3.6 A Massive Infrastructure Project Brought into a Pristine Landscape
F
or the purposes of this dissertation, infrastructure was referred to as installation
technology. This technology is of interest as town planning was a highly topical
theme at the time. Furthermore, Paimio Sanatorium was built in a rural area
and as a modern institution helped to bridge the gap between the city and the country-
side. It was, however, designed for patients with a serious illness, so it was understood
appropriate among the medical experts to locate it in an isolated environment. Various
large technological systems, which compose the essence of modern technology,^909 such
as the national electricity grid, developed in leaps and bounds in the inter-war period.
3.6.1 THE CHALLENGES IN IMPLEMENTING
WATER, SEWAGE AND HEATING SYSTEMS
The Building Board requested tenders for the water, drainage and heating piping con-
tracts in spring 1930. The candidates were required to present a design solution as part of
their tender. The tenders proved incommensurable so it was impossible to reach a deci-
sion based on them. Following the unsuccessful round of tendering, the Building Board
commissioned the water, drainage and heating piping plan from Radiator, one of the
companies that had submitted a tender.^910 Radiator was owned by Arthur E. Nikander
(1881–1953), who was one of the first building engineers in Finland to run a construction
firm. His firm Radiator was among the most significant ones at the time.^911 The new
round of tendering took place based on the plan devised by Radiator together with Aalto
in early 1931. Tenders were requested from five companies, three of which submitted
a tender. Huber, which was one of the leading Finnish companies in its field and the
one who had won the contract for the Turun Sanomat Newspaper Building, failed to
submit a tender in either round. It is also noteworthy that in this contract, which was
substantial in value, the tenders were not addressed to Alvar Aalto, who was in charge of
the contracting as the highest-ranking expert on the project.^912 The Building Committee
909 Hughes 1989, pp. 184–248.
910 Building Committee August 16, 1930, Section 5. PSA; Building Board August 21, 1930, Section 4. PSA.
911 Arthur E. Nikander (1881–1953) finished his M.A. (in technology) at Helsinki Polytechnical Institute in 1910. During
his studies he had been a trainee in the U.S.A. At the beginning of his career he worked at the municipal building
inspection of the City of Helsinki 1910–1919, after which he established a construction company, which became
one of the largest in Finland at the time. Arthur E. Nikander, one of the first builders with a solid background in
technology in Finland, was an all-round businessman. His water pipe company Ab Radiator Oy, based in Helsinki,
operated in other parts of the contry, including Turku. Construction companies, such as Ab Radiator Oy, bid also
for cost calculations and site management in addition to planning and contracting. Hellsten 2011.
912 Bids were requested form five companies, out of which four had an office in Turku: Keskusosuusliike Hankkija,
Ab Radiator Oy, Ab Vesijohtoliike Huber Oy, Vesijohtoliike Onninen Oy, and the Helsinki based Oy Johto. The bids
were to be sent to the secretary of the Building Board Ilmo Kalkas by February 15, 1931, in a sealed envelope.
Building Committee January 25, 1931, Section 1. PSA.