The Säynätsalo Town Hall is one of the most significant works of Alvar Aalto. Tavolo Bianco and the entrepreneur emphasize sustainable tourism goals as they are as important as getting more visitors to visit the site.
Säynätsalo Town Hall is one of the most important buildings designed by Finnish architect Alvar Aalto. The building has a strong connection to surrounding nature and the community. At the end of the ’40s, the project was a huge effort from a small municipal of Säynätsalo: a 3000-inhabitants, three rather small islands, but industrialized village.
Even from the very beginning, architects, and students from all over the world started to visit Säynätsalo. The Town Hall was – and still is – an example of Aalto’s sense of human scale, connection to nature, and skill to create a total art piece with details and control of the space and light.
After Säynätsalo was merged in the City of Jyväskylä in 1993, the visiting-interest was still there. Still, the town of Jyväskylä didn’t find a way to use and keep the building open for visitors. Only the Library has always been in use and open for visitors. Town Hall was first, after the merge, under quite low use and finally closed, but still, visitors were traveling from distant countries to see the building.
Even from the very beginning, architects, and students from all over the world started to visit Säynätsalo. The Town Hall was – and still is – an example of Aalto’s sense of human scale, connection to nature, and skill to create a total art piece with details and control of the space and light.
That is when the idea of opening the Town Hall again was born.
In the beginning, it was just a wild idea to have a working space for self-employer to do graphic design, editing, writing – and vice-versa, he – who was not an architect nor a tourist guide – promised to open the door for visitors.
The entrepreneur got even more interested in Alvar Aalto. He started to guide visitors, wrote an everyman’s book about Aalto, and found out that apartments in the building could be available for the accommodation business. He was even able to hire some help for the high season. The town of Jyväskylä made a longer contract to rent more of the Town Hall to the entrepreneur.
It was obvious the locals had a strong connection and feelings to the building. Locals were invited to use the building for their own events, meetings, and even private occasions. The entrepreneur asked for some low fees to cover cleaning and service costs. The same self-employer, now kind of a guide, asked a fee for admission and a short tour to explain the building. The re-opened building quickly got 6500 annual visitors and half of them from abroad. Not only professionals and students but also Aalto fans and tourists interested in nature, surrounding Lake Päijänne, and the islands – and locals proudly bringing their long-distance guests to “Visit our Town Hall.”
The entrepreneur got a business partner. With her connections and Aalto-knowledge, business got new dimensions and opportunities. Unfortunately, she withdrew herself from the company after a couple of years.
The motto of the company is now crystallized in this sentence: “Regardless of your profession, education, experience, or what stage of your life you are in, what mobility you have, or who you love, you are always safe and welcome to visit Säynätsalo Town Hall.”
“Regardless of your profession, education, experience, or what stage of your life you are in, what mobility you have, or who you love, you are always safe and welcome to visit Säynätsalo Town Hall.”
Tavolo Bianco and the entrepreneur emphasize sustainable tourism goals as they are as important as getting more visitors to visit the site. Town Hall building operators consciously develop activities so that the surrounding community, residents, and other entrepreneurs feel safe and comfortable and can find business and benefit from the area’s uniqueness and attractiveness. After that only come the comfort and needs of the tourists – in that order.
The path is now at a stage where Tavolo Bianco Oy has received permission to use the Sustainable Tourism Finland label. The work has been done for several years with the help of many partners and employees. Progress may not have been very systematic – however, several things have been done right and progressed for the better. But now, the STF path has provided clear frames and signs along the path. As important topics became, e.g., Sitoumus2050 (national Sustainable Lifestyles Commitment) , Welcome Cyclists, We Speak Gay and a quite laborious Biosphere Tourism Certification. Completely new website and an online store also had to be built for digital visibility. The entrepreneur was also lucky enough to become a pilot company in the Visit Jyväskylä Regions’ and JAMK University of Applied Sciences’ Tourism Responsibility project in Central Finland that has helped a lot during the process.
The Town Hall entrepreneur does not intend to plan and brainstorm the tourism business alone but has assembled an Advisory Board for the company. The board is not an administrative actor of the company nor has it responsibility for company’s activities. The board is sparring with the entrepreneur four times a year, contributing from his or her own area of expertise. The first meeting of the Advisory Board was held at the beginning of April with Eila Tiainen, Annika Vandevelde, Kuutti Halinen, and Harri Taskinen, Tavolo Bianco’s entrepreneur. Tiainen represents a media expert, a resident, and a politician’s point of view; Vandevelde European Aalto enthusiast; Halinen has an architectural perspective and knows the town plan of Säynätsalo very well through his master’s thesis.
The article is written by Harri Taskinen, the entrepreneur of Tavolo Bianco Oy.
