Architecture and technology

In her study 'Architecture and Technology: Alvar Aalto?s Paimio Sanatorium', Marianna Heikinheimo, Master of Science (Architecture), Master of Arts (Fine Arts), analyses a building project, progressive for its time. She asks, how did Aalto manage to reconcile international ideology and local building culture in Finland where the degree of industrialisation in the building sector was relatively low in the early 1930s, and in what ways were the avant-gardist ideas translated into practical solutions? This book examines what happens to architecture during the process of planning and construction when the outcome is affected by several contributors and local circumstances. The study, within the field of architectural history, presents extensive empirical evidence, unveiling the roles of the client, the design engineers, building part manufacturers and contractors, as well as the professional tactics to which the architect resorted to achieve his objectives.