Healing the Modern Masterpiece: Snøhetta’s Vision for Paimio Sanatorium

Deep within the forests of southwest Finland, one of modern architecture’s defining masterpieces is preparing for a new chapter.

Snøhetta has unveiled a comprehensive masterplan for the future of Paimio Sanatorium, proposing a careful transformation of Alvar and Aino Aalto’s celebrated 1933 building into a destination dedicated to wellbeing, hospitality, culture and international exchange.
Paimio Sanatorium main building (Q55597308), Author: Marit Henriksson, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0

Developed in collaboration with the Paimio Sanatorium Foundation, the proposal is guided by the same principle that inspired the Aaltos nearly a century ago: architecture exists to serve human wellbeing.

Rather than treating the former tuberculosis sanatorium as a monument frozen in time, the masterplan embraces adaptive reuse as a means of extending its life. The project seeks to preserve the building’s architectural integrity while allowing it to evolve into a contemporary place for reflection, care and dialogue—a setting where questions surrounding health, design and our collective future can be explored.

Reconnecting architecture and landscape
One of the proposal’s defining gestures is to strengthen the relationship between the building and its forest setting. A new entrance is planned on the rear façade, where the existing asphalt forecourt would be replaced with slate paving and generous planting, bringing nature closer to the architecture while improving circulation across the site.

The former surgery wing is envisioned as a flexible auditorium for around 200 people, accessible independently from the rest of the complex. Its interior is conceived with birch slatted walls that reference the Aaltos’ material language while integrating contemporary acoustic and technical requirements.

Modest interventions, lasting impact
Throughout the project, Snøhetta adopts a philosophy of minimal yet transformative intervention. The original patient rooms will be carefully adapted into hotel accommodation while preserving their historic proportions—an essential aspect of the Aaltos’ patient-centred design philosophy.

Rather than altering the existing fabric, new bathroom units are conceived as freestanding elements in lacquered birch veneer, clearly distinguishing contemporary additions from the historic architecture. Accommodation will range from compact rooms with shared facilities to larger suites created by combining original patient rooms.

The masterplan also proposes reopening the building’s iconic sun balconies by removing later glass enclosures, restoring the open-air experience that formed a central part of the original therapeutic concept. Roof terraces would once again welcome reclining chairs and sleeping bags, inviting guests to reconnect with light, fresh air and the surrounding forest exactly as envisioned in the 1930s.

At ground level, a new spa unfolds as a sequence of interconnected spaces leading gradually towards the landscape outside. Designed with minimal intervention to the existing structure, the wellness programme extends the Aaltos’ original belief that light, air, nature and breathing are essential components of healing.

An architecture of care
Completed in 1933, Paimio Sanatorium is widely regarded as one of the seminal works of modern architecture. Designed at a time when tuberculosis had no effective cure, every aspect of the building—from its orientation and terraces to furniture, lighting and colour—was conceived to support the patient's physical and psychological wellbeing. The building later served as a general hospital until the mid-2010s and remains one of the most influential examples of human-centred design.

For Snøhetta, this legacy demands restraint rather than reinvention. As founding partner Kjetil Traedal Thorsen explains, every intervention has been developed through extensive research and with profound respect for the architectural heritage of Aino and Alvar Aalto, allowing the building to evolve without compromising its identity.

Looking toward the future
The revitalisation of Paimio began in 2020 with the establishment of the Paimio Sanatorium Foundation, whose ambition is to secure an active future for the site while safeguarding the Aaltos’ vision. Research has identified a wellbeing centre combined with hospitality and cultural activities as the most appropriate long-term programme, creating new opportunities for international collaboration and public engagement.

The timing is particularly significant. Paimio Sanatorium is among the sites included in the "Aalto Works" nomination for UNESCO World Heritage status, with a decision expected in July 2026.

More than a conservation project, Snøhetta’s masterplan proposes a renewed interpretation of one of modernism’s most humane buildings. It suggests that the architecture of care is not confined to history, but remains a living practice—one capable of adapting to contemporary needs while preserving the values on which it was founded.