Aalto Town Hall Säynätsalo

Okay, I know I've been light on the photos so far, but I'm hoping to make up for it now.  I've been staying with Tero and Emmi in Helsinki. Both graphic designers and they have been nice enough to lend me an old macbook to use for e-mail and blogging.

Säynätsalo Town Hall - main assembly rooms.  It was early morning on an overcast day but I would imagine that the lightplay on a sunny afternoon in this space would have been very dramatic.

Main public entrance into the Town Hall. Inside the foyer there was a guest book.  I noticed Richard Rogers was there in '08. Mari, the administration woman who takes care of visitors says they get quite a lot of architects and architecture students.  Local people who live on the island can't understand why people come from all over to see their town hall, she says. People are proud but they don't exactly know why.  I never really appreciated pergola's until this moment. I love the way he plays with light and shadow.

Arriving at the town hall from the bus stop. It's partially obscured from the main road until you walk on the path into the clearing.  There was a children's nursery to the left of the photo. The ground floor of the library was originally designed to be commercial/retail units, now it has been taken over by the library which now occupies both the ground and first floors.

Climbed up Aalto's sculpted turfed stairs into the courtyard. Probably the most photographed view. You can see the main assembly hall.  Below, you can see stairs and corridor leading up to the main assembly hall.  I was impressed with the amount of natural light penetrating into the building and done so dramatically.