Spirit of Paimio Conversations

In this episode, Alexander Groves of Studio Swine and writer-curator Yoko Choy join Hanna Harris at Paimio Sanatorium to reflect on design as exploration, storytelling, and community. Groves shares how Studio Swine’s “adventure design” approach emerges from place, materials, and collaboration, while Cho highlights the studio’s shift from context-driven research to creating new collective experiences. Together they discuss narrative in design, the welcoming spirit of Paimio, and the idea of “creative health” as a way to reimagine how architecture can foster care and connection.

Studio Swine (Super Wide Interdisciplinary New Explorers), founded by Alexander Groves and Azusa Murakami, works across art, design, and film to explore the future of resources, craft, and sustainability. Their projects have been shown at leading cultural venues worldwide.

Yoko Choy, China editor at Wallpaper*magazine, is a design journalist and curator who has worked with institutions such as Art Basel, Beijing Design Week, and the Victoria and Albert Museum, as well as brands including Hermès and Louis Vuitton.

This conversation was recorded at the 2024 Spirit of Paimio Conference, hosted in the iconic Paimio Sanatorium — Alvar and Aino Aalto’s modernist masterpiece from the 1930s. Discover more at www.paimiosanatorium.com.

In this episode, Spencer Bailey joins Petri Burtsoff at Paimio Sanatorium to reflect on memorials, memory, and architecture. Bailey discusses why Paimio itself can be seen as a kind of memorial — both to Aalto’s design ethos and to the lives once shaped within its walls.

He explores the role of abstraction and metaphor in great memorials, how built spaces can function as portals that change us, and why architecture has the power to preserve collective memory in an age of fleeting attention. Drawing from his own experiences as a survivor and his research on memorials worldwide, Bailey considers what today’s architects might learn from the emotional resonance of these spaces.

Spencer Bailey is a writer, editor, and co-founder of The Slowdown, known for his thoughtful insights on design, architecture, and culture.

This conversation was recorded at the 2024 Spirit of Paimio Conference, hosted in the iconic Paimio Sanatorium — Alvar and Aino Aalto’s modernist masterpiece from the 1930s. Discover more at www.paimiosanatorium.com. 

In this episode, architect George Massoud of Material Cultures joins Petri Burtsoff at Paimio Sanatorium to discuss how architecture can reconnect with ecology and community. Massoud shares insights from Growing Place in London, where working with natural materials, knowledge exchange, and community empowerment come together as tools for resilience. Reflecting on Paimio, he draws parallels between the sanatorium’s legacy of healing and the restorative potential of materials and design today.

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

This conversation was recorded at the 2024 Spirit of Paimio Conference, hosted in the iconic Paimio Sanatorium — Alvar and Aino Aalto’s modernist masterpiece from the 1930s. Discover more at www.paimiosanatorium.com.

In this episode, Ersilia Vaudo, Chief Diversity Officer at the European Space Agency, joins Petri Burtsoff at Paimio Sanatorium to reflect on space, community, and architecture.

She highlights why future space exploration must embrace diversity and inclusion, moving beyond the narrow image of the Apollo astronauts to represent humanity as a whole.

Vaudo shares how seeing Earth from space fosters a deep sense of belonging, and what that perspective can teach us on the ground. Looking ahead to lunar habitats, she considers how architecture can address isolation, balance beauty and function, and spark new creativity freed from Earth’s constraints.

Ersilia Vaudo is an esteemed astrophysicist and Chief Diversity Officer at the European Space Agency (ESA). She has significantly contributed to space science and exploration and is a leading advocate for diversity and inclusion in STEM fields, promoting gender equality and inspiring future generations of scientists and engineers.

This conversation was recorded at the 2024 Spirit of Paimio Conference, hosted in the iconic Paimio Sanatorium — Alvar and Aino Aalto’s modernist masterpiece from the 1930s. Discover more at www.paimiosanatorium.com. 

In this episode, Dan Hill joins Hanna Harris at Paimio Sanatorium to explore scale, community, and cultural imagination in design. Drawing on Eliel Saarinen’s maxim “always design a thing in its next larger context,” Hill reflects on how materials, buildings, and cities are interconnected across scales — from the door handle to the nation. He introduces the idea of the “slowdown city,” shaped by demographic shifts and changing economies, and shares insights from Japan’s adaptive reuse practices. At Paimio, Hill connects Aino and Alvar Aalto’s architecture of care to today’s need for reimagining buildings and communities, emphasizing design as an act of cultural imagination rather than problem solving.

Dan Hill is a prominent designer, urbanist, and educator, currently the Director of Melbourne School of Design. He is known for his work at the intersection of design, technology, and urbanism, developing sustainable and resilient urban systems and exploring themes of civic design and digital infrastructure.

This conversation was recorded at the 2024 Spirit of Paimio Conference, hosted in the iconic Paimio Sanatorium — Alvar and Aino Aalto’s modernist masterpiece from the 1930s. Discover more at www.paimiosanatorium.com. 

In this episode, architect and urban designer Loreta Castro Reguera joins Petri Burtsoff at Paimio Sanatorium to discuss her practice’s work with water-sensitive urban design in Mexico. She describes how small-scale pavilions grew into larger public spaces where water functions as both infrastructure and a social connector. Castro reflects on her bottom-up approach of starting with questions rather than images, and how design can foster community, accessibility, and resilience. At Paimio, she draws parallels to Aino and Alvar Aalto’s vision of architecture as a tool for healing, and reflects on how spaces can also help heal communities.

Loreta Castro Reguera is a Mexican architect and urbanist specializing in water management and resilient urban design. She co-founded Taller Capital and has worked on notable projects like the Chapultepec Park regeneration and Hydric Park La Quebradora. Castro’s efforts in sustainable urbanism have gained international recognition, and she is a professor at the National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM).

This conversation was recorded at the 2024 Spirit of Paimio Conference, hosted in the iconic Paimio Sanatorium — Alvar and Aino Aalto’s modernist masterpiece from the 1930s. Discover more at www.paimiosanatorium.com.

In this episode, Jean Lee and Dylan Davis of Ladies & Gentlemen Studio join Hanna Harris at Paimio Sanatorium to discuss design as an act of care and community. They reflect on their exploration of Shaker design through Furnishing Utopia and how their pandemic-born initiative Public Access invited designers worldwide to create open-source acts of empathy.

At the Spirit of Paimio Conference, Lee and Davis share how the sanatorium’s human-centered details resonate with their practice and how acts of care can expand creative possibilities beyond conventional design business models.

Jean Lee and Dylan Davis are the co-curators of Furnishing Utopia and Public Access, global projects that reimagine design through history, community, and shared connection. Their bi-coastal practice, Ladies & Gentlemen Studio, creates lighting, furniture, exhibitions, and collaborations rooted in thoughtful, meaningful design as a way of making sense of the world.

This conversation was recorded at the 2024 Spirit of Paimio Conference, hosted in the iconic Paimio Sanatorium — Alvar and Aino Aalto’s modernist masterpiece from the 1930s. Discover more at www.paimiosanatorium.com

In this episode, Oliver Jahn joins Hanna Harris at Paimio Sanatorium to reflect on the Spirit of Paimio Conference and its theme, Reimagining Community. He observes a shift in design where community and nature increasingly serve as guiding principles, and emphasizes the importance of history and context in shaping architecture. Drawing on Beatriz Colomina’s notion of “form follows bacteria,” Jahn reflects on the unexpected roots of minimalism, the challenge of embracing complexity in today’s society, and the unique atmosphere of Paimio — a place where layers of history, memory, and community continue to intersect.

Oliver Jahn was Editor-in-Chief of the German edition of Architectural Digest (AD) from 2011 to 2023, shaping the magazine with his passion for design, architecture, and literature. He is currently the Chief Executive Officer & Chief Creative Officer of House of Manus, a company dedicated to the art of craftsmanship. 

This conversation was recorded at the 2024 Spirit of Paimio Conference, hosted in the iconic Paimio Sanatorium — Alvar and Aino Aalto’s modernist masterpiece from the 1930s. Discover more at www.paimiosanatorium.com

In this episode, Ferdinando Verderi talks with Petri Burtsoff about complexity, fragmentation, and the essence of community. He makes the case for embracing diversity and individuality rather than standardization, drawing parallels to Alvar Aalto’s human-centered architecture. The conversation also explores the continuing importance of physical places in creating connection and togetherness in an increasingly digital world.

Ferdinando Verderi is a NY based Italian creative director responsible for some of the most radical fashion imagery of the past half decade. Many experimental concepts are recognized as industry firsts. He is most known for his continued partnership with Prada, his recent tenure at Vogue Italia, and masterminding the Louis Vuitton x Yayoi Kusama collaboration.

This conversation was recorded at the 2024 Spirit of Paimio Conference, hosted in the iconic Paimio Sanatorium — Alvar and Aino Aalto’s modernist masterpiece from the 1930s. Discover more at www.paimiosanatorium.com

Bjarke Ingels joins Petri Burtsoff to talk about Alvar Aalto’s legacy, the interplay between buildings and nature, and the role of play in creativity. He reflects on his idea of “hedonistic sustainability” — showing how environmentally responsible design can also be joyful, attractive, and desirable. The conversation moves from the colorful details of Paimio Sanatorium to lessons from LEGO building and the social power of architecture in shaping communities.

Bjarke Ingels is a renowned Danish architect and the founder of Bjarke Ingels Group (BIG), known for his innovative and sustainable designs. His projects, such as the 8 House in Copenhagen and VIA 57 West in New York, combine playful forms with practical functionality, addressing contemporary urban challenges through imaginative solutions. Ingels has received numerous accolades, including the Wall Street Journal’s Innovator of the Year Award and the European Prize for Architecture.

This conversation was recorded at the 2024 Spirit of Paimio Conference, hosted in the iconic Paimio Sanatorium — Alvar and Aino Aalto’s modernist masterpiece from the 1930s. Discover more at www.paimiosanatorium.com