Villa Kokkonen
Villa Kokkonen
General information
TypeResidential
Architectural styleModern architecture
AddressTuulimyllyntie 5
04400 Järvenpää
Town or cityJärvenpää
CountryFinland
Coordinates60°27′27″N 25°03′25″E / 60.4574517°N 25.0570445°E / 60.4574517; 25.0570445
Current tenantsArtist Home Villa Kokkonen
Named forJoonas Kokkonen
Completed1969
Design and construction
Architect(s)Alvar Aalto
Website
www.villakokkonen.fi/en

Villa Kokkonen is a residential building located in Järvenpää, Finland, notable for having been designed by the Finnish architect Alvar Aalto for the composer Joonas Kokkonen.[1][2]

Background

Villa Kokkonen is one of only a few private residential buildings, and the only artist's home, designed by Aalto.[2][3]

Despite being at the height of his professional reputation in the late 1960s, Aalto did not charge anything for his design.[2] Kokkonen, in turn, dedicated his cello concerto, which he had composed in his newly-completed house, to Aalto, as a token of his gratitude.[2] As a result of the project, and their contemporary memberships of the Academy of Finland, the two became firm friends.[4][5]

Villa Kokkonen forms part of the wider artist community on the shores of Lake Tuusulanjärvi.[3]

Kokkonen lived in the house until his death in 1996, after which the City of Järvenpää purchased it from his estate.[2] It is now open to the public as a museum, for guided tours and as a concert and event venue.[2]

Design

The initial design was sketched on a white tablecloth of the restaurant where Aalto and Kokkonen were dining after visiting the site.[2] The main design work was carried out in 1967-69.[1]

The building is broadly fan-like in shape, and comprises three main sections: living and dining areas; study, centred around a grand piano; and private quarters including kitchen and bedrooms. There is also a small attached apartment for staff.[2][1]

Separate buildings on the plot include a garage, sauna with adjacent guest accommodation, as well as a swimming pool.[1][6]

The main building and sauna are constructed of logs, with exterior cladding of dark-stained wood boards.[1]

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 "Villa Kokkonen". AlvarAalto.fi. Alvar Aalto Foundation. Retrieved 20 February 2021.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 "Alvar Aalto tuhersi ravintolan pöytäliinaan ilmaiseksi suunnitelman, josta tuli arkkitehtoninen helmi – Kun se valmistui, meno oli ajoittain "erittäin boheemia" ja viini virtasi" (in Finnish). Helsingin Sanomat. 22 September 2020. Retrieved 20 February 2021.
  3. 1 2 "Taiteilijakoti Villa Kokkonen". Museot.fi (in Finnish). Retrieved 20 February 2021.
  4. ↑ Jurkowski, Edward (2018). "Cello Concerto". The Music of Joonas Kokkonen. Routledge. ISBN 9781351145947. Retrieved 20 February 2021.
  5. ↑ Herrera, Philip (25 August 1975). "The Maestro's Late Works". Time.com. Retrieved 20 February 2021.
  6. ↑ "Villa Kokkonen". Finnish Architecture Navigator. Retrieved 20 February 2021.

External sites

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