Chapter 1 | IntroductionThe historic building survey of Paimio Sanatorium Ark-byroo Architects carried out
as a consulting project in 2000,^213 and the researcher’s earlier work as the project architect
of the Vyborg City Library (1927–1935) restoration project helped to achieve familiarity
with the site and Aalto’s architecture of the period. This was essential in order to arrive at
conjectures that, in the completed narrative, have the weight of informed opinion. Other
projects designed by Alvar Aalto from the same period were inspected visually in order to
understand Aalto’s architectural approach, and the similarities, differences and repetitive
elements in them.^214 Also inspected on site visits were works by other architects such as
the Zonnestraal Sanatorium in Hilversum designed by Johannes Duiker, Bernard Bijvoet
and Jan Gerko Wiebenga, a building referred to as the model for Paimio Sanatorium,^215
the Bauhaus Dessau by Walter Gropius, a number of Le Corbusier’s and André Lurçat’s
works in Paris,^216 the Weissenhof Siedlung (Weissenhof Housing Scheme) in Stuttgart,
and in addition certain other Finnish sanatoria.^217
1.4.2 THE ANALYSIS
The empirical section on the construction process in this dissertation could be
described as a “close reading”: I have aimed at a highly detailed chronology of cer-
tain chains of events by juxtaposing various design and construction documents and
drawing comparisons between them. The purpose of this method was to identify the
critical points of the process. The general research question was approached through
different methods of data analysis.
The interaction between different actors has mainly been studied by cross-referenc-
ing the minutes of decision-making bodies, correspondence and drawings. The only
representative of the architectural practice mentioned in the minutes was Alvar Aalto.
The letters were mainly signed by Alvar Aalto, but other employees of his office also
participated in acquisitions. In terms of the drawings, their authorship of each drawing
has been validated based on signatures and initials.
213 Heikinheimo et al., Ark-byroo architects 2000.
214 These included his own house in Helsinki (1934–1936), Villa Mairea in Noormarkku (1938–1939), the Sunila Pulp
Mill (1937–1938) and its housing area (partly from the 1930s) in Kotka, the Turun Sanomat Newspaper Building in
Turku (1928–1930), the Standard Apartment Building in Turku (1927–1929) and the Southwest Finland Agricultural
Cooperative Building in Turku (1927–1929).
215 See e.g. Heinonen 1986, p. 239.
216 I refer to Le Corbusier’s works from the late 1920s and early 1930s such as Atelier Ozenfant, Maison La Roche-Jean-
neret, Villa Savoye, the Salvation Army and the Swiss Pavilion.
217 An on-site visual inspection was executed at Satalinna Sanatorium in Harjavalta (architect Onni Tarjanne 1925,
and Jussi Paatela 1927), Kinkomaa Sanatorium in Muurame (architects Jussi and Toivo Paatela 1927–1930, and
Jussi Paatela 1937–1938), Ahvenisto Sanatorium (architects Jussi and Toivo Paatela 1930–1932), the Tubercu-
losis Hospital of the City of Helsinki (architect Eino Forsman 1929), Women’s Hospital (architect Jussi Paatela
1932–1934), Tilkka Military Hospital (architect Olavi Sortta 1934–1936), Kiljavannummi Sanatorium (architect
Jussi Paatela 1938), Tarinaharju sanatorium in Siilinjärvi (architect Eino Forsman 1930) and Keski-Häme Sanato-
rium in Kangasala (architect Eino Forsman 1932).