in the back: svanemøllen koblingsstation (facility for the distribution of electricity), copenhagen, denmark 1966-1968.
architect: hans chr. hansen, 1901-1978, working for the copenhagen municipal architects department under f.c.lund, 1896-1984.
in front: østre gasværk, gas tank 1881-1883.
architect: martin nyrop, 1849-1921.
modernist architects have always loved martin nyrop's 1881 gas tank. the 1880's stood for everything early modernism was a reaction against, but here was one of the main culprits of the age working in the strictest utilitarian mode with a silent dignity the modernists could only dream of.
the gas works were to be demolished when hans christian hansen's switch station was built, but he planned his building so compact, the tank could stay - with hansen's facade as a backdrop at once in tune with and in contrast to the grey brick drum.
the gas tank was listed as late as 1984 and now, rather predictably, houses a theatre in which nyrop's drum and dome offer half the drama. the remaining grounds of the gas works have proven too polluted for development.
in the one page of publication, hansen's project was awarded in 1972, the urban ensemble was compared with the work of palle nielsen. it is a wonderful comparison and there appears to be a link between hansen's elevations and the etchings of his two great near-contemporaries from the royal academy, palle nielsen and rasmus nellemann.
the hans chr. hansen set.
more words, yada, yada, yada.
the comments I have added to some of my photos can be read together as a kind of mangled, yet surprisingly brief essay on hansen. repetitious and opinionated, it reflects the writer above his subject, but until someone does some serious research on hansen, a complete lack of competition makes me immune to criticism. enjoy :)
01. introduction, amager 1966.
02. the engineer as ideal, hansen's pre-war architecture, sundholm 1939.
03. the church he didn't build. war and the return to tradition, 1942-1944.
04. following fisker. wartime housing, hulgårds plads 1943.
05. the architect finding himself in kindergarten, skydebanen 1948.
06. developing the restless section. hanssted school 1954.
07. early industrial. nyborggade transformer 1958.
08. the brutalist, bellahøj 1961.
09. perfect self-confidence, ringbo nursing home 1961.
10. perfect idiosyncrasy. ringbo bell tower 1961.
11. the masterpiece, bremerholm 1962.
12. on the fine art of knowing when to be a backdrop. svanemølle 1966.
13. industrialized construction, a first response. svanemølle 1966.
14. concrete charm, bellahøj gas regulator 1967.
15. late irreverence. gasværksvejen school 1969.
don't copy texts and comments. respect the photos that are marked all rights reserved. for photos with a CC license, please name photographer "SEIER+SEIER".
Tags: hans chr. hansen hans christian hansen hans christian hansen martin nyrop martin nyrop arkitekt architect f.c.lund stadsarkitekt københavn copenhagen kopenhagen köpenhamn nyborggade svanemøllen koblingsstation switch station østre gasværk gas tank danmark denmark concrete brick wood industrial architecture arquitetura architectuur architettura architektur arquitectura modern modernist modernism jenskristianseier seier+seier creative commons CC
kingohusene courtyard houses, helsingør / elsinore, denmark 1956-1960
architect: jørn utzon, 1918-2008
looking from private courtyard to neighbour.
kingohusene was the first large scale project in which utzon was able to pursue his ideas fully. he acted as his own developer with backing from his father. they managed to afford building a single house after which they invited the press and potential buyers. the project was an instant success. it was among the cheapest housing on the marked at the time, the utzons aiming it at the workers at the local elsinore shipyard.
they are not cheap anymore.
when the sydney opera house competition was won only months later, several of utzon's own employees moved in. some are still there.
it is an early example of utzon's uncanny ability to create a synthesis out of extremely diverse sources: everyone will recognize the traditional chinese courtyard house and the chinese gables, yet the treatment of the masonry refers more to p.v. jensen-klint's reinterpretation of hanseatic gothic and the implied ruskinian principles herein. the almost windowless street facades remind us of islamic courtyard houses rather than chinese and of utzon's great love of the architecture of morocco and iran. frank lloyd wright is also present, especially in the facades towards the courtyard.
sverre fehn called utzon's work "world architecture" - consider for a moment how far removed the image above is from the international style of MoMA's 1932 exhibition.
each plot is 15 by 15 meters and there are 60 houses in the entire development which was built in three stages from 1957-1960.
don't copy texts and comments. respect the photos that are marked all rights reserved. for photos with a CC license, please name photographer "SEIER+SEIER".
more utzon here and here
Tags: utzon jørn jorn jorn utzon jørn utzon helsingør elsinore danmark denmark dänemark arkitektur architecture courtyard house building housing modern nordic scandinavian scandinavia architektur bygning Arquitectura arquitetura Architectuur Architettura danish dansk arkitekt architect additive brick brickwork masonry gårdhave gårdhavehus atrium gebäude haus gebouw bouw batiment maison edificio huis casa bolig boligbyggeri jenskristianseier seier+seier creative commons CC
st petri church, klippan,
architect sigurd lewerentz 1962-1966.
the lewerentz set.
Tags: sverige sweden arkitektur architecture sigurd lewerentz klippan st petri church kyrka kirke window light shade brick masonry modernism brustalist brutalism arquitectura Architektur arquitetura Architettura Architectuur building gebäude haus gebouw bouw bygning batiment maison edificio huis casa christian chiesa eglise kristen seier+seier creative commons CC
sculpture-habitacle 2, architectural sculpture, 1964.
architect: andré bloc, 1896-1966.
yes he did, in 1:1
and it works.
main text on andré bloc.
the andré bloc set.
Tags: andré bloc andré bloc sculpture-habitacle sculpture habitacle art architecture brick interior architect's own house modern modernism meudon paris france arkitektur arquitetura arquitectura Architectuur Architektur Architettura seier+seier creative commons CC
detail, waldsiedlung onkel toms hütte, berlin 1926-1932.
architect/planning: bruno taut, 1880-1938.
the exposed brick detailing of the 1920's modernism seems to arise from a very sensible use of clinker bricks at the base of the wall, protecting the render from damp soil and snow.
I liked bruno taut's careful detailing around the basement windows particularly well.
Tags: bruno taut detail house social housing architecture architect wald forest siedlung berlin germany tyskland deutschland modernism modernist modern bauhaus der ring der ring haus building facade arquitetura Architectuur Architettura gebäude gebouw bouw batiment maison edificio huis casa seier+seier creative commons CC