ABSTRACT
In 1954 an important competition provided a landmark in postwar Finnish architecture. The tough simplicity of the Otaniemi Chapel combines the best of Mies' classicism with the warmth of Aalto's more organic approach and might be described as the Finnish response to Le Corbusier's Notre Dame at Ronchamp in France. The influence of Alvar Aalto is clearly evident in Yrj Lindegren's celebrated Snake House, which offers a distinctly personal housing solution on a restricted site. In the tradition of Finnish eighteenth- and nineteenth-century country churches, this sanctuary is dominated by the carpenter's art. In 1956 Reima Pietila made his first appearance on the scene by winning the competition for the Finnish Pavilion at the 1958 Brussels World's Fair. Finnish architecture was dominated in 1957 by the work of the Sirens. Not only was their exquisite Otaniemi Chapel published for the first time, but the Lahti Concert Hall and the State School for Tapi la' were also completed.
