During the 1990s, Danish architecturewas increasingly oriented towards the Neo-Modernism which was dominant interna-tionally at the time, and at the start of the21st century, it still has a strong hold onDanish architecture. In addition, sustain-ability is an increasingly important factorat all levels of Danish architecture.

Both building forms and room layoutscan be either severe and calm or highlydynamic, as for instance in Vilhelm Lau-ritzen’s Terminal 3 in Copenhagen Air-port, Kastrup, from 1998.

The most immediately obvious com-mon feature is the often sophisticated useof Modernist materials: steel and glass,but also wood, natural stone and brick arecommon facade materials.

Neo-Modernism seems to follow sever-al trends. One is the minimalist treatment

of building volumes and surfaces, as inKHR’s building for Kommunedata in Bal-lerup from 2002, NNE’s Novo SevenManufacturing Facility in Hillerød from2002 and Dissing+Weitling’s Struers head-quarters in Ballerup from 2004. Anothertrend involves conceptual simplification ofform as in C.F. Møller’s second phase ofthe Darwin Centre in London from 2009.In addition, the Darwin Centre demon-strates a strongly poetic interpretation,like for instance Tårnby Courthouse from2000 by Dorte Mandrup and Niels Fugl-sang. Finally, many buildings, especiallyblocks of flats, are clearly in-spired by1930s Functionalism.

The most recent and largest prestigebuilding projects in the capital, the OperaHouse from 2004 by Henning Larsen andthe Playhouse from 2008 by Boye Lund-

gaard and Lene Tranberg, are also in theirdifferent ways based on the Modernist tra-dition, which is so strong in Denmark. Arelated treatment of form is seen on asmaller scale, for instance in the mainentrance to the Zoo from 1998 by the firmof architects Entasis.

The Modernist approach to buildingprojects is often supplemented with newfeatures, including increased use of colouredelements, as in C.F. Møller Architects’ res-idential development Nordlyset at Ameri-ka Plads in Copenhagen from 2006, and ashutter motif which adds movement toseverely drawn facades, as in the FIH head-quarters at the Langelinie quay in Copen-hagen, built by 3xNielsen in 2001.

A new trend, the so-called Pragmatism,has emerged in recent years. This takes anextremely unconventional approach to the

Factsheet Denmark

Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Denmark

The second phase of the Darwin Centre inLondon (2009) combines a clear-cut, transparentexterior glass shrine with an interior silkwormcocoon shape. Photo: Jens M. Lindhe.

APRIL 2010

ARCHITECTURE

projects and re-interprets the assumptionsof architecture in a provocative way. Withprojects such as the VM houses in Øresta-den from 2005, Plot has become the advo-cate of a new approach to architecture.

High-rise development is a new phe-nomenon, which has been received hesi-tantly in Denmark. However, high-risebuildings are currently planned in severalcities across the country, while Copen-hagen is starting cautiously in peripheralareas with the 21-storey Ferring Inter-national Centre in Ørestaden, built byHenning Larsen in 2001, and the 16-storey Copper Tower in Copenhagen’sNorth Harbour, built by Arkitema in 2004.

A characteristic feature around 2000was Danish architects’ increasingly strongposition in major projects. Dissing+Weit-ling started this trend as architects of theEast Bridge of the Great Belt Link in1998, while KHR is responsible for themost recent project so far, the CopenhagenMetro development in 2002.

The Viking Age and Middle Ages

The earliest traces of Danish architecture

have been found through excavations ofthe Viking Age military encampments ofTrelleborg, Aggersborg and Fyrkat fromaround 1000 AD. Within large circularearthen ramparts, these fortresses werelaid out on the basis of a cruciform, sym-metrical grid of streets, whose main axesdivided the complexes into smaller units.

The conversion of Denmark to Christ-ianity around 960 introduced a new build-ing culture: church building. The firstchurches were built of wood, but quitesoon these were superseded by Roma-nesque stone churches. In the early 12thcentury, ambitious cathedral buildingprojects were started in Lund, Viborg andRibe. The village churches usually had asingle aisle and choir, like Hover Church,and sometimes an apse. Regional charac-teristics might appear, such as the roundchurches on Bornholm.

Roskilde Cathedral was started in the1170s as one of Denmark’s first brickbuildings. It is an early Danish example ofthe Gothic style, while St Knud’s Churchin Odense, completed at the end of the15th century, represents the High Gothic

style. In rural parishes, the Gothic stylemainly manifested itself in alterations andextensions of the Romanesque churches,such as the characteristic stepped gables.

Renaissance, Baroque and Rococo

During the Renaissance, Danish architec-ture was dominated by the building ofmanor houses such as the 16th centuryHesselagergaard and Egeskov, both onFunen. Among the Royal buildings of theperiod, Kronborg Castle was completedby Antonius van Opbergen in 1585 as afour-winged complex, while FrederiksborgCastle from 1602-1620 by the FlemishHans van Steenwinckel the Elder wasthree-winged with a fourth, lower, terracewing. In both castles, the architecturallook itself, the decorative finish, was inthe preferred Dutch Renaissance stylewith lavish sandstone ornamentation on ared brick background.

King Christian IV’s extensive buildingprogramme included many different pro-jects, from the Stock Exchange (1619-1640) through the Round Tower (1637-1642), both in Copenhagen, to the con-

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Athens University (1850). His brother succeededhim and built Athens Observatory (1846) andlater the Academy of Sciences (1887) and theNational Library (1892). In 1846 TheophilusHansen settled in Vienna, where his buildingsinclude the Musikverein concert hall (1869), theStock Exchange (1877) and the Parliament build-ing (1884). – The Parliament building in Vienna.Photo: Peter Korrak.

Danes abroad – Athens and Vienna: The broth-ers Christian Hansen (1803-83) and TheophilusHansen (1813-91) both obtained several commis-sions for monumental buildings in Athens andVienna. They were masters of the Historicism ofthe period, which they primarily interpreted inClassicist, Byzantine and Renaissance style.Christian Hansen was Royal Architect in Greece1834-1843 and was entrusted with building

Internally, ARoS Aarhus Museum of Art, built in2004 by Schmidt Hammer Lassen, opens into aspacious reception area with undulating bal-conies. Photo: Adam Mørk.

Tårnby Courthouse, built in 2000 by Dorte Man-drup and Niels Fuglsang, combines a modernistidiom with distinctive colours. Photo: TorbenEskerod.

struction of new towns such as Christian-stad (1614) and new districts such as Chri-stianshavn (1618) and Nyboder (started1631), both in Copenhagen.

The Baroque style influenced Danisharchitecture from modest town houses toRoyal building projects, from city palacessuch as Charlottenborg on Kongens Ny-torv in Copenhagen (started 1672) tocountry houses such as Ledreborg by Lau-ritz de Thurah from the 1740s.

The main Danish Baroque buildingsinclude the Church of Our Saviour (VorFrelsers Kirke) in Copenhagen from 1682-1696 by Lambert van Haven, FredensborgPalace from 1722 by Johan CorneliusKrieger and the later Christiansborg Palace,started in 1730 by the German architectElias David Häusser. It was, however,

mainly the leading architects of the nextgeneration, Lauritz de Thurah and NicolaiEigtved, who made their mark on the inte-riors of the palace.

Nicolai Eigtved became the main advo-cate of the Rococo style in Denmark. Hisprincipal achievement was the laying-outof the Frederiksstad in Copenhagen in1749. This quarter was organised aroundthe octagonal square surrounded by thefour Amalienborg palaces. For the town-houses, he produced type designs in hischaracteristic, discreet pilaster strip andrecessed style with delicate relief effects.

Classicism and Historicism

After Eigtved’s death in 1754, anotherarchitect had to continue the work on themain monument of the Frederiksstad, the

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Danes abroad – Altona: In 1784, Carl FrederikHansen was appointed national master builderin Holstein, then part of the Danish realm.However, the income from the position wasmodest, so he supplemented it with privatecommissions, especially for the wealthy mer-chants in Hamburg. Hansen built several housesand country houses in Altona, especially on thefashionable Palmaille promenade, including his

own house (1804) and Baur’s House (1805). Healso built country houses such as Cesar Godef-froy’s (1792) on Elbchaussée. The simple, strongClassicism of the houses with their smooth wallsurfaces, plain details and strong pillars fullydemonstrate the talent which was to make himthe foremost architect of the period. – CarlFrederik Hansen’s own house on the Palmaillepromenade in Altona. Photo: Lars Nicolai Bock.

The round structure of the Tietgen Hall of

Residence in Ørestaden, Copenhagen, built in2005 by Lundgaard & Tranberg, is inspired bythe Chinese Haga people’s shared housing.Photo: Jens Lindhe.

The VM houses in Ørestaden, Copenhagen, builtin 2005 by Plot, represent a new generation’sconcept of architecture. Photo: Johan Fowelin.

Ferring International Centre, built in 2001 byHenning Larsen, is the first of several high-risebuildings planned for Ørestaden, Copenhagen.Photo: Henning Larsens Architects.

The Metro stations in Copenhagen, built in 2002by KHR, emphasise minimalism, robustness andlight. Photo: KHR.

Hover Church near Ringkøbing is built of graniteashlars and is a characteristic example of a sim-ple, Romanesque village church. Photo: SimonLadefoged.

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tion to Danish brick was not impeded by theRoman setting. Everything is dominated by thetexture of yellow brick and the outside areas arelikewise paved with yellow tiles. The heart of thebuilding is the double-height library room with abalcony all the way round. – The Danish Institutein Rome. Photo: Søren Lose.

Danes abroad – Rome: The Danish Academy inRome was completed in 1965. The main forcebehind the project, Kay Fisker (1893-1965), didnot live to see the final result, but the building,which he designed initially with Robert DuelundMortensen and later with Svend Høgsbro, ischaracteristic of his work. The Academy appearsas a collection of clear-cut, cubist shapes withclean, smooth surfaces. Fisker’s life-long devo-

Who is who in historical Danish architecture

Johan Cornelius Krieger (1683-1755) wasone of Denmark’s leading Baroque archi-tects. In his time, he was particularly recog-nised as a landscape architect, who forinstance designed the cascades at Frede-riksborg Castle. As an architect, he under-took projects ranging from FredensborgPalace (1722) through Vartov (1729) to pat-tern drawings for Copenhagen gable attichouses after the fire in the city in 1728.

Lauritz de Thurah (1706-1759) was a repre-sentative of late Baroque, which empha-sised the volume and sculptural characterof buildings. His rebuilding of Ledreborg’scour d’honneur with two side wings andobelisks demonstrates his talent, but hewas pushed aside by the introduction of theRococo in Denmark. As chief master builderfrom 1754, he unsuccessfully attempted tofinish the Frederik Church (Frederikskirken).

Nicolai Eigtved (1701-1754) was the leadingRococo architect in Denmark. His contribu-tion to the interiors of Christiansborg Palacein the 1730s-1740s and his rebuilding of thePrince’s Palace in 1744 established the idealfor Danish Rococo rooms. Eigtved’s mainwork was, however, the Frederiksstad quar-ter with the Amalienborg palaces and theFrederik Church, although he did not live tocomplete them.

Nicolas-Henri Jardin (1720-1799) came toCopenhagen from France in 1754 to takecharge of the building of the FrederikChurch, but his Piranesi-inspired style wasmet with scepticism in Denmark.Nonetheless, he facilitated the break-through of Classicism in Denmark and whenhe left the country in 1771, he left behindpartly a number of well-trained students,partly several influential buildings.

Caspar Frederik Harsdorff (1735-1799) wasDenmark’s leading Classicist architect in thelate 18th century. He was responsible most-ly for rebuildings, such as FredensborgPalace and Frederiksberg Castle, butthrough these and his professorship at theRoyal Danish Academy of Fine Arts, he hadgreat influence, especially on the extensivemiddle-class building activity after the firesin Copenhagen in 1795 and 1807.

Christian Frederik Hansen (1756-1845) wasthe leading architect in Denmark in the firsthalf of the 19th century with his simple andsevere interpretation of Classicism. In 1800,he was brought from Holstein to Copen-hagen to undertake several major publicbuilding projects. He also exerted greatinfluence on Danish building as both ChiefBuilding Director and Director of the RoyalDanish Academy of Fine Arts.

Gustav Friedrich Hetsch (1788-1864) as ayoung man worked for Napoleon’s architect,Charles Percier, which prepared him well forhis work from 1815 onwards on the interiorsof C.F. Hansen’s Christiansborg Palace. Overtime, his Classicist background developedinto late Classicism, which frequently drewon historical styles, for instance in St AnsgarChurch with its brick masonry walls from1841 and Neo-Gothic manor houses.

Michael Gottlieb Bindesbøll (1800-1856)was one of the leading representatives oflate Classicism. He worked freely within sev-eral styles, including his Pompeii-inspiredmajor work Thorvaldsen’s Museum (1848)and the Gothic Hobro Church (1850). Theplain, sober approach characteristic of OringeHospital (1857) and the Danish MedicalAssociation Houses (1853) was no less origi-nal at the time.

Johan Daniel Herholdt (1818-1902) was theleading representative of the national trendin the late 19th century. He created a num-ber of buildings reflecting his focus on brickarchitecture, the use of modern iron struc-tures and inspiration from Danish and Italianmedieval and Renaissance architecture,including Copenhagen Central Station (1864,now demolished) and the National Bank(1870, now demolished).

Martin Nyrop (1849-1921) was a follower ofHerholdt. He was a leading figure within theNational Romantic trend, where he empha-sised a high standard of craftsmanship inboth stone and wood and historicallyinspired, personal and imaginative interpre-tation, as seen in Vallekilde High School(1884) or the Elias Church (1908), which wasinspired by the medieval twin towers.

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Danes abroad – Oxford: In his later years, Den-mark’s unchallenged Modernist, Arne Jacobsen(1902-71), was frequently commissioned by for-eign developers, including several in Germany. InOxford, he built St Catherine’s College (1964) asa monumental and axial structure. The buildingswere given the severe shapes of cool Modernismand made of the most modern materials, formany a surprisingly contemporary response to a

traditional type of building. A undisguised con-crete skeleton with glass facades outlines thestructure and is supplemented with yellow bricksurfaces. The same materials dominate the inte-rior, which was equipped with furniture and fit-tings designed by Jacobsen himself. – St Cath-erine’s College in Oxford. Photo: Knud HolscherDesign.

Ferdinand Meldahl (1827-1908) was theleading representative of the HistoricistEuropean trend, which took its inspirationfrom the historical Gothic, Renaissance andBaroque styles. He often preferred plasterfacades, for instance in the Nautical College(1865). He exerted great influence throughnumerous buildings and many years as pro-fessor and Director at the Royal DanishAcademy of Fine Arts.

Hack Kampmann (1856-1920) for manyyears worked in the National-Romanticstyle, where truth to materials and artisticdecoration were prominent features, forinstance in the Provincial Archive in Viborg(1889) and the extension of Ny CarlsbergGlyptotek (1906). He built the Neo-ClassicalPolice Headquarters with, among others,Aage Rafn and his sons Christian and HansJørgen Kampmann.

Carl Petersen (1874-1923) pioneered Neo-Classicism. The small, but monumentalstreet facade of Fåborg Museum (1913) andthe colourful exhibition space established anew direction for architecture. His attentionto surfaces, textures and colours, all influ-enced by his ceramic work, also influencedthe next generation of Neo-Classical archi-tects.

Kay Fisker (1893-1965) was one of the lead-ing architects from around 1920. In his earlyyears, he worked in a Neo-Classical styleand especially his blocks of houses werepioneering with their simple, severe form,such as Hornbækhus (1922). He later con-tinued similar characteristics withinFunctionalism, where he among otherthings refined the balcony and bay windowhouse as a type.

Mogens Lassen (1901-1987) was one of thepioneers of international Functionalism inDenmark with for instance Gentofte Bad-minton Hall (1936). His ideal was the build-ings of Le Corbusier, which his pure Cubiststyle follows quite closely. He also took onthe modern material of the time, reinforcedconcrete, often in close collaboration withthe engineer Ernst Ishøy, for instance in theSystem House in Ordrup (1937).

Christian Frederik Møller (1898-1988) formany years worked closely with Kay Fisker,for instance on Aarhus University. Theirregional interpretation of Functionalism witha concise idiom and preference for Danishmaterials and forms also dominates his laterworks, especially in Jutland, such as theFourth of May Hall of Residence in Århus(1949).

Arne Jacobsen (1902-1971) was for severalyears the leading figure in Danish architec-ture. In the 1930s, he created Functionalistmajor works with an international touchsuch as the Bellevue area as well as Stel-ling’s House in Copenhagen. He continuedto be a leading figure of post-war Modernism,within both design and architecture, withbuildings such as the Minimalist TomsFactories (1961).

Jørn Utzon (born 1918) belongs to the organ-ic trend within Modernism with buildingssuch as his major work Sydney Opera House(1966) and the later Bagsværd Church (1976)with its wavy concrete roof. In courtyard res-idential estates such as Kingohusene (1960),he merged rows of houses into the land-scape and at the same time introduced newmodels for private and common areas.

Jørgen Bo (born 1919) and Vilhelm Wohlert

(1920-2007) designed an exceptionallygroundbreaking building in Denmark: theLouisiana Museum of Modern Art (1958) inHumlebæk. From a Modernist starting point,they created an informal group of buildingsmerging into the landscape. Enclosed exhibi-tion spaces were linked by long passageswhose glass facades allowed interior andexterior space, nature and art to interact.

Fællestegnestuen (established 1961) withTyge Arnfred, Viggo Møller-Jensen and JørnOle Sørensen in the 1960s introduced acompletely new use of concrete elementconstruction in Albertslund Syd, a dense lowdevelopment consisting mainly of courtyardand terrace houses. Here, as in later pro-jects, the company focused on improvedhousing, for instance in Farum Midtpunkt(1974) and Solbjerghave (1980).

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Frederik Church (Frederikskirken). Thiswas entrusted to the French architectNicolas-Henri Jardin, who introduced thelatest architectural style, Neo-Classicism,to Denmark. However, he did not manageto complete the Frederik Church either.Before leaving the country, Jardin alsobuilt, for instance, the Bernstorff Palacein1765 and the town house 18 Amalie-gade (the Yellow Palace) in 1764. One ofJardin’s pupils was Caspar Frederik Hars-dorff, the country’s leading architect inthe late 18th century, whose projectsincluded Frederik V’s chapel in Roskilde

Cathedral from 1778 and the colonnadeby Amalienborg in 1794. In 1779-1780,he built the town house 3-5 KongensNytorv, which became the new model forCopenhagen town houses at the time.

After his death, the chief proponent ofClassicism was Christian Frederik Hansen.The ideal developed towards a consider-ably more severe classical style dominatedby clean, simple forms and large, unbro-ken surfaces. From 1800, Christian Fre-derik Hansen was in charge of all majorbuilding projects in Copenhagen, includ-ing the City Hall and Courthouse onNytorv from 1816, the Church of OurLady (Vor Frue Kirke) in 1826 and thenew Christiansborg Palace from 1829.

In the 1830s, the Antique ideal wasbeginning to give way to Late Classicism’smore free interpretation of historical

styles. Buildings were now designed withboth plastered and brick masonry walls,for instance Gustav Friedrich Hetsch’s yel-low brick synagogue in Krystalgade from1833 and Michael Gottlieb Bindesbøll’sThorvaldsen’s Museum with its poly-chrome plaster facades from 1848, both inCopenhagen.

The second half of the 19th century wasthe age of Historicism. Two main trendscan be distinguished. The national trendattached importance to high standards ofcraftsmanship as well as truth and honestyto materials, as demonstrated in JohanDaniel Herholdt’s pioneering UniversityLibrary in Fiolstræde in Copenhagen from1861. This trend later developed intoNational Romanticism, which found itsmain expression in Copenhagen City Hallfrom 1905, built by Martin Nyrop.

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out over the harbour. On a plateau, Utzon’s largeconcrete shells rise to a height of 60 metres. Thecharacteristic shells, which were clad with whiteceramic tiles, look like white sails and the operahouse soon became Sydney’s landmark. – Sydney Opera House. Photo: Sydney OperaHouse Trust.

Danes abroad – Sydney: In 1957, Jørn Utzon(born 1918) won the competition for a new operahouse in Sydney. It was built in 1959-1973, but in1966 Utzon chose to withdraw from the project.The exterior of the building was completed inaccordance with Utzon’s plans, but the interiorwas changed. The shape of Sydney Opera Housereflects Utzon’s organic approach to architec-ture. The building is placed on a site reaching

Roskilde Cathedral, started in the 1170s, isincluded in the Unesco list of World HeritageCentres. Photo: Roskilde Lejre T0urist Office.

Hesselagergård on Funen, built around 1550 bythe royal chancellor Johan Friis, has characteris-tic Romanesque gables. Photo: John Sommer.

Frederiksborg Castle, Hillerød, built in 1620 byHans van Steenwinckel the Elder, was rebuilt byFerdinand Meldahl after a fire in 1869. Photo:Slots- og Ejendomsstyrelsen.

Nyboder in Copenhagen was built in 1731 ashousing for navy personnel. The wings havesince been changed, but the overall characterhas been retained. Photo: Rudy Hemmingsen.

Johan Cornelius Krieger began the reconstruc-tion of the main building of the country houseLedreborg, Lejre in 1743 and Lauritz de Thurahrebuilt the cour d’honneur in 1748. Photo: Led-reborg Castle.

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Danes abroad – Trondheim and Riyadh: In thefinal decades of the 20th century, various Danisharchitects undertook a range of building projectsabroad. One of the most important is HenningLarsen (born 1925). The Structuralist buildings ofTrondheim University (1978) allow for expansionand the internal three-storey glass-coveredstreets act as a fulcrum. Larsen has completedtwo projects in Riyadh. In the Foreign Office

(1984), a severely Classicist idiom interpret theArabic architectural culture in a modern way,again with internal streets and, among otherthings careful attention to light conditions. Theslightly later Danish Embassy in Riyadh (1988) isa smaller building with a similar architectonicapproach. – The Foreign Office in Riyadh. Photo:Henning Larsen Architects.

The second trend was more interna-tional and worked with a broader spec-trum of historical inspiration. FerdinandMeldahl was its leading representativeand, incidentally, the architect who finallycompleted the Frederik Church in 1894after almost 250 years.

First half of the 20th century

A change occurred in the first decades ofthe 20th century, when the decorative andhistorical motifs seen, for instance, in theNeo-Baroque and even the Art Nouveaustyle, gradually gave way to a new func-tionality, which around 1920 merged intoa Classicist trend. Earlier in the century,the Council for Design Assistance had beenestablished by the Society of AcademicArchitects in 1907 and the Better Archi-tectural Design Association in 1915. Theiraim was to provide guidance to the popu-lation, so that good and healthy familyhouses, in keeping with the Danish archi-tectural tradition, would be built all overthe country.

20th century Neo-Classicism was inau-gurated by Carl Petersen’s Fåborg Muse-

um from 1913. The trend put ideals suchas symmetry, regularity and rhythmicalrepetition on the agenda. Neo-Classicisminfluenced, for instance, the building offlats in Copenhagen, such as Kay Fisker’sblock of flats Hornbækhus in Copen-hagen from 1923. A special monument ofthe time is Hack Kampmann’s Copen-hagen Police Headquarters from 1924,powerful, simple and inward-looking onthe outside and monumental in its opencourtyard inside.

The transition from Neo-Classicism toFunctionalism happened around 1930.The ideal was rational and functionalarchitecture, preferably with a social objec-tive. The new materials, concrete, iron andglass, were to be combined in constructive-ly honest building volumes. Major exam-ples of international Functionalism inDen-mark include Frits Schlegel’s single-family house at 17 Bernstorffsvej from1931, Mogens Lassen’s single-family hous-es at 5-11 Sølystvej from 1936 and 1938and Arne Jacobsen’s Bellavista block offlats from 1934, all north of Copenhagen.

This co-existed with a more traditional

Bernstorff Palace, Gentofte, built in 1765 byNicolas-Henri Jardin, soon became a modelfor the period’s Classicist country houses.Photo: Thomas Rahbek.

Christiansborg Palace Church, Copenhagen,built in 1822 by Christian Frederik Hansen, is all that remains of Christiansborg Palace,which burnt down in 1884. Photo: Jens Lindhe.

Amalienborg Square with its four palaceswere part of Nicolai Eigtved’s plan for theFrederiksstad quarter in Copenhagen in1749. Since 1794, the palaces have servedas royal residences. Photo: Roberto Fortuna.

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National Bank (1985). The minimalist building issimultaneously dominated by abstract andregional characteristics. The shape is a verylarge, white and closed marble cube with a fewfacade shifts and slits in the walls. Like the localhouses, the bank is turned inwards towards alarge, covered courtyard. – KunstsammlungNordrhein-Westfalen in Düsseldorf. Photo: Dis-sing+Weitling.

Danes abroad – Düsseldorf and Baghdad: Formany years, Dissing+Weitling’s most frequentprojects abroad have been in Germany. Kunst-sammlung Nordrhein-Westfalen (1986) inDüsseldorf is late-Modernist architecture, wherethe polished granite of the curved facade and itsassociated mirror effects virtually dissolve theweight of the building. Dissing+Weitling’sModernist inheritance is also obvious in Iraq’s

aart (established 2000)aim for new and surprisingsolutions based on theNordic architectural tradi-tion, such as the FDF OpenAir Centre Sletten (2003)and the Bikuben Hall ofResidence (2006) in Øre-staden, Copenhagen.

Arkitema (established1970) have a particularlystrong position in Danishhousing and explore bothregional and internationaltrends, for instance in Tu-borg Sundpark (2004) andBellahøj Swimming Stadium(2009) in Copenhagen.

BIG (established 2006)offer non-traditional solu-tions based on Pragmatism,such as the residentialdevelopments VM Bjerget(2008) and 8 House (2010),both in Ørestaden.

Cebra (established 2000)cover a wide architectonicrange, including severeNeo-Modernism in the pattern house Deltahuset(2005) and a colourful,imaginative approach inthe Bakkegaard School(2005) in Gentofte.

Cubo (established 1992)mainly work with variationsof Modernism, such asMTHøjgaard’s Administra-tion Building (2002) inEsbjerg and the OthelloCare Centre (2009) inFredericia.

Dall & Lindhardtsen

(established 1968) have along tradition of large,robust building elementswith strong materialeffects, such as NærumRegional Sixth FormCollege (2003).

Dissing+Weitling (estab-lished 1971) unite a Nordictone with classic Minimalistdesign, for instance in theEast Bridge across theGreat Belt (1998) and theDanish BroadcastingCorporation building (2007)in Ørestaden, Copenhagen.

Entasis (established 1998)interpret early Modernismin a free and contemporaryway, for instance in themain entrance to Copen-hagen Zoo (1998) and theauditorium at SvanemøllenBarracks (2002), both inCopenhagen.

Fogh & Følner (established1976) create contemporaryand regionally anchoredbuildings based on NordicModernism, such as theArts Centre at Islands Bryg-ge (2002) in Copenhagenand Bornholm Art Museum(2003).

Friis & Moltke (established1954) made their mark withtheir first robust ”casematearchitecture”, which todayis interpreted in largeModernist and regionalbuilding volumes such asthe Waste Disposal Centrein Århus Nord (2007).

Who is who in current Danish architecture

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Danes abroad – Manama and Seville: In 1988,Krohn & Hartvig Rasmussen, now KHR, complet-ed the building of Bahrain’s National Museum inManama. The museum combines Arabic buildingstyle and Modernist features in the diagonallyplaced square building corpuses, the clear-cutclosed facades, the pierced filigree pattern pro-tecting against the sun and details inspired bythe local architecture. In Seville, KHR con-

tributed the Danish pavilion at the world fairExpo ’92. The pavilion was shaped as large fullsails curving towards a vertical disc. The taskwas solved in a simple, poetic way through thesails, which are the main motif of the building. – Denmark’s Pavillion in Seville 1992. Photo:KHR.

KHR (established 1950,originally Krohn & HartvigRasmussen) create ele-gant, beautifully detailedNeo-Modernist buildingssuch as the B&O head-quarters (1999) in Struerand Hellig Kors Kirke(2008) in Jyllinge.

Kjær & Richter (established1955) mainly work within acontemporary interpreta-tion of Modernist trends,for instance in the majorwork Århus Concert Hall(1982) and Holstebro MusicTheatre (2006).

Henning Larsen Architects

(established 1959) havemade their mark withinseveral trends, rangingfrom Structuralism to Neo-Modernism, such as theWave housing develop-ment (2009) in Vejle.

Vilhelm Lauritzen

Arkitekter (established1920, continued 1969)have developed theirModernist starting pointinto contemporary inter-pretations such asTuborgNord (2007) inHellerup.

Lundgaard & Tranberg

(established 1983) combineNeo-Modernist features withregional and sustainableelements, for instance in theTietgen Hall of Residence(2005) in Ørestaden andthe Royal Danish Playhouse(2008) in Copenhagen.

Dorte Mandrup (established1999) unites Modernist fea-tures with rustic poetry instraightforward solutionssuch as Holmbladsgade ArtsCentre (2006) and the exten-sion of Bording IndependentSchool (2009), both inCopenhagen.

Arkitektfirmaet C.F. Møller

(established 1924) continuethe Modernist traditionwith a contemporary look,for instance in the DanishNational Art Museum (1999)in Copenhagen and Vestas(2003) in Randers.

3xNielsen (established1985) have worked with anuncompromising explo-ration of architectural posi-tions, most recently Neo-Modernism, for instance inthe Glass Museum (2006)in Ebeltoft and the Museumof Liverpool (2010).

Schmidt Hammer Lassen

(established 1986) workwith conceptual overallforms based onModernism, for instance inthe Black Diamond (1999)in Copenhagen andHalmstad Library (2006).

Vandkunsten (established1970) had their break-through with the pioneer-ing estate Tinggården(1978). They combine poe-try and severe lines, forinstance in Diana’s Garden(1992) in Hørsholm andAllerød Fire Station (2004).

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trend which, although influenced by theideals of the time, primarily used nativematerials and a more traditional idiom, asin Aarhus University initiated in 1932 byKay Fisker, Christian Frederik Møller andPovl Stegmann or the balcony and baywindow block of flats Vestersøhus inCopenhagen from 1939, also built byFisker and Møller. The architecture of the1940s showed signs of the difficult condi-tions during World War II. The buildingstended to be smaller and used nativematerials such as brick and wood, forinstance Viggo Møller-Jensen’s Atelierhuse(studio houses) at Utterslev from 1943.

Second half of the 20th century

After the war, there was particular interestin American Modernism.

Typically, the houses were designedwith irregular ground plans, flat roofs,

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rests on a plateau, which acts as a staircase. Theopen ’window’ in the cube is only broken by adelicate lift tower and suspended ’clouds’. Thecube is situated on the historical axis of Paris, inexact continuation of Arc de Triomphe, and is auniquely simple solution to a complicated monu-mental commission. – La Défense in Paris. Photo: grandearche.com

Danes abroad – Paris: In 1983, Johan Otto vonSpreckelsen (1929-87) won the internationalcompetition for the Parisian suburb La Défensewith his proposal for the Arch of Humanity, alarge open cube measuring approx. 105 x 105metres. The arch was completed in 1989 andhouses offices in its sides as well as exhibitionand conference spaces in its roof. The late-Modernist cube is clad with white marble and

The Frederik Church, Copenhagen, built in 1894by Ferdinand Meldahl, is a Historicist centralisedchurch modelled on St Peter’s Basilica. Photo:Jørgen Schytte.

Thorvaldsen’s Museum, Copenhagen, built in1848 by Michael Gottlieb Bindesbøll, is Den-mark’s first purpose-built museum. Photo: Ire-neusz Cyranek.

The high book store at the University Library,

Copenhagen, built in 1861 by Johan DanielHerholdt, has cast iron pillars and painted wallsand ceiling. Photo: Per Munksgaard Thorsen.

The interior colours of Fåborg Museum, built in1913 by Carl Petersen, were inspired by Thor-valdsen’s Museum and attracted great attentionat the time. Photo: John Sommer.

Both the exterior and the interior of Copenhagen

Town Hall, built in 1905 by Martin Nyrop, arecharacterised by a great and intricate wealth ofdetail. Photo: Lars Gundersen. KøbenhavnsKommune.

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open plan room sequences and large glassfacades, as in Jørn Utzon’s single-familyhouse at Hellebæk from 1952 or JørgenBo and Vilhelm Wohlert’s LouisianaMuseum of Modern Art from 1958. Inthe post-war period, Arne Jacobsen wasthe country’s leading Modernist of inter-national standing. In Rødovre Town Hallfrom 1955 and the SAS Hotel in Copen-hagen from 1960, he created cool, classi-cal Modernism with simple, severe formsand curtain-wall facades. Friis and Moltkeintroduced a completely different archi-tectonic approach, the Brutalist-inspiredso-called casemate architecture withrobust concrete forms, for instance OdderTown Hall from 1971.

In the early 1960s, the State began toinvest in industralising constructionthrough pre-cast and prefabricated build-ing elements, as in Høje Gladsaxe, built in

1964 by Povl Ernst Hoff and BennetWindinge. The very tall high-rise blocksquite soon encountered criticism and alow-rise alternative arose with Fællestegne-stuen’s estate in Albertslund Syd from1963-1966.

The decisive break with Modernismwithin housing came with the low, denseestate Tinggården in Herfølge from 1978by the firm of architects Vandkunsten.Tinggården was the first realisation of theconcept of a new, alternative housingenvironment in the form of small, inti-mate residential enclaves in touch withnature. The idiom was varied and infor-mal. Tinggården set the tone for residen-tial architecture in the following decades.

Tinggården’s idiom anticipated Post-Modernism in Denmark. The main advo-cates of this trend are the firm of archi-tects 3xNielsen with projects such as VillaAtzen in Horsens from 1986.

Apart from Post-Modernism, Danisharchitecture around 1970-1990 was char-acterised by several other architecturaltrends. Late Modernism’s refinement ofthe Modernist forms is chiefly seen inDanish architects’ work abroad, but thetrend is also well-represented in Denmark,from Henning Larsen’s Gentofte CentralLibrary from 1985 inspired by the 1930sto Dall & Lindhardtsen’s Brutalist-in-spired Holstebro Town Hall from 1986.

Neo-Rationalism came to the fore withHøje Tåstrup’s more traditional urbanity,

Danes abroad – Berlin and Amsterdam:

3xNielsen won the competition for the DanishEmbassy (1999) in the Nordic embassy cluster inBerlin. The building is characterised by sharpand soft shapes and changes of material. Twoblocks delimit an irregular panoptical space. Thefacade of one block is covered with copper slats,which on the inside are replaced by a curvedwall with wooden slats. The other block is clad

with perforated steel sheets both inside and out.The Concert Hall in Amsterdam (2005) has aprominent position on the harbour. The primarybuilding volume, a large box with all-over glassfacades, is covered by a characteristic large cor-belled roof, while a smaller black box on pillarscut into the large one. – The Concert Hall inAmsterdam. Photo: 3xNielsen.

The Copenhagen Police Headquarters, built in1924 by Hack Kampmann, Aage Rafn and others,represents a unique, Mannerist interpretation ofNeo-Classicism. Photo: Københavns Kommune.

5 Sølystvej, Gentofte, built in 1936 by MogensLassen, is one of the main examples of DanishFunctionalism. Photo: Andreas Trier Mørch.

The curtain-wall SAS building with the Royal

Hotel, built in 1960 by Arne Jacobsen, is theprincipal Danish example of internationalModernism. Photo: CPH Radisson.

Vester Søhus, built in 1939 by Kay Fisker andChristian Frederik Møller, immediately became amodel for the period’s popular balcony and baywindow houses. Photo: Andreas Trier Mørch.

Louisiana Museum of Modern Art, built in 1958by Jørgen Bo and Vilhelm Wohlert, created acompletely new open and informal setting forthe museum experience. Photo: Poul Buchard.

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where Jacob Blegvad Architects and ClausBonderup in their competition proposalfrom 1978 emphasised enclosed streetspaces and the creation of squares. TheClassical element was continued in manybuildings, both in Post-Modernist andNeo-Rationalist versions, includingHenning Larsen’s Business School in Fre-deriksberg from 1989. Deconstructivismhas had a few advocates in Denmark, butvery few buildings, notably the Museumof Modern Art, Arken, in Ishøj by SørenRobert Lund from 1996 and HolstebroCourthouse by 3xNielsen from 1992.

At the same time, a significant part ofDanish architecture is characterised by itsregional roots, especially within housing,where the 1970s dense-low concept hasbeen developed into contemporary design.Arkitema led this development with forinstance Håndværkerparken III in Århusfrom 1986.

The sustainable dimension also becamea key issue for many Danish architects, in-cluding Boje Lundgaard and Lene Tranberg.

Vibeke Andersson MøllerCurator

Further informationDanish Association of Architectural Firms(Danske Ark) Strandgade 27ADK-1401 Copenhagen KTelephone: + 45 32 83 05 00Website: www.danskeark.org

The Royal Danish Academy of Fine ArtsSchool of ArchitecturePhilip de Langes Allé 10DK-1435 Copenhagen KTelephone: + 45 32 68 60 00Website: www.karch.dk

Aarhus School of ArchitectureNørreport 20DK-8000 Århus CTelephone: + 45 89 36 00 00Website: www.aarch.dk

The Danish Centre for Architecture Strandgade 27BDK-1401 Copenhagen KTelephone: + 45 32 57 19 30Website: www.dac.dk

Tinggården, Herfølge, built in 1978 by the firmof architects Vandkunsten, introduced low densebuilding as an alternative to the large Modernisthousing estates. Photo: Timme Hovind.

Gentofte Central Library, built in 1985 by Hen-ning Larsen, is an interpretation of Functionalism.Photo: Henning Larsen Architects.

The Museum of Modern Art, Arken, Ishøj, builtin 1996 by Søren Robert Lund, offered the 1990sentirely new form and space designs. Photo: TedFahn.

Architecture

Factsheet Denmark _ Published by the Ministry of Foreign Affairsof DenmarkAddress: Asiatisk Plads 2, DK-1448 Copenhagen K, DenmarkTelephone: (+45) 33 92 00 00 _ Telefax: (+45) 32 54 05 33E-mail: um@um.dk _ Website: www.um.dkEditor: Flemming AxmarkPicture editor: Kirstine Fryd

Translation: Siri Fischer Hansen Design: Ole Jensen _ ojdesignReproduction of the text, with or without acknowledgement, is permitted.Published April 2010

ISBN 978-87-7087-367-3