The Paimio Sanatorium in Finland, designed by Finnish architects Alvar Aalto and Aino Aalto and completed in 1933, is being reimagined through a masterplan developed by Snøhetta. The proposal repositions the former tuberculosis sanatorium and later general hospital as a mixed-use site, combining hospitality, wellness, cultural spaces, and arenas for international dialogue in the wooded landscape of Paimio, Finland.
The first phase of the masterplan has been developed in close collaboration with Helsinki-based practices ALA Architects and Mustonen Architects. It is being developed with the Paimio Foundation, established to safeguard the site and guide its long-term future, while supporting research-led planning and permitting processes involving both national and international experts.
A building shaped around care, now reframed as civic ground
Paimio was designed as a purpose-built healing environment for tuberculosis patients, shaped by light, air, and landscape.
Snøhetta frames the masterplan as an extension of that logic into a broader civic role, positioning the site as a place for reflection, wellbeing, and social diplomacy, where questions of care, design, and shared futures can be explored through occupation as much as programme.
A key move is the reorganisation of access and circulation. A new entrance is proposed, bringing nature closer to the building’s rear façade, while opening the former surgery wing as a flexible auditorium for around 200 people. The space is designed across two levels, with a birch-slatted wall that integrates technical installations and acoustic performance. The intent is to allow events to operate independently of the building’s daily hospitality functions while improving circulation across the site.
The patient wing is proposed for conversion into a hospitality section. The original room proportions are retained, while bathrooms are reconfigured through modest interventions. Room types range from compact units with shared facilities to larger rooms with integrated bathrooms. New elements are introduced as freestanding objects in lacquered birch veneer, maintaining a clear distinction between existing structure and contemporary additions.
Reopening Aalto’s spatial conditions
Across the building, the proposal works to re-establish spatial conditions that defined the original sanatorium. The asphalt forecourt is proposed to be resurfaced in slate and planting, softening the transition between building and landscape.
The sun balconies, designed by Alvar Aalto and Aino Aalto and later enclosed with glass, are proposed to be reinstated as open structures.
A lower-level spa extends the building into the terrain, reinforcing its association with environments of recovery and wellness at the forest edge.
A shift in programme, not replacement
The masterplan positions Paimio Sanatorium as a mixed-use destination where hospitality, cultural programming, and wellness coexist within the spatial logic of the original building. The intent is not to overwrite its history but to work within it, allowing new uses to sit alongside preserved architectural conditions.
The building, which served first as a tuberculosis sanatorium and later as a general hospital until the mid-2010s, is also part of a broader heritage trajectory. Alongside the Vyborg Library, it is considered a key work in the international recognition of Finnish architecture.
The site is among the Aalto works proposed for inscription on the UNESCO World Heritage List, with a decision expected in July 2026.