Kay Fisker: Works and Ideas in Danish Modern Architecture

Description

Invited lecture at Fachhochschule Erfurt / University of Applied Sciences, Fakultät Architektur und Stadtplanung, Fachrichtung Architektur.

Kay Fisker (1893-1965) is considered one of the most influential Danish architects of the twentieth century. This lecture presents an overview of Fisker’s works and ideas with particular attention to his contribution to development of Danish modern housing, include key projects such as Hornbækhus (1920–22), Vestersøhus (1935-39), and Dronningegården (1942-57).

During the interwar period, the scale of Danish housing projects increased significantly. Traditional perimeter blocks became larger, thereby allowing for more internal greenspace, and the blocks were gradually opened to allow for more sunlight. During the 1920s and 30s, new urban typologies including parallel blocks were introduced, partly inspired by German examples. After the WWII, Danish cities expanded into suburban areas and new towns. Fisker contributed considerably to this development through his practice, as a writer, and as a professor at the Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts’ School of Architecture. For instance, in 1936 Fisker published a survey of contemporary housing projects, “Copenhagen Building Types” based on typological studies conducted at the school.

Kay Fisker also designed several institutions connected with the Danish welfare society including schools and hospitals. His most noteworthy public buildings are the Aarhus University (1931-46) and the Danish Academy in Rome (1960-67). Fisker’s architectural poetics can be understood as an amalgamation of an ideal order with the contingent conditions of landscapes and urban sites. His works and ideas are closely associated with the functional tradition, a hybridization of international modernism and regional architectural typologies.

Period	15 Nov 2022
Held at	University of Applied Sciences, Germany
Degree of Recognition	International