Here’s a pressing question on many of our minds right now: How do residents of routinely frigid parts of the world find respite in the dead of winter? A clue can be seen in Jyväskylä, Finland, the town where Alvar Aalto (1898–1976) began his practice, located a three-hour drive north of Helsinki. The famed architect designed several important public buildings here, including the AaltoAlvari Aquatic Center, which I visited on a recent trip to Scandinavia.
First completed in 1956 (modifications and additions have been made starting in the ’60s), the center now houses five indoor pools, sporting facilities, and family gathering and play areas. It is an oasis of good design and also a remarkably intimate and inviting spot, no matter what the temperature is outside. The center will turn 50 soon, but it feels as relevant and contemporary as when it was first built.
Click here to take a dip in Alvar Aalto’s splashy Nordic retreat.
