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Artek Sheds Light on Alvar Aalto’s Innovative Wood-Bending Techniques in Milan

During the late 1920s, Finnish architect and designer Alvar Aalto started to experiment with bending wood and collaborated with the furniture manufacturer Otto Korhonen on developing a number of innovative techniques. One piece in particular emerged out of this collaboration, the “L-Leg.” Though it was initially designed with the iconic Stool 60 in mind, its structural properties—Aalto called it “the little sister of the architectural column"—made it ideal for a wide variety of products and it soon became a standard element of Aalto’s Artek collection. 

This year during Milan Design Week, Artek is refocusing attention on Aalto’s innovative wood-bending process as they prepare to expand on the 36 products in his L-Leg collection with a series of new finishes—wood stains, lacquers, linoleum, fabrics and leathers—that will bring a contemporary spin to the classic designs. 

Artek produces each L-Leg according to the patented process that Aalto devised in the early 1930s. First, multiple vertical saw cuts are made in the end of a piece of wood a few millimeters apart. The slits extend just below the level of the planned bend. Thin strips of wood veneer are then inserted into these slits and glued. This simplifies the actual bending process but also increases the dimensional stability and stiffness of the finished component. 

The company still uses Finnish birch for most of its designs. Forests cover nearly two-thirds of the country’s total surface area and because of the attention they pay to cultivation practices, the stock of trees is increasing rather than decreasing. The primarily high growing trees have a very regular grain and a light tone which is cultivated by the particular mineral content and condition of the Nordic soil, and is further enhanced by a slow drying process of fallen timber in the open air. 

Artek will showcase a number of Aalto’s wood-bending experiments alongside new releases from Ronan & Erwan Bouroullec and Ilmari Tapiovaara during Salone del Mobile in Milan, April 12-17, 2016.

More from Core77’s coverage of Milan Design Week 2016!