitioned space of the library section is illuminated primarily through the skylights. Photo: Maija Holma, Alvar Aalto Foundation.

Most of the furniture ordered for the building consisted of standard items designed by Aalto. Photo: Maija Holma, Alvar Aalto Foundation.

The children´s department, with a special curtain designed by Aino Aalto as a room divider. Photo: Gustaf Welin, Alvar Aalto Foundation

Online Exhibition

The restoration of Alvar Aalto Library in Vyborg

Paimio Sanatorium

Paimio, Finland

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• Corpus ID: 194947596

The building that disappeared : the Viipuri Library by Alvar Aalto

• Laura Berger
• Published 2018

Figures from this paper

130 References

Viipuri library, 1927-1935: alvar aalto, style and epoch.

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Revisiting the Viipuri Library: Assessing performance and design trade-offs in custom ceiling geometry

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Revisiting the Viipuri Library: Assessing performance and design trade-offs in custom ceiling geometry

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Authors: Broyles, Jonathan M 1 ;  Self, Ian P 2 ;  Brown, Nathan C 2 ; 

Source: Proceedings of IASS Annual Symposia , IASS/APCS 2022 Beijing Symposium: Sustainable Heritage Challenges and Strategies in the Preservation and Conservation of 20th Century Historic Concrete Shells, pp. 1-12(12)

Publisher: International Association for Shell and Spatial Structures (IASS)

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Keywords: acoustics ; embodied carbon ; form finding ; historic structures ; multi-objective optimization

Document Type: Research Article

Affiliations: 1: The Pennsylvania State University 104 EUA, University Park, PA, USA, Email: [email protected] 2: The Pennsylvania State University 104 EUA, University Park, PA, USA

Publication date: September 19, 2022

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