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Modernist and Traditionalist on Establishment Bias Against Traditional Architecture

Modernist and Traditionalist on Establishment Bias Against Traditional Architecture - Featured Image
Kroon Hall Yale University, Hopkins © Morley von Sternberg

Tensions mounted between modernist and traditionalist camps earlier last month when Paul Finch, UK Chairman for the Commission for Architecture and the Build Environment, praised the fact that modernists had won bids to design buildings for the 2012 Olympics. In response, Robert Adam, member of the Traditional Architecture Group, and Michael Taylor, senior partner at Hopkins, the firm that designed the Olympic velodrome, met for a discussion on hegemony, timeliness, and pastiche moderated by Guardian staffer Lanre Bakare.

AD Classics: Villa Mairea / Alvar Aalto

AD Classics: Villa Mairea / Alvar Aalto - Houses, FacadeAD Classics: Villa Mairea / Alvar Aalto - Houses, Garden, ForestAD Classics: Villa Mairea / Alvar Aalto - Houses, Column, Beam, FacadeAD Classics: Villa Mairea / Alvar Aalto - Houses, Column, Beam, Facade, HandrailAD Classics: Villa Mairea / Alvar Aalto - More Images+ 7

A collage of materials amongst the trunks of countless birch trees in the Finnish landscape, the Villa Mairea built by Alvar Aalto in 1939 is a significant dwelling that marks a transition from traditional to modern architecture. Built as a guest house and rural retreat for Harry and Maire Gullichsen, Aalto was given permission to experiment with his thoughts and styles, which becomes clear when studying the strangely cohesive residence.