Alvar Aalto: Second Nature

Alvar Aalto: Second Nature
Kokusho Kankokai
Edited by Nahoko Wada
2018

[Contents]
This collection of works was published to coincide with a major retrospective exhibition of Alvar Aalto, a leading Finnish architect and designer. It introduces Aalto's diverse activities through 300 illustrations, showcasing his pursuit of architecture that incorporates natural elements into modernism to improve people's lives. It traces his multifaceted creative activities, including furniture, lighting fixtures, glassware, architecture, and urban planning.

It features the Paimio Sanatorium (1933) and Villa Mairea (1939), which embody the excellent interaction of organic forms and materials in architecture; the "Armchair 41 Paimio" (1932) and "Stool 60" (1933), which played a groundbreaking role in the development of modern furniture; and the "Savoy Vase" (1936), a glassware that has become a symbol of Finnish design, among others. These diverse activities are introduced through 300 original drawings and photographs.

Special interviews and lectures by three Japanese architects (Shigeru Ban, Sou Fujimoto, and Yasushi Horibe) on Aalto are included.
This comprehensive book also includes columns and essays that trace Aalto's relationship with Japan. It is the official catalog of the international traveling exhibition of the same name in Japan.