In a pine forest half an hour from Turku, Alvar and Aino Aalto completed a tuberculosis sanatorium in 1933 that the architect called a “medical instrument”: air, sunlight, quiet. The former patient rooms, now restored, take groups for the night.
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Alvar Aalto was 30 when he won the competition in 1929. Tuberculosis was then treated with fresh air and light, so the Aaltos drew open-air rest verandas, angled sinks that muffle the sound of running water, smooth floors and rounded corners that are easy to clean. Armchair 41, designed for the common rooms, is still made by Artek. A general hospital from the 1960s, closed in the mid-2010s, the site is now run by a foundation that turns it into a place to work and learn.
Accommodation is for groups only: retreat rooms on the second floor (former patient rooms with the original beds, 12 m² singles and 16 m² twins, shared bathrooms) and thirteen flats with kitchenettes in Mäntylä, the 1949 nurses’ house. Meeting rooms seat 6 to 250, Restaurant Toivo cooks seasonal Finnish produce and private tours run Tuesday to Saturday. Train to Turku, then bus 705, 706 or 709 from Puutori square, about an hour.
Photo credits : Marit Henriksson (Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0) ; Tiina Rajala (Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0) ; Aurorakiitäjä (Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0) ; Mikkoau (Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0) ; Saandraaa (Wikimedia Commons, CC0)
We design and lead a learning expedition that goes through this place. You can also design it yourself with Agent A\lex.
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