Rising along Copenhagen’s ever-changing waterfront at this year’s 3daysofdesign festival was a 22-foot tall flexible monolith with various aluminum extrusions. Unbeknownst to those on the ground, this enclosed, temporary structure repeats the contour of the designer’s seminal vase icon.Alvar Aaltomade for the Finnish glassware brandIttala90 years ago. Named for a multivalent local studioTABLEAUand manufactured by Norwegian steel suppliersHydrothe monumental work was a clear celebration of the design principles underpinning Scandinavian design, practiced in all three countries represented.
“To be given the opportunity to design the Iittala stadium to celebrate the anniversary of a building like Aalto is a dream come true, and something we are very grateful for,” said Julius Værnes Iversen, Founder and Creative Director of TABLEAU. “We wanted to create a stadium that gives visitors a place to experience the beauty of design.”
The pavilion is a game of scale if ever there was one: almost a meta evocation that magnifies the internal links between object and architecture. Aalto was trained as an architect and practiced in all disciplines without the slightest inhibition, making the translation from ship to residential building feel particularly appropriate.
“Bringing an Alvar Aalto vase to this scale required both the right material and engineering expertise, and the properties of aluminum extrusions made it a good choice for this type of construction,” said Asle Forsbak, Sales Director of Hydro Extrusions. “This project has proven that it can be done on a large scale with a low carbon footprint.”
After a short display period, the modular slatted parts were reused and returned to the company’s production cycle. “We have brought our full strength to carry a single, iconic shape,” he adds.
Inside, earlier versions—the full gamut of the reissued Aalto City Vase collection—were expertly set up on separate, almost invisible pedestals. True to form, this renewed offering is available in carefully designed colors that reflect the capital’s titles: Berlin, Amsterdam, Tokyo, New York, Helsinki, and Copenhagen. On offer are deep cobalts, pure whites, and green golds. Similar to the structure itself, the iridescent quality helps to define the dramatic yet strong curves.
To learn more about each team involved in the creative synergy, visit iittala.com, hydro.com, and tableau-cph.com.
Photo by Haavard Holmaas.
