Finnish knighthood for architect

Michael Spens, director of architectural history and theory has been awarded the Finnish equivalent of a knighthood for his work to rescue one of the world's definitive works of modern architecture.

Michael was awarded the honour of Knight First Class of the Order of the Lion of Finland to mark his nine- year involvement in the restoration of the Viipuri Library in Russia, which was designed by internationally-acclaimed Finnish architect Alvar Aalto. The ongoing project aims to restore the library to its former glory which made it a 1930s architectural icon.

The building is seen as one of Aalto's most influential works but despite being much celebrated. it fell into serious disrepair following the Second World War when Viipuri, the thriving Finnish trading centre in which it was built, was ceded to Russia. The city was renamed Vyborg and the library left to decay for nearly half a century until, in 1993, the Russian authorities appealed to leading members of the British architectural community for help.

As an expert on the works of Alvar Aalto and having previous connections to Finland through his 1970s post as council member with the Scottish Arts Council, Michael led the campaign to raise the library's international profile and establish a restoration project. With the help of Russian architect Sergei Kravchenko and Finnish colleagues, he published a book about the building's history and design. He has also been at the forefront of a committee, based in Aalto's former Helsinki studio, which works to secure funding for the completion of the US $7 million restoration project.

In 1998, Michael organised an exhibition about the restoration project which was initially displayed at Duncan of Jordanstone and has subsequently been on show in Edinburgh, London, Paris and Reykjavik. He is to fly to New York next month for a major conference on the Viipuri project.

The library remains open to more than 700 visitors each day as the complex restoration process is carried out. The most recent addition has been the window at the building's entrance, which has be constructed closely following Aalto's original design.

Speaking of the Viipuri Library's importance, Michael said, "The library is a famous icon of the 1930s which exhibits key pieces of architectural history from that period. Its technical form was state-of-the-art for the time and it proved to be an important testing ground for modern design. Without the invitation from the Russian side it is likely the library would have been left to crumble.

The project has required an outsider to work with both the Russian and the Finnish side and it is fair to say the restoration has also played a major role in rebuilding relations between the two countries.

I am delighted to have received this honour and the ceremony in London was extremely memorable."

Michael received the honour during a private ceremony at the London residence of the Ambassador of Finland Mr Pertti Salolainen and his wife Anya. Also present were several members of Michael's family and his former tutor at Cambridge University, Professor Colin St John Wilson.

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