on Aalto’s networks.^183 Soiri-Snellman’s studies would suggest that it was Erik Brygg-
man who introduced Aalto to many influential people in the Turku construction busi-
ness, such as Arvi Ahti (1888–1940), and Emil Henriksson (1894–1970), who came to
play major roles in the Paimio Sanatorium project. Finnish architectural historian Aino
Niskanen’s monograph on Väinö Vähäkallio and his architectural office^184 was relevant
because Vähäkallio was a member of the architectural competition jury for Paimio
Sanatorium. The other architect member of the jury, Jussi Paatela (1886–1962) has so
far not been studied to a similar degree.^185 The Women’s Hospital of his design has been
discussed by Finnish art historian Petra Havu in her master’s thesis and by art historian
Maarit Henttonen as part of her doctoral dissertation on women’s and children’s hos-
pitals.^186 Aalto’s Swedish colleagues, Sven Markelius and Uno Åhrén, who were active
proponents of modern architecture and engaged in CIAM’s activities, have been topics
of monographs written by Swedish architectural historian Eva Rudberg. Rudberg also
studied the 1930 Stockholm Exhibition and Aalto’s architectural projects and personal
relations in Sweden.^187 Unfortunately, for the purposes of the present study, Rudberg
never carried out any detailed enquiry into the friendship between Aalto and Markelius,
a topic that remains a largely unknown territory.
1.3.5 PAIMIO SANATORIUM
There are at least six previous studies and publications on the Paimio Sanatorium
building, all very different from each other. Finnish historian Sirkka-Liisa Törrönen’s
study on the history of the Tuberculosis Sanatorium of Southwest Finland, from 1984,
represents basic research on the different stages of the construction of the hospital and
its first 50 years of operation.^188 It served as the primary guide when familiarising with
the research object. El Sanatorio de Paimio, 1929–1933: Alvar Aalto, la arquitectura entre
la naturaleza y la máquina (The Paimio Sanatorium, 1929–1933. Architecture Between
Nature and Machine) from 1991 is authored by three writers, who have attempted
to develop a poetic discourse on what they consider one of the most central works of
Modernism. The school of architecture at Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya had a
pedagogic objective although the publication is not an academic dissertation as such.
Alfred Linares’ article “Alvar Aalto y la Modernidad” (Alvar Aalto and Modernity)
183 Soiri-Snellman 2010.
184 See Niskanen 2005.
185 Architect Mikael Paatela, who continued his family profession and business, studied the hospital designs of Paate-
la’s practice in his work Sairaalarakennuksen kehitys (The Development of the Hospital Building). Paatela 2003;
Art historian Petra Havu studied the Paatela practice in another book published by Paatela & co. Architects Ltd,
Piirrä, piirrä, piirrä... Paatelan arkkitehtisuunnittelun 80 vuotta. (Draw, Draw, Draw... 80 Years of Paatela Archi-
tects). Havu 2001.
186 Havu 1996 and Henttonen 2009.
187 See Rudberg 1981, 1989a, 1999 and 2005.
188 See Törrönen 1984.