Spirit of Paimio Conference

9th and 10th October, 2024

This year’s Spirit of Paimio conference will be all about the power of people and togetherness. Under the theme Reimagining Community, the conference brings together leading minds from different creative fields to discuss how Alvar and Aino Aalto’s ideas behind the landmark Paimio Sanatorium – infusing architecture with empathy, community and scientific inquiry – can inform and enhance our present day societies.

Spirit of Paimio is thrilled to welcome Beatriz Colomina, Bjarke Ingels, Carlo Ratti, Ersilia Vaudo, Spencer Bailey, Studio Swine, Ferdinando Verderi, Dan Hill, Marco Steinberg, Loretta Castro Reguera, Nicolay Boyadjiev, Oliver Jahn, Yoko Choy, Kieran Long, George Massoud, Jean Lee and Dylan Davis to Paimio in October.

On October 9-10, the second annual Spirit of Paimio Conference will gather speakers and guests in Paimio, Finland, for two days filled with inspiring keynotes, talks and discussions on the future of architecture, cities, societies and wellbeing.

With the iconic sanatorium by Alvar and Aino Aalto as a starting point and backdrop, curator Joseph Grima, known for his design practice Space Caviar, and Mirkku Kullberg, CEO of the Paimio Sanatorium Foundation, have put together a programme around the theme Reimagining Community.

The conversation will take as its starting point the following statement by Alvar Aalto:

“Building art is a synthesis of life in materialised form. We should try to bring in under the same hat not a splintered way of thinking, but all in harmony together.”

The idea of “togetherness” is a thread running throughout much of the Aaltos’ work, and, read from a contemporary perspective, resonates with the practice of community-building through design. Despite being an early work, Paimio Sanatorium represents one of the most ambitious endeavours in this direction by the Aalto studio – or any other, for that matter – and it is for this reason that will form the basis for Spirit of Paimio 2024 edition.

Speakers

This year’s conference will feature a host of high-profile speakers.

The lineup of keynote speakers and panel discussion moderators, handpicked for their expertise and innovative approach, includes the following names:

Beatriz Colomina
A renowned historian of modern architecture from Princeton University, whose work bridges architecture with media, gender and sociology.

Bjarke Ingels
The founding partner of Bjarke Ingels Group (BIG). Ingels is known for his innovative design approach and defines architecture as “the art and science of making sure our cities and buildings fit the way we want to live our lives”.

Carlo Ratti
Carlo Ratti is an influential Italian architect, engineer, and director of the Senseable City Lab at MIT. He is the director of the 2025 Venice Architecture Biennale.

Dan Hill
Dan Hill is a prominent designer, urbanist, and educator, currently the Director of Melbourne School of Design.

Ersilia Vaudo
Astrophysicist and Chief Diversity Officer at the European Space Agency, Vaudo’s insights merge science with design, offering a unique perspective on architecture.

Ferdinando Verderi
Ferdinando Verderi is a NY based Italian creative director responsible for some of the most radical fashion imagery of the past half decade.

George Massoud
George Massoud is an architect, educator and cultural worker. He is director at Material Cultures, a design and research practice based in London.

Jean Lee & Dylan Davis
Jean Lee and Dylan Davis of Ladies & Gentlemen Studio are co-curators and co-organizers of Furnishing Utopia and Public Access project.

Kieran Long
Kieran Long is a British journalist, curator and museum director at currently Amos Rex in Helsinki.

Loreta Castro Reguera
Loreta Castro Reguera is a Mexican architect and urbanist specializing in water management and resilient urban design.

Marco Steinberg
Marco Steinberg is a Finnish architect and strategic designer, founder of Snowcone & Haystack.

Nicolay Boyadjiev
Nicolay Boyadjiev is an architect, educator, and researcher with extensive experience in the intersection of architecture, technology, and urbanism.

Oliver Jahn
Oliver Jahn, thought-leading design and culture journalist, consultant and curator.

Spencer Bailey
Spencer Bailey is an acclaimed writer, editor, and co-founder of the media company The Slowdown.

Studio Swine
Studio Swine (Super Wide Interdisciplinary New Explorers) is an artistic collaboration between Alexander Groves and Azusa Murakami. The studio combines art, design, and filmmaking to create works that explore the future of resources, craft, and sustainability.

Yoko Choy
Yoko Choy, the China editor at Wallpaper* magazine, is a seasoned design journalist whose work has been featured in numerous Chinese and international publications.

Joseph Grima
Joseph Grima is the Curator of Paimio Sanatorium. An architect by training, his work occupies the intersection between architecture, design, writing and exhibition-making.

Program

The program for the two day conference is filled with inspiring keynotes, talks and discussions on the future of architecture, cities, societies and wellbeing.

Tickets

Tickets for the Spirit of Paimio Conference 2024 are now available.

Bus Transportation
Bus transportation between Helsinki and Paimio as well as between Turku and Paimio is available for both days of the conference and can be reserved along with your conference tickets.

As seating is limited, we encourage you to book your spot early to secure your place. Follow the Get tickets link below.

Accommodation
Paimio Sanatorium has limited accommodation capacity.

We recommend staying in Turku, just under 30 minutes from Paimio Sanatorium, or in Helsinki, which is 1.5 hours away. For more information, please follow the tickets link below.