Original name
Toppila Cellulosa Fabrik [Toppiola Cellulosa Factory]
Other denominations
Toppila Sellutehdas [Toppila Pulp Mill] / Wood Chip Silo in Oulu
Original use
Industry/silos
Current use
Culture/leisure/tourism/Social cultural centre
Architects
Alvar Aalto
Concrete by reinforcement
Concrete is a relatively brittle material that is strong in compression but less so in tension.
To increase its overall strength, steel rods, wires, mesh or cables may be embedded in concrete before it sets. This reinforcement, often known as rebar, resists tensile forces. By forming a strong bond, the two materials are able to resist a variety of applied forces, effectively acting as a single structural element .
Construction method
In this case, the concrete can be made by mixing the components directly on site, or it may be transported from a production plant in concrete-mixer trucks.
This method has the disadvantage of leaving the concrete exposed to the elements while it is setting. Whereas, with other methods, the environmental conditions can be controlled during setting, providing greater control over the outcome, with cast-in-place concrete a series of tests and protocols are necessary to verify its final strength.
Architectural concrete
- textured walls
- wooden formwork finish
- stamped concrete
- exposed aggregate concrete, colored concrete, etc.
Structural types
A series of arches are situated parallel to one another at a distance that allows for covering them with smaller secondary structures such as beams or plates. This type of structure also calls for support elements perpendicular to the arches to avoid the “domino” effect .
A shear wall resists loads parallel to the plane of the wall. Collectors, also known as drag members, transfer the diaphragm shear to shear walls and other vertical elements in the seismic force resisting system. Shear walls are typically light-framed or braced wooden walls with shear panels, reinforced concrete walls, reinforced masonry walls or steel plates.
State of Conservation
Description
This paper mill for the company Serlachius is a little-known work by the renowned Finnish architect Alvar Aalto and one of his first commissions for an industrial building. The complex, built in the early 1930s, included all the buildings and facilities necessary for the manufacture of cellulose. Some of them, of little architectural value, were torn down after production was halted in 1980. Fortunately, others, such as the building for drying wood chips pictured here, have survived to this day.
It is a small building which stands out for its architecture, despite its industrial purposes. The shape of the steep gabled concrete roof, truncated at the top, satisfies the functional needs of the industrial production process, while generating a characteristic profile: its form – which Aalto called “organically functional” – is emphasized through the expression of the constructive and structural geometry, taking the form of delicate concrete ribs on the exterior surface.
Bright colors, now gone, once enlivened the exposed concrete surfaces of the exteriors and elements of the building systems, such as pipes or fans. Since the factory was shuttered, the silo, pending renovation, has housed cultural uses.
Finland
Alvar Aallon kat 5
North Ostrobothnia (Region) 90520 Oulu
Commission
1930
Completion
1933