Alvar Aalto: A Critical Study [Paperback]

Malcolm Quantrill (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: February 1, 1990

Alvar Aalto was remarkably inventive in architecture and industrial design. Moreover, his command of technology was integrated with a humanistic style of building, and like Saarinen and Frank Lloyd Wright he sought an organic synthesis of his structures with their surroundings. Aalto's success in approaching these ideals may account for the extraordinary spread of his influence on an international scale. In this broad study of Aalto's work, Malcolm Quantrill assesses its development in terms of two powerful sources-the Finnish National Romantic movement and the Modern movement in architecture. His critique of Aalto's most significant buildings and furniture designs is complemented by photographs of many stages of their creation, from the spontaneity of initial sketches to the completed detail. Professor Quantrill first met Alvar and Elissa Aalto at Muuratsalo in June 1953, and he has been studying and photographing Aalto's buildings ever since. His book provides striking insights into the work of one of the greatest architects of the century.

Editorial Reviews

Review

The best of the available works on Aalto. (Fredrick Gutheim )

About the Author

Malcolm Quantrill is currently the Distinguished Professor of Architecture at Texas A&M University. His previous positions include Director of the Architectural Association, London, Dean of the Department of Environmental Design in the the Polytechnic of North London, and Professor of Architecture and Urban Design at the University of Jordan in Amman. Among his many publications is a book on another of Finland's leading architects, Reima Pietila.

Product Details

• Paperback: 307 pages
• Publisher: New Amsterdam Books; First edition (February 1, 1990)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0941533352
• ISBN-13: 978-0941533355
• Product Dimensions: 9.5 x 7.3 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.3 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,462,667 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

0 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars The only one out there..., October 9, 2001

By 

Parti (Emeryville, CA USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Alvar Aalto: A Critical Study (Paperback)

The fact that "Alvar Aalto: A Critical Study" is one of very few texts written in English about the under-represented architect gives this book a higher rating. I don't believe that the author is a native English speaker, as I found the text to be quite rough, especially compared to the poetics of Spiro Kostof. The publisher had good reason to take this book out of print. Then again, architects can not write, so...