A compact overview of one of the best architects in the world. The Finnish architect Alvar Aalto (1898-1976) was not only working? Influenced by the landscape of his homeland, but also by the political struggle over Finland's place within European culture. After designing early neoclassical buildings, Alvar Aalto to bow to idea? N based on functionalism, which he passed to more organic structures with stone and wood instead of plaster and steel. Besides designing buildings, furniture, lamps and glass objects with his wife Aino, Aalto also painted and was an avid traveler. In the belief that building a crucial role in shaping a community, Aalto once said,? The duty of an architect is a sensitive structure for life?.