Alas was born in Tapa, and died, aged 78, in Tallinn.
He is best known for his work on the World War II memorial ensemble in Tallinn, which is now widely referred to as the Bronze Soldier and includes a two-meter bronze statue (by Enn Roos) of a soldier in a Soviet uniform and an accompanying monumental stone structure.
The memorial was relocated amid controversy in April 2007 to the Defence Forces Cemetery in Tallinn, Estonia.
He was awarded the State Prize of the Estonian SSR [et] in 1947 and 1948.
This Estonian architect biographical article is a stub.