PROJECT 3 – Riola Parish Church
Architects – Alvar Aalto
Client – The archbishop of Bologna, Cardinal Giacomo Lercaro
Location – Piazza Alvar Aalto, Riola, Italy
About Project
The Riola church and Parish centre was opened officially in 1978 but additions were made to the complex up until 1993.The initial plan however was conceived in 1966 after then Bishop of Bologna, Cardinal Giacomo Lercaro approached Alvar Aalto to design a small church for the town of Riola, in the upper reaches of the Reno River. This is the only project ever completed by Aalto in Italy. “Aalto’s initial plan from 1966 already showed the church in its final form, but it was later supplemented by more comprehensive plans for old people’s home and a kindergarten. Planning resumed in 1969 and again in 1975, continuing until 1980” (21).
During this period Aalto passed away and so later additions to the complex were not part of his masterplan. The plan of the complex consists of a piazza in front of the church, intended to host large congregations, greater than the 200-person capacity of the church, and also religious festivals/celebrations. The interior volume of the church has a capacity of 200 people but can be separated into a mini church and a large room for non-religious gatherings by a gigantic sliding wall.” The plan is an asymmetrical, slightly wedge-shaped basilica with an unusual roof system consisting of stepped, longitudinal vault fragments inclined towards the chancel. The vertical surfaces of the vaults are glazed, so that the whole church is bathed in light reflected by the white vaults.The vault system, which rises at ground level from one of the long walls, is borne by seven gently curved, asymmetrical concrete arches, related in form to Aalto’s wood furniture”. (21).
Interior arches and the exterior scoops
The main volume of the church is lit in its entirety by zenithal light. The interior of the church is largely unadorned in a post-modern style. The idea of reflecting light off broad white surfaces, like the scoops in Riola are reminiscent of Aalto’s early works. This method for maximising light came from his origins in Finland when the limitations of the Scandinavian sun saw it necessary to employ such systems. (22)
The Architect
Hugo Alvar Aalto, born on February 3rd, in Kurotane, Finland. Initially learning a great appreciation for the intangible link between man and his natural surrounding from his father, a land surveyor and his grandfather, a forester. Beginning his studies in the Technical University of Helsinki in 1916 but later pausing it just a year later due to the outbreak of the Finnish civil war. After the outbreak of Russia’s Bolshevik revolution, Finland declared its independence from Russia and immediately entered into a civil war between the non-socialist “whites” and the communist “reds”. Aalto fought for the whites which eventually came out victorious. Finland had inherited most of its culture from the Swedes prior to Russian rule in 1808 and had tried to preserve this culture until gaining independence. Independence saw the rise of neo-classicism and later the National romantic movement in Finland. (22). In 1927 Aalto moved to Helsinki to resume his education at the University. His education there was oriented toward both technical and stylistic issues. As for the technical side, Aalto already had a strong foundation in this area due to his immersion in his Fathers and Grandfathers occupations from a young age. He was already well versed in the draughting skills and the geometry of the Finnish landscape. As for his stylistic expression it was formed from a mix of the periods he experienced while studying and also by his insights into the Finnish landscape and the Limitations of the Scandinavian sun.
The low sun angle from the midday sun in winter
The limitations of the environment around him saw his architecture develop to maximise daylight within by diffusing and reflecting light off broad, white surfaces and minimising the “harsh glare which resulted from the extremely low sun angles by introducing daylight filters which provided an intermediate level of brightness between softly-lighted interior surfaces and the clear exterior sky”.(22). It is the limitations of the Finish landscape, Scandinavian sun and the early influence of his father and grandfather that influenced Aalto’s treatment and understanding of nature and light. This early understanding enabled him to work with light in the adept way in which he did throughout his career
About Location
The site is orientated lengthways along the East/West line, almost directly perpendicular to the North/South line. The piazza is on the eastern side of the building with the wedge-shaped church narrowing to the west. The site is situated within a deep V-Shaped valley at the upper stage of the River Reno. Situated in a semi-rural, semi urban setting the site is surrounded by minimal built environment and is adjacent to the River on thee northern side. The air quality of the area is excellent with the exception of high Ozone most of the year. There are very little Pm2.5 and Pm10 particles in the air and there is also a very low level of Nitrogen Dioxide. During the Summer Solstice the altitude of the sun is 68.90° with an azimuth of 168.90°. Daylight lasts for 15 hours 31 minutes during the summer solstice.
Weather reports indicated sunny skies with rare patches of clouds and temperatures ranging from highs of 34° to lows of 22°. During the winter Solstice the altitude of the sun is 22.31° with an azimuth of 176.49°. Daylight hours fall to 8 hrs and 51 mins during the winter solstice. Weather reports show cloudy skies with patches of sun and rain. Temperature ranges from highs of 14° to lows of 4°. The site experiences ample directs sunlight of around 80000 lux during summer which is ideal for colour rendering. The light is strong which will give sharp definition to objects and will result in sharp shadows. The light inside the building in the summer is a warm zenithal light that is reflected down into the space by the broad white under surface of the scoop. This gives an almost divine quality to the light that comes down into the space.(20)(23)
Referances
20. PD: 3D Sun-Path [Internet]. Andrewmarsh.com. 2020 [cited 24 October 2020]. Available from: http://andrewmarsh.com/apps/staging/sunpath3d.html
21. Riola church and parish centre - Alvar Aalto Foundation | Alvar Aalto -säätiö [Internet]. Alvar Aalto Foundation | Alvar Aalto -säätiö. 2020 [cited 25 October 2020]. Available from: https://www.alvaraalto.fi/en/architecture/riola-church-and-parish-centre/
22. Peters P. An analysis of daylighting in the works of Alvar Aalto and Louis I. Kahn [Masters]. Rice University; 1989.
23. Riola. Italy [Internet]. https://www.accuweather.com/en/it/ponte/2558133/air-quality-index/2558133. 2020 [cited 26 October 2020]. Available from:
