Opened in the 1930s, Paimio Sanatorium was a modernist vision rising out of the pine forests of South West Finland. Every detail of the building was designed by Alvar and Aino Aalto with tuberculosis patients in mind, from the sun terraces, to the colour scheme, soft lighting and fur lined sleeping bags.

Recorded in the relaxation room at the Paimio Sanatorium, Tommi Lindh director of the Alvar Aalto Foundation explains how the building was viewed at the time, Professor Heini Hakosalo Senior Research fellow at Oulu University recounts what life was like living for years in the sanatoria and Laura Arpianen Professor of Health and Wellbeing Architecture at Aalto University in Helsinki says that we have forgotten the importance of the patient experience and suggests what we can learn from the Paimio Sanatorium

The Evidence is produced in collaboration with Wellcome Collection

Presenter: Claudia Hammond
Producer: Geraldine Fitzgerald

Image: The Paimio Sanatorium in Finland, BBC Show less