Every building expresses some aspect of an ideology either to its designer or to those who use it, or to both. However. the communicative content of the language of contemporary architecture has suffered for two reasons: the use of stereotyped Modernist expression divorced from its psychological meanings and the use of Post-Modern architectural expression which has severed its ties of comprehension from the language of architecture. This thesis proposes a valid method for the analysis of the communicative aspects of architecture. This is done by the evaluation and assembly of various communication theories to provide a semiotic model capable of analyzing the communicative aspects of architecture at both a general level and in depth. The works of the Finnish architect Alvar Aalto are used to demonstrate the various theories through their application to actual buildings. Aalto's works were chosen because of their close relationship to the homogeneous culture of Finland.