A Finnish-ed Canberra?
An impressive feat from a Finnish architect within a record 19 days: Eliel Saarinen achieved second place amongst 137 entries in a competition to plan the capital city of Australia, now ranked by the OECD as one of the most liveable cities in the world. Canberra is a beautiful place to live, with its urban areas and green expanses merging together in a textbook balance, but what could Canberra have been, if Eliel Saarinen had finnish-ed first?
Saarinen's submission to this historical competition can be viewed in the Finnish Ambassador's residence in Yarralumla, carefully displayed on the walls. The finely crafted designs reveal a city that sprawls outwards from the curves of the Molonglo River and the main railway line. There is also a clear Beaux Arts influence, from the street patterns to the axial spines. Sections of the Louvre have been built according to this style, as well as buildings such as the National Theatre in Melbourne. From a modern perspective, it was strange that there were no people present in any of Saarinen's drawings. Maybe this was the architectural tradition at the time…exquisite plans of an empty city devoid of human life!
Just imagine this: Canberra could have resembled a version of Berlin, with more imposing and domineering buildings and a formal undertone to the cityscape. Lake Burley Griffin would no longer exist, replaced with an elaborate series of water basins scattered throughout the city centre. Grand monumental buildings would have risen in the midst of these water landmarks whilst the surrounding landscape would have remained relatively flat, similar to how it is today.
You can view the pictures of the Eliel Saarinen's competition entries on the ABC website.
http://www.abc.net.au/local/stories/2012/05/23/3509540.htm
Did you know?
Saarinen's contributions to Australian urban planning and architecture did not stop with him. His Finnish-American son, Eero Saarinen, followed in his father's footsteps to become a well-respected architect. When the design competition for the Sydney Opera House was held, he was appointed as one of the judges on the panel. Having arrived late to the judging process, he found the winning Jorn Utzon design already discarded into the reject pile and fought to convince the competition jury, the client and the public of its merit. He played a pivotal role in the acceptance of the Sydney Opera House design, now one of Australia's world renowned landmarks.
Karen Khoo