Late Grand Duchy period: Jugend Architecture of Finland



























töölö competition drawing, helsinki, lars sonck, 1899.



detail of model of munkkiniemi-haaga town plan, helsinki, eliel saarinen, 1915.


even @ height of jugendstil style, there opponents criticised stagnant tastes , mythological approaches whereby jugendstil becoming institutionalised. well-known opponents architect-critics sigurd frosterus , gustaf strengel. frosterus had worked briefly in office of belgian-born architect henry van de velde in weimar in 1903, , @ same time strengel worked in london @ office of architect charles harrison townsend. critique partly inspired results 1904 competition design helsinki railway station, won eliel saarinen. in jury report, architecture of frosterus s entry described imported . same year frosterus entered competition vyborg railway station, saarinen again won. frosterus strict rationalist wanted develop architecture towards scientific ideals, instead of historical approach of jugendstil. in frosterus s own words: want iron , brain style railway stations , exhibition buildings; want iron , brain style stores, theatres , concert halls. according him, architect had analyse tasks of construction in order able logically justify solutions, , must take advantage of possibilities of latest technology. particular challenge of time reinforced concrete. frosterus considered buildings of modern metropolis should constructivist in expressing purpose , technology honestly. designed number of private residences, made major breakthrough in 1916, gaining second prize in competition stockmann department store in heart of helsinki. commissioned realise building, completed after finland gained independence, in 1930. misleading see jugendstil style wholly opposed classicism; frosterus s own works combined elements of both. key example kalevakangas cemetery chapel in tampere, designed wäinö gustaf palmqvist , einar sjöström; had won architectural competition project in 1911, , completed in 1913. while containing many of decorative elements familiar jugendstil, overall form borrows key classical model, pantheon in rome.


another point of debate @ time of merits of urbanism. again, of importance here opposing views abroad, namely picturesque theories of town planning proposed viennese city planner camillo sitte, put forward in influential book city planning according artistic principles (1889) , opposing classical-rational urbanism point of view proposed in vienna otto wagner, heavily influenced parisian model - under directorship of baron haussmann 1858 1870 - of driving wide boulevards through old labyrinthine city intent of modernising traffic , waste management, enabling greater social control of population. debate came head in finland in first ever town planning design competition in 1898-1900 töölö district of helsinki. 3 entries lifted out recognition; first prize gustaf nyström (together engineer herman norrmén), second prize lars sonck, , third prize joint entry sonck, bertil jung , valter thomé. nyström s scheme represented classicism wide main streets , imposing public buildings arranged in symmetrical axial compositions, , other 2 in sittesque style, street network adapted rocky terrain , picturesque compositions. fantastic sketch accompanying sonck s competition entry gives indication of imagery aiming for, inspired travels in germany. historian pekka korvenmaa makes point leading theme creation of atmosphere of medieval urban environments - , sonck later designed similar proposal in 1904 rearrange immediate surroundings of st.michael s church in helsinki, numerous fantastic spired buildings. in töölö competition, undecided course of action take, however, city council asked prize-winners submit new proposals. when led further stalemate nyström , sonck commissioned work on final plan combining nyström s spacious street network , elements of sonck s sittesque details. final plan (1916) under direction of jung, made scheme more uniform, while architecture seen typical of nordic classicism style. typical street in plan of museokatu, tall lines of buildings in classical style along curving street line. still wider (24 metres) new tree-lined boulevard of helsinginkatu, driven through working-class district of kallio, first outlined in 1887 sonck, further input nyström, , completed in around 1923.


but more ambitious town plan töölö eliel saarinen s 2 plans helsinki, munkkiniemi-haaga plan of 1910-15 , pro-helsingfors plan of 1918. former city development of 170 000, equalled entire population of central helsinki @ time. scheme equally inspired parisian axiality of haussman, intimate residential squares of raymond unwin in english garden cities , large-scale apartment blocks of otto wagner in vienna. small fragments of scheme ever completed. later scheme, originated private land speculation rather public planning, involved expansion of central helsinki - included filling in töölö bay in centre of city - planning of smaller satellite communities - saarinen termed organic decentralization , again inspired british garden city principle - around edge of city. no aspects of latter scheme ever realised.


a major architectural-historical event emigration of eliel saarinen usa in 1923, after received second prize in chicago tribune tower competition of 1922. on moving usa, saarinen designed campus cranbrook academy of art (1928) in same architectural style, while architects in finland moved on more modernism.














































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