2.6 The Horizontal Sliding Window
G
iedion attempted to organise a construction technology exhibition in conjunc-
tion with the CIAM conference in Brussels, with the horizontal sliding window
as its theme.^447 Giedion contacted Aalto for material for the exhibition. In Sep-
tember, Aalto sent a number of sketches on the structure of his sliding window designs.^448
In October, Giedion confirmed having received Aalto’s drawings and asked for a physical
model. In November, he queried again whether the windows that Aalto had promised him
had already been dispatched. Eventually, the sliding window Aalto sent for the exhibition
arrived too late.^449 Giedion’s intended exhibition never finally materialised in Brussels, but
it was later realised in Zurich.^450
The exhibition, although not finalised as intended, nonetheless gave Aalto the
impetus to develop steel window types. They were in demand, as steel windows had
until then been available only as imports and Finnish manufacturers had recently
started producing them.^451 In September 1930, Aalto sketched several versions of the
metal-framed sliding window with German annotations.^452 The Aaltos’ exhibit at the
Helsinki Minimum Apartment Exhibition in 1930 included one iron window and it
is possible that Aalto had only one sample window made, which he would prefer to
showcase in Finland rather than Brussels.^453 It may be that the architect could not
afford to have more than one sample window made and he knew that he would gain
more attention for it in Finland than elsewhere.
The drawings of the horizontal sliding windows created for the Brussels exhi-
bition were grouped with the Paimio Sanatorium drawings at the Alvar Aalto
Museum. The sanatorium drawings included 13 window standard drawings in total,
eight of which were numbered. Four drawings were undated. The oldest drawing
was dated January 1929 and the last one October 1930. Standards Nos. 201–206
had German annotations and Standard 203 Finnish annotations, and they were all
signed by Aalto. These were the same drawings that Aalto created for the sliding
window exhibition. Standard drawings Nos. 201–206 had no window codes that
refered to the sanatorium’s window programme and, in terms of their solution, they
paid no resemblance to any of the windows that were eventually realised at the
hospital. Moreover, Standards Nos. 201–206 were dated October 1930, while the
window acquisitions for the sanatorium took place much later, in spring of 1931.
These standards were therefore not related to acquisitions for the sanatorium.
447 Giedion’s letter to Aalto, which was probably written at the end of August 1930. Signum 10812, correspondence. AAM.
448 Aalto’s letter to Giedion, September 10, 1930. Signum 25453, correspondence. AAM.
449 Giedion’s letter to Aalto, January 13, 1931. Signum 10821, correspondence. AAM.
450 Mumford 2002, p. 78.
451 Heikinheimo 2002, pp. 88–89.
452 Elina Standerskjöld described these drawings. Standerskiöld 1992b, p. 91.
453 Elina Standerskiöld also arrived at the same conclusion. Standerskiöld 1992b, p. 90.