Overview
About The Nordic House
Alvar Aalto in Iceland
The Finnish architect Alvar Aalto designed the Nordic House, which opened on 24 August 1968. It is one of the relatively few buildings he designed outside Finland and belongs to the later part of his career. Its forms combine the white surfaces associated with his early modernism and the more organic spaces of his mature work. The sculptural blue roof is one of its most recognisable features.
A complete design
Aalto’s approach extended beyond the exterior. Furniture, lighting, interiors and the surrounding landscape were considered together, making the building an example of architecture conceived down to its everyday details. The institution also expresses a cultural relationship: it was created as a place for Nordic cooperation in Iceland. Its library and cultural programme give the building an ongoing public role alongside its significance as a work of modern architecture.
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