| Architecture
| | The Stockholm Exhibition in 1930 ushered in the modern, functionalist architecture and interior design in Scandinavian. It was the day of reckoning with the style mixing and decorative style of the time. |
The Modernism
The Stockholm Exhibition in 1930 ushered in the modern, functionalist architecture and interior design in Scandinavian. It was the day of reckoning with the style mixing and decorative style of the time.
The Swedish architect Gunnar Asplund, who was behind the exhibition, inspired a number of architects and designers all over the North. Among these were the Danes, Poul Henningsen and Arne Jacobsen, who were behind several buildings on both sides of the Sound. They both fled to Sweden in 1943.
The Stockholm Exhibition in 1930 |
The Citizens´ Classicism
The increasing urbanization in the beginning of the 19th century was reflected in the increasing building activity in the cities. In Copenhagen this was especially clear after the big fire of 1795 and the bombings of the Englishmen in 1807. The central part of the city was renewed in the classicist style of the time. The neighbourhood around Amagertorv with the new cathedral (Vor Frue Kirke) and the courthouse and the church at Christiansborg Castle is, with the citizens´ houses in the same style, unique examples of this early citizens´classicism.
During the entire 19th century and the beginning of hte 20th century classicist buildings were built in numerous variations all over the region. The last great project in Copenhagen in this style was the police headquarters in 1918-24, designed by the architects Rafn and Kampmann.
Historicism
The early industrialization was not generally linked to a certain style. In spite of new, construction technical key materials like concrete and cast iron, no new distinct idioms are developed. The closest are the big pavilions in cast iron and glass, which appeared in connection with the exhibitions of the time and which later was found in more permanent buildings like the greenhouse in the Botanical Garden and Ny Carlsberg Glyptotek, both from the latter part of the 19th century.
Historicism is the most accurate style term for the 19th century. It characterized the extensive reuse of historical styles and elements.
Exotism and Skønvirke (Modern Style)
The exotic played an important part and perhaps expressed the uncertainty, which was prevalent before industrialism´s final break with millenniums´ agricultural societies. An electricity works in the middle of Copenhagen became and oriental palace, a ventilation channel in Svanemøllen´s station became a minaret and Turkish kiosks emerged here and there in the city.
The nostalgic, late-romantic Viking style was yet another common idiom. It was based on the old feudal craft, the handicraft, where the maker was still influenced by the unnatural production processes of the industrialization. It was richly represented in the many exhibitions. But the fantastic wooden constructions quickly deteriorated and many of them were doomed. But in Tivoli many of the buildings managed to survive. They were maintained because the public loved them and they were associated to the amusements, which had become very popular during the latter half of the 19th century.
By the end of the 19th century the style developed into Jugend and Art Nouveau, as can be seen in Palads Hotel at the town square in Copenhagen.
The Botanical Garden in Copenhagen |
Helsingborg as Example
If you want to follow the development from historicism´s style imitation at the end of the century via jugend and art nouveau to the ideal of modernism, Helsingborg is a fine example. Helsingborg expanded heavily in the end of the 19th century and the beginning of the 20th century and a great need for new buildings was the result. The architectural styles, which marked this period were therefore richly represented in the town. Classic style imitation can be found to a great extent. At Stortorget´s (the great square) upper part is the medieval inspired terrace and around the square there are many style imitations, for instance the Scania Bank building (opposite the post office) with baroque imitations and the Trade Bank from 1904 with antique touches. The city architect Alfred Hellerström designed the Trade Bank and he also designed Helsingborg´s town hall and the university library in Lund, both in neo-gothic monumental style.
Alfred Hellerström was then inspired to design buildings in the jugend style, which immediately after the turn of the century had a short, but important influence on especially the upper-class milieu. Immediately before 1910 an entire villa neighbourhood in this style was built in the Olympia district. Besides Hellerström several other architects participated in the designing of these jugend style neighbourhoods, among them Carl Rosenius and Ola Anderson. The houses had round towers and round corners, arched frontons, varied window styles and many ornaments, altogether a clear break from the 19th century´s strict building styles.
A strange building, in the transition period between classicism and modernism is the crematorium from 1929. It was designed by Ragnar Östberg, who is mostly known as the architect behind the town hall in Stockholm. The dome of the crematorium, which inside is carried by classic columns, has a historicist element, but the smooth surface points towards a pure modernism.
The Terrace in Helsingborg | 
Scania Bank | 
The Art Nouveau District in Helsingborg | 
The Art Nouveau District in Helsingborg | 
The Art Nouveau District in Helsingborg |
The Art Nouveau District in Helsingborg | 
The Crematorium in Helsingborg | 
The Crematorium in Helsingborg |
Modernism and Functionalism
The Stockholm exhibition in 1930 marked the entry of the modern, functionalist style in Scandinavia. The exhibition had buildings by Gunnar Asplund, among others, done in white, with supporting concrete constructions and large windows in glass and steel. The focus of the exhibition was everyday needs and it showed many examples of different housing and modern interiors. The inspiration is clear in the Blidah Park in Copenhagen and Arne Jacobsen´s famous Bellavista neighbourhood at Bellevue at Strandvejen north of Copenhagen.
The perhaps most interesting example of early modernism in Sweden, is the concert house in Helsingborg, which was finished in 1932. It was designed by Sven Markelius and is very similar to the students´ house he designed for the technical college in Stockholm in 1930.
The project of the concert house itself is very interesting inasmuch as Markelius´ first proposal was clearly classicist, but eventually the proposal was reworked and ended finally with its present functionalist style with smooth, white plastered walls, large glass fronts to let in the light in the vestibule and semi circled wings with cloakroom and restaurant.
In Hornbæk on the North Zealand Coast you find the first examples of summer cottages in the late-romantic Viking style, but also the fashionable, functionalist seaside hotel from 1935.
Early Functionalism | 
Early Functionalist-inspired Architecture | 
The Concert House in Helsingborg | 
Arne Jacobsen´s Bellavista | 
Arne Jacobsen´s Bellavista |
Oversæt | 
Kronborg Open Air Bath | 
Hornbæk Seaside Hotel |
Art Nouveau for the Middle Class
While upper classes built white Art Nouveau houses the middle classes built Art Nouveau-styled bungalows. To oppose the acute housing shortage the state established a state housing fond, whose aim it was to create possibilities for cheap funding for the dream of everyman to buy a house with a garden.. This meant that you could buy finished drawings for bungalows at the architect, which in turn reduced the building costs.
The most significant characteristics of the bungalows are the square shape in red or yellow tile and the low pyramid-shaped roof covered with roofing felt, which in the 1930´s was a new and cheap material.
It was a standardized and simplified version of Art Nouveau, a relatively unpretentious house without any architectural refinements.
However, the cheap houses still signalized something modern. For example the bungalows´ windows an Art Nouveau detail, which indicated that the builder employed modern building techniques. The strict and symmetrical facades are more like the facades of classicism than the more free forms of modernism.
In most cases quality materials were used in the wall and wood constructions in connection with the high residential basements and many available room, mean that you often see bungalows in older Danish residential neighbourhoods. In the Elsinore area there are several bungalows in the old Snekkersten.
In Lund an Art Nouveau neighbourhood was established in 1937 with fitted wooden house and type drawn bungalows.
In the course of the 1940´s the interest in the hip roof dampened and they started to build more houses with gable roofs. A contributory factor could be that it was difficult to procure asphalt during the war to the production of roofing felt, which was necessary for the hip roof. The stronger construction of the gable roof could easier carry the heavy roof tiles. Examples of this building style can be seen in the district Eskilsminne in Helsingborg, where they built 60 small Art Nouveau detached houses in the beginning of the 1940´s. Each house is 56 square metres and there is a toilet with a bath in the high basements.
The initiative and the interest for building these small and light houses were part of the Swedish People´s Home Project (folkehjemsprojekt).
Bungalow in Snekkersten | 
Art Nouveau in Helsingborg |
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