Aalto Works Recommended for UNESCO World Heritage Status

The Aalto Works series, consisting of sites designed by Alvar, Aino and Elissa Aalto is the nominant for the UNESCO World Heritage List.

The nomination brings together thirteen Aalto sites across Finland. In June, the nomination received a significant boost when ICOMOS, the advisory body to the World Heritage Committee, recommended the inclusion of Aalto Works on the UNESCO World Heritage List.

The final decision on the possible World Heritage status of the Aalto Works series will be made by UNESCO’s World Heritage Committee at its session in Busan, Republic of Korea, from 19 to 29 July 2026.

Aalto Works

The sites included in the Aalto Works series represent modern Finnish architecture and design from the 1920s to the 1980s. They have contributed to the development of the welfare state and supported the well-being of communities in ways considered to have universal significance.

The Aalto Works sites are:

Sunila Pulp Mill Residential Area, Kotka

Paimio Sanatorium, Paimio

Säynätsalo Town Hall, Jyväskylä

Seinäjoki Civic Centre, Seinäjoki

Social Insurance Institution Main Office, Helsinki

Finlandia Hall, Helsinki

The Aalto House, Helsinki

Studio Aalto, Helsinki

Muuratsalo Experimental House, Jyväskylä

House of Culture, Helsinki

University of Jyväskylä, Aalto Campus, Jyväskylä

Church of Three Crosses, Imatra

Photo: Alvar and Elissa Aalto: Experimental House (1952–54), Muuratsalo, Foundation for the Finnish Museum of Architecture and Design / Simo Rista