Wood, Stone and Steel: Contours of Finnish Architecture

Wood, Stone and Steel: Contours of Finnish Architecture attempts to answer the question of why buildings and cultural landscapes in Finland are what they are. Broader phenomena and chains of events are illustrated through individual buildings, in order to study how major occurrences in the country's history and changes in value over time are reflected in architectural styles. The book covers Finland's entire history, from the nation-building phase up to the radical upheavals in Finnish towns and cities at the beginning of the third millennium, describing how the country's political, administrative, economic, and cultural history can be perceived in the built environment. The architectural styles examined include traditional vernacular, Gothic, Baroque, Neoclassical, National Romantic, Modern, and others by such noted architects as Alvar Aalto, Eliel Saarinen (both practicing solo and with the firm Gesellius, Lindgren, and Saarinen), Selim A. Lindqvist, Lars Sonck, Gustav Nyström, Axel Löwen, Carl Ludvig Engel, Ernst Bernard Lohrmann, and many others. Wood, Stone and Steel: Contours of Finnish Architecture expands upon author Riitta Nikula's earlier book Architecture and Landscape: The Building of Finland.