Vilhelm Lauritzen
Encyclopedia
Vilhelm Lauritzen was a leading Danish
modernist architect
, founder of the still active architectural firm Vilhelm Lauritzen Arkitekter.
, Denmark. He studied at the Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts in Copenhagen
, graduating in 1921. The following year he founded his own firm, Vilhelm Lauritzen Arkiteckter, in 1928 and remained active in the firm until 1969. He received the Academy's Gold Medal in 1926 and up through the 1920s he created a number of monumental designs in a classist style which were never realized.
Towards the end of the decade he travelled in Central Europe and became acquainted with the latest trends in Functionalist architecture
with its technical and structural innovations. This inspired him to a grounded and restrained Modernism and it was with such buildings that he had his breakthrough.
His first large commission to be built was the Daells Varehus department store in Copenhagen built in stages from 1928 to 1935 as one of the first examples of Modernist architecture in Denmark. He went on to win the competition for the design the first Copenhagen Airport
which was constructed from 1937 to 1939.Another major project included the national Danish broadcaster DR's Radio Building while its Television Building was designed by his firm with Mogens Boertmann as its principal architect.
Lauritzen also designed furniture, often in connection with his buildings. His lamps, especially his table lamps from the 1930s, manufactured by Louis Poulsen, continue to arouse interest at auctions.
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...
modernist 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...
, founder of the still active architectural firm Vilhelm Lauritzen Arkitekter.
Biography
Vilhelm Lauritzen was born on 9 September 1894 in SlagelseSlagelse
Slagelse, a town in east Denmark, is in Slagelse municipality on the island of Zealand. It is about 100 km southwest of Copenhagen. The population is 31,979 ....
, Denmark. He studied at the Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts in Copenhagen
Copenhagen
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...
, graduating in 1921. The following year he founded his own firm, Vilhelm Lauritzen Arkiteckter, in 1928 and remained active in the firm until 1969. He received the Academy's Gold Medal in 1926 and up through the 1920s he created a number of monumental designs in a classist style which were never realized.
Towards the end of the decade he travelled in Central Europe and became acquainted with the latest trends in Functionalist architecture
Functionalism (architecture)
Functionalism, in architecture, is the principle that architects should design a building based on the purpose of that building. This statement is less self-evident than it first appears, and is a matter of confusion and controversy within the profession, particularly in regard to modern...
with its technical and structural innovations. This inspired him to a grounded and restrained Modernism and it was with such buildings that he had his breakthrough.
His first large commission to be built was the Daells Varehus department store in Copenhagen built in stages from 1928 to 1935 as one of the first examples of Modernist architecture in Denmark. He went on to win the competition for the design the first Copenhagen Airport
Copenhagen Airport
Copenhagen Airport is the main international airport serving Copenhagen, Denmark and the Oresund Region. It is located on the island of Amager, south of Copenhagen city centre, and west of Malmö city centre on the other side of the Oresund Bridge. The airport lies mainly in the municipality...
which was constructed from 1937 to 1939.Another major project included the national Danish broadcaster DR's Radio Building while its Television Building was designed by his firm with Mogens Boertmann as its principal architect.
Lauritzen also designed furniture, often in connection with his buildings. His lamps, especially his table lamps from the 1930s, manufactured by Louis Poulsen, continue to arouse interest at auctions.
Selected buildings
- Daells Varehus, CopenhagenCopenhagenCopenhagen 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...
, Denmark (with Frits SchlegelFrits SchlegelFrits Schlegel was a Functionalist Danish architect active during the transition from traditional craftsmanship to industrialized construction methods in the building industry. He was among the first architects in Denmark to experiment with poured-in-place concrete.-Biography:Schlegel was born in...
, 1933 ) - Radiohuset, FrederiksbergFrederiksbergFrederiksberg Kommune is a municipality on the island of Zealand in Denmark. It surrounded by the city of Copenhagen. The municipality, co-extensive with its seat, covers an area of and has a total population of 98,782 making it the smallest municipality in Denmark area-wise, the fifth most...
, Denmark (1936–41) - Copenhagen Airport terminal Copenhagen AirportCopenhagen Airport is the main international airport serving Copenhagen, Denmark and the Oresund Region. It is located on the island of Amager, south of Copenhagen city centre, and west of Malmö city centre on the other side of the Oresund Bridge. The airport lies mainly in the municipality...
(1937–1939) - Gladsaxe Town Hall, GladsaxeGladsaxeGladsaxe Kommune is a municipality near Copenhagen in Region Hovedstaden on the island of Zealand in eastern Denmark. The municipality covers an area of 25 km², and has a total population of 62,562...
, Denmark (1937) - Folkets Hus, CopenhagenCopenhagenCopenhagen 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...
, Denmark (1935–56) - Terminal 3, Copenhagen AirportCopenhagen AirportCopenhagen Airport is the main international airport serving Copenhagen, Denmark and the Oresund Region. It is located on the island of Amager, south of Copenhagen city centre, and west of Malmö city centre on the other side of the Oresund Bridge. The airport lies mainly in the municipality...
, Copenhagen, Denmark (1995) - Shell House, CopenhagenCopenhagenCopenhagen 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...
, Denmark - Embassy of Denmark in Washington, D.C.Embassy of Denmark in Washington, D.C.The Danish Embassy in Washington, D.C. is the Kingdom of Denmark's diplomatic mission to the United States. It is located at 3200 Whitehaven St., NW in Washington, D.C...
, Washington, D.C.Washington, D.C.Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
, USA (1960)