Modern grace: Lyrical forms from Finland Alvar Aalto(1898 1976) made aunique modernist mark. Influenced by both the landscape and the political independence of his native Finland, he designedwarm, curving, compassionate buildings, wholly set apart from the slick, mechanistic, geometric designs that characterized much contemporary European practice.Whether a church, a villa, a sauna, or a public library, Aalto'sorganic structurestended to replace plaster and steel with brick and wood, often incoporatingundulating, wave-like forms, which would also appear in his chair, glassware, and lamp designs.An adherent to detail, Aalto insisted upon thehumanity and societal role of architecture, stating: Modern architecture does not mean using immature new materials; the main thing is to work with materials towards a more human line. Many of his public buildings such asSaynatsalo Town Hall, the lecture theatre atOtaniemi Technical University, theHelsinki National Pensions Instituteand theHouse of Culture, Helsinkimay be seen as psychological as well as physical landmarks in the rebuilding of Finland after the ravages of war.This book brings together Aalto's key works to introduce the architect hailed as a champion ofenvironmentally sound, progressive design, with adeep-rooted sense of home. About the Series: Each book in TASCHEN s Basic Architecture Series features: an introduction to the life and work of the architect the major works in chronological order information about the clients, architectural preconditions as well as construction problems and resolutions a list of all the selected works and a map indicating the locations of the best and most famous buildings approximately 120 illustrations (photographs, sketches, drafts and plans) "