Alvar Aalto: Through the Eyes of Shigeru Ban

Alvar Aalto: Through the Eyes of Shigeru Ban by Pallasamaa, Juhanni. hardcover edition. ISBN: 9781904772644.

Finnish architect and designer, Alvar Aalto, is universally acknowledged as one of the most important figures of twentieth century architecture. His career overlapped chronologically, and for a while ideologically with those of Le Corbusier and Mies van der Rohe, but his commitment to a humanitarian ideal inspired by nature, set him apart from his purist Modernist contemporaries and lent his work a very distinct, personal touch. The environmental and humanitarian concerns of the twenty first century mean that Aaltos philosophical approach is more relevant than ever. Renowned Japanese architect, Shigeru Ban, is one of the leaders in his field carrying on Aaltos legacy today. In this publication, Ban looks back to the Finnish master for inspiration, and has chosen 15 key projects that chart Aaltos philosophical and conceptual development throughout his prolific career. Featuring new writing by Juhani Pallasmaa and Sir Colin St. John Wilson, an exclusive interview with Shigeru Ban, new translations of Aaltos own writings and a specifically commissioned photo-essay by celebrated photographer Judith Turner, Alvar Aalto Through the Eyes of Shigeru Ban sheds new light on an architect whose work never ceases to inspire.