Born in Forssa, Finland in 1910, Aarne Ervi completed his architectural studies at Helsinki University of Technology in 1935 and worked in the offices of Alvar Aalto and Toivo Paatela after graduation. He established his own practice in 1938, and after World War II pioneered the use of prefabricated concrete elements in Finland with the Porthania building at the University of Helsinki. Ervi also designed hydro-electric power plants and housing for Oulujoki Oy, including one of Finland's largest hydro power plants in Pyhäkoski and the nearby town of Leppiniemi. Ervi is best known for his 1954 town plan of Tapiola, a well-known example of post-war garden city planning and urban design. He designed many of Tapiola’s key buildings, including the Mäntytorni apartment building (1955), central tower and shopping centre (1954-61), and Kino Tapiola Cinema and Cafe (1955).

Robin Boyd visited Tapiola in 1964 and was impressed by its urban design, calling it “the promise of the 20th century come true.” He photographed the precinct extensively, particularly the Ervi-designed Tapiola Central Tower and adjacent civic square. Tapiola and Ervi’s work there would re-emerge in various articles Boyd wrote in the subsequent years, including his chapter for the 1968 book Living and Partly Living.