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Case Study Paimio Sanatorium
A building with similar functions and desolate context
Figure 23 Optimized planning
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Figure 24 Atmosphere
Figure 25 Gestures Looking at the detailing of the Paimio Sanatorium, Aalto paid sensibly attention to the tactility of materials and local surroundings of the sanatorium. When designing the spaces, Alto focused on the functionalities and their hierarchy and how the spaces operates and complement each other.
Red rubber flooring and coloured ceilings were painted in green, cream and white colour tones. Here, the detailing was found in the colouring that diminished the antiseptic atmosphere, which were experienced in traditional health buildings of that time.
Aalto also designed the furniture of the building. E.g. chairs with attention to how the patients could sit and the choice of using wood. Affordances like special designed sinks, reduced noise so the patient would not feel bothered. Gestures like door handles and handrails were designed with wooden finishes too, and the wooden surface showed empathy for the patient by its warmth and softness. The Altos also introduced the curve-linear shape to guide the movement of the patients through spatial transitions. The canteen had a double height ceiling to let in daylight and nature giving the experience of the everchanging outdoor. At the rooftop, greenery, shelter and view towards the forest, gave the patient safeness, fresh air, light and restoration.
Nature as a contextual element and quality, was a huge focus in the conceptualization and development of the building. Subsequently scientists like M.D Burnard, A. Kutnar and L.B. Fich, conclude that wooden and the natural setting more or less had a calming effect on the human being, measuring diastolic blood pressure, heart rate variability and saliva cortisol, as furtherly analysed on p. 38.
Figure 26 View towards nature
