Chapter 3 | The Building of Paimio SanatoriumIt was drawn up by the Insinööritoimisto Limo engineers^987 , who also supplied the light
signalling and paging systems.^988 All patient rooms, lavatories and sundeck doors were
equipped with signalling equipment. Each patient bed was equipped with a call button.
The call buttons in bathrooms were equipped with a chain or a string. The lavatories
and sundecks had call buttons embedded in the wall. The patient could call a nurse by
pushing a call button, which lit up lights above the door to the room, in the nurse’s
room and in a designated spot in the corridor. The nurse’s room would also sound a
buzzer, which had to be manually turned off.^989
All telephones in the sanatorium could be used for external calls. The incoming
phone calls were received at the switchboard. The switchboard and automatic switch-
board were built for 100 numbers on three incoming phone lines. The incoming lines
were equipped with a call diverter to transfer calls at night time to certain numbers.^990
Personnel pagers were used to reach certain staff members within the hospital,
in case they could not be reached by telephone. The switchboard had three numbers
reserved as emergency numbers. When the switchboard attendant noticed that a par-
ticular person was not available in his or her room, she would select the emergency
number for that person, and a designated lamp would light up in the corridors and
rooms where the person was most likely to be available. After this, the paged person
would dial a certain number on the nearest telephone and would be automatically put
through to the external line, where the call was waiting. For the Head Nurse, each
room was also equipped with a socket, to which she could insert a small portable
buzzer to alert of any incoming calls.^991
The sanatorium also had a central clock system. Each patient in A building had
a bedside radio with an ear-piece. Four rooms were equipped with electromagnetic
loudspeakers. The radio receiver included a three or four-tube receiver and a connected
output amplifier that had to be compatible with the ear-piece, electromagnetic speaker
or electrodynamic speaker in larger spaces. Each radio and output amplifier also had to
be compatible with a record player or microphone. The main building was also fitted
with an emergency lighting system, which would switch on automatically if the general
overhead lighting were to break down.^992
The architect designed the phone booth for patient use. He placed the clock on the
façade in the recessed roof terrace, where it was hardly visible. The placing of the clock
appeared half-hearted and not well considered. The architect showed no interest in the
electronic signalling equipment or other low current devices.
987 A letter from Insinööritoimisto Limo to Alvar Aalto, January 7, 1931. Documents related to the Paimio Sanatorium
project. AAM.
988 Building Committee June 12, 1931, Section 2. PSA.
989 Acquisition plan for low current devices and equipment. Documents related to the Paimio Sanatorium project. AAM.
990 Ibidem.
991 Ibidem.
992 Ibidem.