The Alvar Aalto Museum’s first mobile-phone service, AALTOsites, brings the Alvar Aalto-designed buildings in the Metropolitan Helsinki region to your smartphone. AALTOsites, downloadable free for smartphones, puts an interface to Aalto’s architecture and design directly into the user’s pocket.
Erottaja Pavilion, the Otaniemi campus, the Sähkötalo Electricity Building, and Artek, founded in 1935 as a showcase for Aalto’s design, are just some of the numerous Aalto sites shown by the service. More information on the mobile guide after the break.
When was Finlandia Hall designed? What does the Rautatalo Office Building’s famous marble courtyard look like? Why are the bricks in the House of Culture round at the corners? And where is the nearest Alvar Aalto building, and can you go inside?
AALTOsites gives the history of each building, plus related details, using numerous photographs and drawings. It tells you when the building was completed, what its typical features are, and about its specially designed light fittings, furniture, and even the door handles. The service also gives basic facts about access to each building. And you can share your experiences of Aalto’s architecture on Facebook.
One important practical feature is that AALTOsites and its maps work without an Internet connection. Once you download the service into your smartphone, you can AALTOsites at any time. The map shows you the locations of the buildings, and uses a mobile-phone positioning service to show you your location on the map, and how far it is to Aalto-designed buildings.
Production: Alvar Aalto Museum 2012 Direction: Museum Director Susanna Pettersson Script: Producer Tomi Summanen Technical implementation: Whatamap Oy Sites: 19 Photos and drawings: 153 Languages: Finnish, Swedish, English, Spanish
For more information and to download the mobile guide, please visit here.
