Steen Eiler Rasmussen
Encyclopedia
Steen Eiler Rasmussen was a Danish
architect
and urban planner
who was a professor at the Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts, and a prolific writer of books and poetry. He was made a Royal Designer for Industry
by the British Royal Society of Arts in 1947.
to Lieutenant colonel and later general Christian Rasmussen and Anna Dorthea (Dori) Jung. He first aparentised as a mason and then studied architecture at the Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts from 1916 to 1918. In 1919 he set up his own practice.
's Department for Urban Planning.
Through his involvement in the Urban Planning Laboratory, he was an important part of the process which led to the Finger Plan
which has governed the overall development of suburban Copenhagen ever since. He also co-planned the Tingbjerg
town (yellow brickstone and greens) in Copenhagen suburb NV, as well as the town Hørsholm
.
Among the buildings he has designed are Ringsted Town Hall
, Mødrehjælpen (a social institution for women) in Copenhagen Ø and his own house in Rungsted Kyst Hørsholm, north of Copenhagen(1938).
, designer of the Sydney Opera House
, and Marian Pepler who designed rugs for Gordon Russell in the 1930s .
One of his most important books was London
. It was first published in Danish
in 1934, in English
(as London, the Unique City) in 1937. When this edition was re-issued in 1948, Rasmussen had added two Postscripts: "For English readers only", and "For American readers only". A shorter version was published as a paperback in 1960.
Other influential books by Rasmussen are Towns and Buildings (1951), and Experiencing Architecture (1959).
It has been stated that every English and American city-planner knows his "Rasmussen". Among his many friends was Edmund N. Bacon.
og Astrid Koefoed. He is the father of the linguist Una Canger
. He was a close friend of the author Karen Blixen.
Denmark
Denmark is a Scandinavian country in Northern Europe. The countries of Denmark and Greenland, as well as the Faroe Islands, constitute the Kingdom of Denmark . It is the southernmost of the Nordic countries, southwest of Sweden and south of Norway, and bordered to the south by Germany. Denmark...
architect
Architect
An architect is a person trained in the planning, design and oversight of the construction of buildings. To practice architecture means to offer or render services in connection with the design and construction of a building, or group of buildings and the space within the site surrounding the...
and urban planner
Urban planning
Urban planning incorporates areas such as economics, design, ecology, sociology, geography, law, political science, and statistics to guide and ensure the orderly development of settlements and communities....
who was a professor at the Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts, and a prolific writer of books and poetry. He was made a Royal Designer for Industry
Royal Designers for Industry
Royal Designer for Industry is a distinction established by the British Royal Society of Arts in 1936, to encourage a high standard of industrial design and enhance the status of designers. It is awarded to people who have achieved "sustained excellence in aesthetic and efficient design for...
by the British Royal Society of Arts in 1947.
Early life and education
Steen Eiler Rasmussen was born on 19 February 1898 in CopenhagenCopenhagen
Copenhagen is the capital and largest city of Denmark, with an urban population of 1,199,224 and a metropolitan population of 1,930,260 . With the completion of the transnational Øresund Bridge in 2000, Copenhagen has become the centre of the increasingly integrating Øresund Region...
to Lieutenant colonel and later general Christian Rasmussen and Anna Dorthea (Dori) Jung. He first aparentised as a mason and then studied architecture at the Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts from 1916 to 1918. In 1919 he set up his own practice.
Architecture and urban planning
It was mainly as an urban planner that he made his name. He was part of the Danish Urban Planning Laboratory from 1924, as the Academy Council's representative, and its leader from 1942 to 1948. From 1932 to 1938 he worked at Copenhagen MunicipalityCopenhagen municipality
Copenhagen Municipality is the largest of the municipalities making up the city of Copenhagen. It lies at the center of Copenhagen and contains the old historic city....
's Department for Urban Planning.
Through his involvement in the Urban Planning Laboratory, he was an important part of the process which led to the Finger Plan
Finger Plan
The Finger Plan is an urban plan from 1947 which provides a strategy for the development of Greater Copenhagen, Denmark. According to the plan, Copenhagen is to develop along five 'funger', centred on S-train commuter rail lines, which extend from the 'palm', that is the dense urban fabric of...
which has governed the overall development of suburban Copenhagen ever since. He also co-planned the Tingbjerg
Tingbjerg
Tingbjerg is a large housing project designed and built from 1950 to 1972 by Steen Eiler Rasmussen as principal architect. It is located 6km northwest of Copenhagen, Denmark. The area is idyllic in its own green pocket surrounded by Vestvolden and Utterslev Mose. There is plenty of light and air,...
town (yellow brickstone and greens) in Copenhagen suburb NV, as well as the town Hørsholm
Hørsholm
Hørsholm Kommune is a municipality in the Copenhagen Capital Region in the northern part of the island of Zealand in eastern Denmark. The municipality covers an area of 31 km², and has a total population of 24,197...
.
Among the buildings he has designed are Ringsted Town Hall
Ringsted
Ringsted, a city in Ringsted municipality, is in the middle of the Danish island of Zealand. The municipal population is about 31,000 and the city population is 21,151 .Ringsted is approximately 60 km from Copenhagen.-Modern hotspot:...
, Mødrehjælpen (a social institution for women) in Copenhagen Ø and his own house in Rungsted Kyst Hørsholm, north of Copenhagen(1938).
Academia
Rasmussen was a lecturer at the Academy from 1924 and became a professor in 1936. Among his students were Jørn UtzonJørn Utzon
Jørn Oberg Utzon, , AC was a Danish architect, most notable for designing the Sydney Opera House in Australia. When it was declared a World Heritage Site on 28 June 2007, Utzon became only the second person to have received such recognition for one of his works during his lifetime...
, designer of the Sydney Opera House
Sydney Opera House
The Sydney Opera House is a multi-venue performing arts centre in the Australian city of Sydney. It was conceived and largely built by Danish architect Jørn Utzon, finally opening in 1973 after a long gestation starting with his competition-winning design in 1957...
, and Marian Pepler who designed rugs for Gordon Russell in the 1930s .
Writings
A prolific writer, Rasmussen's bibliography was published by librarian Finn Slente in 1973.One of his most important books was London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
. It was first published in Danish
Danish language
Danish is a North Germanic language spoken by around six million people, principally in the country of Denmark. It is also spoken by 50,000 Germans of Danish ethnicity in the northern parts of Schleswig-Holstein, Germany, where it holds the status of minority language...
in 1934, in English
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
(as London, the Unique City) in 1937. When this edition was re-issued in 1948, Rasmussen had added two Postscripts: "For English readers only", and "For American readers only". A shorter version was published as a paperback in 1960.
Other influential books by Rasmussen are Towns and Buildings (1951), and Experiencing Architecture (1959).
It has been stated that every English and American city-planner knows his "Rasmussen". Among his many friends was Edmund N. Bacon.
Personal life
On 15 June 1934 he married Karen Margrethe Schrøder (12 November 1904 - 31 Marts 1985), daughter of economist and later Danish National Bank manager Frederik Carl Gram SchrøderFrederik Carl Gram Schrøder
Frederik Carl Gram Schrøder , usually referred to as F.C.G. Schrøder and also known as Fritz Schrøder was a Danish civil servant, Governor of Danmarks Nationalbank from 1925 and until his death....
og Astrid Koefoed. He is the father of the linguist Una Canger
Una Canger
Una Canger is a Danish linguist specializing in languages of Mesoamerica. She has published mostly about the Nahuatl language with a particular focus on the dialectology of Modern Nahuatl, and is considered among the world's leading specialists in this area...
. He was a close friend of the author Karen Blixen.
Awards and destinctions
- 1947 Honorary Royal Designer for IndustryRoyal Designers for IndustryRoyal Designer for Industry is a distinction established by the British Royal Society of Arts in 1936, to encourage a high standard of industrial design and enhance the status of designers. It is awarded to people who have achieved "sustained excellence in aesthetic and efficient design for...
, London - 1973 Heinrich Tessenow MedalHeinrich Tessenow MedalThe Heinrich Tessenow Gold Medal is a prize established in 1963 by the Alfred Toepfer Stiftung F.V.S. of Hamburg in honour of Heinrich Tessenow, organised and awarded annually by the Heinrich-Tessenow-Gesellschaft e.V....
- 1977 C. F. Hansen MedalC. F. Hansen MedalThe C. F. Hansen Medal is awarded annually with few exceptions to one or more recipients by the Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts for an outstanding contribution to architecture. It is the Academy's highest obtainable destinction for an architect. It is named after the architect C. F. Hansen and...
Written works
- London, the Unique City (1937)
- Towns and Buildings (1951)
- Experiencing Architecture (1959).