Countries of the World/COUNTRYS.BIN/dp/0110/01102.txt

Text File | 1991-06-25 | 32KB | 580 lines

$Unique_ID{COW01102}
$Pretitle{411}
$Title{Denmark
Contemporary Danish Architecture}
$Subtitle{}
$Author{Henning Dehn Nielsen}
$Affiliation{Ministry of Foreign Affairs}
$Subject{designed
buildings
building
danish
new
housing
architects
centre
built
copenhagen}
$Date{1990}
$Log{}
Country:     Denmark
Book:        Facts about Denmark
Author:      Henning Dehn Nielsen
Affiliation: Ministry of Foreign Affairs
Date:        1990

Contemporary Danish Architecture

     Danish architecture has always been open and receptive to outside
influence. However, since Danish architects have given international trends a
Danish interpretation, this openness has not deprived Danish buildings of
their distinctive character. At the same time, their international orientation
has secured many assignments for Danish architects abroad. Among the results
are some of the world's best known contemporary buildings.

Danish architecture abroad

     Until the Second World War, Danish architects rarely built abroad. Yet
it is worth mentioning a few well-known buildings designed by Danes in a more
distant past.

     In 1839, Athens University was built to the drawings of a Dane, Christian
Hansen, who a few years later went on to design the Marine Arsenal in Trieste.
Towards the end of the 19th century his younger brother, Theophilius Hansen
designed a number of Vienna's best known buildings, including the Parliament
on the famous boulevard, Der Ring, as well as the Academy of Arts, the Stock
Exchange and the Musikverein Concert Palais.

     The most famous of all Danish-designed structures is the Sydney Opera
House. This is a post-war work by Jorn Utzon whose design won an
international competition in 1957. Pictures of the Opera House appear in
newspapers, periodicals, films and TV programmes, tourist brochures and on
stamps all over the world. Today, it is close to being a national symbol of
Australia.

Arne Jacobsen, a pioneer

     The period when many Danish architects received commissions abroad was
initiated by Arne Jacobsen, one of the Danish pioneers of international
modernism. In the 1930s, his works at home included a theatre, a hotel and a
housing estate adjoining each other, in Klampenborg, north of Copenhagen, in
what was a Danish interpretation of the international Bauhaus style. This
beautiful environment gained international recognition only after the war
when Arne Jacobsen strengthened his fame with outstanding buildings for many
different purposes, including schools, a library, a town hall and a high-rise
hotel.

     His reputation resulted in invitations to take part in a number of
international architectural competitions in Germany. From Britain, the head
of St. Catherine's College, Oxford, came to Denmark to ask Arne Jacobsen to
design extensions for this ancient seat of learning.

The Museum of Art in Dusseldorf, opened in 1986. It was designed by the
architectural firm of Dissing & Weitling which won first prize in an
international competition. The main surfaces are covered in polished black
granite. The overhead lighting system of the galleries is constructed in such
a way to make it possible to control the effects of daylight.

     The German competitions gave Arne Jacobsen and his partner, Otto
Weitling, many important tasks. One of them was a foyer of outstanding beauty
for the Herrenhaus Concert Hall in Hannover. A much larger project drew
particular attention, that of the Town Hall of Mainz, and with that an
environment of new buildings in the centre of this historic city. Another town
area was created by the two architects in the Ruhr town of Castrop-Rauxel.
Built around a new town square, the town hall, a sports centre and a congress
hall, with their untraditional roof constructions are architecturally and
technically remarkable.

     In 1971, even before the Castrop-Rauxel scheme had been completed, Arne
Jacobsen died. Among other unfinished projects was the National Bank of
Kuwait. All were taken over and completed by Otto Weitling together with Hans
Dissing who for years had been head of Arne Jacobsen's drawing office. Later,
they formed the partnership of Dissing & Weitling which quickly gained
recognition as a talented architectural practice which has been awarded many
important commissions, in West Germany in particular. They secured the
assignment of an IBM building in Hamburg and an art museum in Dusseldorf as
winners of international competitions.

     The Art Museum of Dusseldorf, inaugurated in 1986, has gained recognition
as one of the finest in West Germany. It is both beautiful and a functional
framework for an outstanding collection of modern art.

Faculty of Physics, Freie Universitat in Dahlem, West Berlin. Architect:
Henning Larsen.

West Germany

     Yet another art museum, that of Bochum, is Danish-designed. Its
architects are the Bo & Wohlert partnership who also designed the Louisiana
Museum of Modern Art in Humlebaek north of Copenhagen. In both instances, the
buildings are extensions of an old villa. The new buildings have considerably
increased public interest in the Bochum museum.

     Since the 1950s several buildings have been designed by Danes for the
Freie Universitat in West Berlin's Dahlem district. One of the faculties is
designed by Henning Larsen, a Dane who won a 1963 competition for the project.
As a result of a number of delays, the building was not completed until the
late 1970s. A system of prefabricated elements was used but this rational
method has not prevented the architect from producing irrational effects in
a beautiful interplay between the buildings, the gardens between them and an
avenue of old plane trees.

     Another educational institution of considerable architectural value
designed by Danes, is that of Siemens' training centre in Munich which had
the firm of Friis & Moltke as architects. An urban redevelopment project for
Regensburg has been designed by Gehrdt Bornebusch. The partnership of Ronnow
& Overby have been entrusted with various environmental protection schemes in
Flensburg.

The Nordic countries

     It has been quite natural for other neighbouring countries as well to
make use of Danish architects and this is particularly true of Norway.
Competitions open to Nordic architects are frequent and they have provided
Danes with important assignments. Bergen's imposing concert hall, the
Grieghallen, was designed by Knud Munk. Erected in the 1970s, it is clad in
Corten steel sheets which rust for a while as if they were made of iron The
corrosion process then ceases and the sheets are left with a stainless, blue
black surface. In the rust-red stages, the building drew many indignant
protests. However, when the beautiful concert hall and impressive foyer were
completed indignation turned to admiration. The Grieghallen is the home of
one of Norway's best symphony orchestras and the centre of the annual
international Bergen Festival.

     Another group of buildings admired outside Norway, is the new University
of Trondheim, the old university city of the country. This project was given
to Henning Larsen who on the basis of his experiences from the Berlin
university scheme, developed a building system which makes it possible to add
new extensions any time and yet preserve the architectural unity. This is a
considerable advantage for a building project stretching over an extended
period.

     The first sections were completed in the early 1980s and demonstrate the
principle which will be applied to the entire university. The buildings are
linked by glass-roofed streets where students can meet for informal gatherings
or for celebrations, theatre performances etc. In the harsh North Norwegian
climate, these covered streets make it possible for the students to enjoy
"outdoor" life most of the year.

     Another large-scale Bergen project is a new hospital, designed by Krohn
& Hartvig Rasmussen and completed four years ago. Many Danish architects have
settled in Sweden, either to practice on their own or to work for Sw