ARNE JACOBSEN

CONTEXTUAL
MODERNISM

SUBMITTED TO: SUBMITTED BY:

AR. SANDEEP SHARMA ARNAV DASAUR (15631)
SHIVANGI (15632)
NIT HAMIRPUR, H.P.
ARNE JACOBSEN
(DENMARK (19021971)
DANISH ARCHITECT AND
DESIGNER .
BORN : 11TH FEB , 1902.
DEATH : 24TH MARCH 1971.
MAJOR CONTRIBUTION :
ARCHITECTURAL
FUNCTIONALISM.
AWARDS AND RECOGNITION :
o C. F. HANSEN MEDAL (1955)
o GRAND PRIX, MILAN XI
TRIENNALE, ITALY, FOR GRAND
PRIX CHAIR (1957)
o PRINCE EUGEN MEDAL FOR
ARCHITECTURE (1962)
o ID-PRIZE, DANISH SOCIETY OF
INDUSTRIAL DESIGN, FOR
CYLINDE (1967)
o INTERNATIONAL DESIGN
AWARD, AMERICAN INSTITUTE
OF INTERIOR DESIGNERS, US,
FOR CYLINDE (1968)

.
ARCHITECT ARNE JACOBSEN WAS ONE OF THE MOST
PROLIFIC SCANDINAVIAN MODERNIST DESIGNERS OF HIS
TIME.
BORN ON THE 11TH FEBRUARY 1902 IN COPENHAGEN,
DENMARK. WHILE GROWING UP JACOBSEN DREAMED OF
BECOMING A PAINTER. AN INFLUENCE ON THIS COULD
HAVE BEEN HIS MOTHER WHO PAINTED FLORAL MOTIFS AS
A PAST TIME. HIS FATHER PERSUADED HIM TO FORGO THIS
DREAM AND INSTEAD CHOSE A MORE SECURE JOB AS AN
ARCHITECT. AFTER A SPELL AS AN APPRENTICE MASON,
JACOBSEN WAS ADMITTED TO THE ARCHITECTURE
SCHOOL AT THE ROYAL DANISH ACADEMY OF FINE ARTS
WHERE FROM 1924 TO 1927 HE STUDIED UNDER KAY
FISKER AND KAJ GOTTLOB, BOTH LEADING ARCHITECTS
AND DESIGNERS.
HE WAS INFLUENCED BY MIES VAN DER ROHE, LE
CORBUSIER, AND CHARLES AND RAY EAMES, AND MANY OF
HIS CHAIR AND LIGHTING DESIGNS ARE STILL SOLD TODAY.
BEST-KNOWN WORK: THE EGG CHAIR AND THE SWAN
CHAIR.
THROUGHOUT HIS CAREER, JACOBSEN COULD NEVER DECIDE FOR ONE BETWEEN
ARCHITECTURE AND DESIGN, THUS CONCEIVED PROJECTS WITH AMALGAMATION
OF BOTH. THIS IS THE REASON THAT EVERY ARCHITECTURAL PIECE OF JACOBSEN IS
ACCOMPANIED WITH MINUTE DETAILS SHOWCASING HIS GREAT LOVE FOR ARTS. HE
USED TO PUT A LOT OF THOUGHT EVEN FOR WALLPAPERS, CARPETING, FURNITURE
AND LIGHTING, THUS TURNING HIS PROJECTS INTO COMPLETE WORK OF ART.
A JACK OF ALL TRADES:

ARNE JACOBSEN WAS AN INDIVIDUALIST, MARCHING TO THE RHYTHM OF HIS OWN DRUMMER.
TODAY, HIS NAME IS KNOWN ALL OVER THE WORLD. IN THE DOMAIN OF DANISH
ARCHITECTURE AND DESIGN, HE DISTINGUISHED HIMSELF IN A VIVID AND PERSONAL WAY FOR
MORE THAN HALF A CENTURY THROUGH HIS MANY DIFFERENT KINDS OF PROJECTS, PROJECTS
THAT RANGED FROM CONSTRUCTING BUILDINGS TO CREATING FURNITURE AND USEFUL
OBJECTS.
HIS RANGE WAS A WIDE ONE: THE SPECTRUM MOVES FROM THE CHARACTERISTICALLY
FUNCTIONALIST LINES IN THE LARGE BUILDINGS TO THE STRAIGHTFORWARD SIMPLICITY IN HIS
CELEBRATED SERIES OF KNIVES, FORKS AND SPOONS. WHAT IS CHARACTERISTIC FOR JACOBSEN IS
THAT MANY OF HIS BUILDINGS, ALL THE WAY DOWN TO THE SMALLEST DETAIL, WERE SUPPLIED
AND FITTED WITH FIXTURES AND ARTICLES OF FURNITURE DESIGNED BY HIS OWN HAND.
AMONG JACOBSENS PARAMOUNT WORKS WITHIN THE REALM OF ARCHITECTURE,
THE PRIMARY FACTOR IS PROPORTIONS.
~ARNE JACOBSEN.

PROPORTIONS ARE WHAT MAKES THE OLD

GREEK TEMPLES CLASSIC IN THEIR BEAUTY.
THEY ARE LIKE HUGE BLOCKS, FROM WHICH
THE AIR HAS BEEN LITERALLY HEWN OUT
BETWEEN THE COLUMNS.
SIGNIFICANT ARCHITECTURAL WORKS:
SOHOLM ROW HOUSES, STRANDVEJEN 413, KLAMPENBORG (1945-1954)
BELLAVISTA RESIDENTIAL COMPLEX, KLAMPENBORG, COPENHAGEN (193134)
SAS ROYAL HOTEL, COPENHAGEN (195860)
TOMS CHOCOLATE FACTORY, BALLERUP, COPENHAGEN (1961)
NATIONAL BANK OF DENMARK, COPENHAGEN (196570)
ROYAL DANISH EMBASSY , LONDON, UK (1965-70)
BELLEVUE TEATRET, KLAMPENBORG.(1936)
SKOVSHOVED PETROL STATION, SKOVSHOVED.
AARHUS CITY HALL, DENMARK
AND MANY MORE...
Sholm Row Houses

ARCHITECTURE TENDS TO CONSUME

EVERYTHING ELSE, IT HAS BECOME ONE'S
ENTIRE LIFE. AR. ARNE JACOBSEN
 SITE PLAN SOHOLM
SOHOLM HOUSING COMPLEX
II :
NORTH
THE RESIDENTIAL COMPLEX
WAS ERECTED IN THREE
SOHOLM I STAGES: SHOLM I, DATING
FROM 1951, WHICH
CONTAINS FIVE LINKED
HOUSES, INCLUDING
JACOBSENS OWN HOUSE.
SHOLM II, ALSO FROM
1951, WHICH CONSISTS OF
NINE TERRACED HOUSES,
POSITIONED IN PARALLEL
WITH THE COASTAL RAILWAY
LINE.
SOHOLM III
SOHOLM SHOLM III, FROM 1954,
WHICH HAS BEEN DESIGNED
I SOHOLM IN THE FORM OF FOUR
DISPLACED TOWN HOUSES
AND LAID OUT ON ONLY
III ONE LEVEL, SO THAT THE
VIEW FROM THE OTHER
HOMES IS UNFETTERED.
SOHOLM II
 "THE PITCHED ROOFS AND YELLOW-BRICK FACADES OF SHOLM HAVE ALSO BECOME AN
EXPRESSION OF MODERNISM WHICH, EVEN MORE THAN BELLAVISTA'S WHITE-PLASTERED
FUNCTIONALISM, DRAW ON LOCAL DANISH TRADITIONS."
WHEN WE TAKE A CLOSER LOOK AT SHOLM I-III, WHAT COMES TO LIGHT IS THAT
THE HOUSES MUTUAL PLACEMENT AND LOCAL DISPLACEMENTS ARE A RESULT OF AN
EQUATION WHERE ORIENTATION TO THE SUN, THE VIEW OVER THE SOUND AND
CERTAIN LARGE TREES FROM THE ORIGINAL GARDENS FIGURE IN AS CENTRAL
FACTORS. SEEN TOGETHER, THE THREE BUILDING SECTIONS FORM A LARGE
LANDSCAPE SPACE, A KIND OF OPEN PLAZA, WHICH OPENS ITSELF UP TOWARD
RESUND [THE SOUND]. THIS MANNER OF OPENING AND THE ANGLING OF THE
INDIVIDUAL HOUSES IN SHOLM I AND III PLAY A PART IN THE RESULT THAT ALL THE
HOMES HAVE A SEA VIEW. ACCORDINGLY, THE GARDEN FACADES IN SECTIONS I AND II
FACE THE SOUTHEAST EFFECTING A COMPROMISE BETWEEN FINE SUN-
ORIENTATION AND VIEW.
 THE CHAINED ROW IN SHOLM I IS STAGGERED AND EACH OF THE FIVE HOUSES IS
SEPARATED FROM ITS NEIGHBOUR BY AN INTERMEDIATE BUILDING AND A
NOTICEABLE CHIMNEY. THEIR ROOFS ARE DIVIDED INTO TWO SECTIONS SLOPING
IN OPPOSITE DIRECTIONS BY A VERTICAL WINDOW IN THE MIDDLE, AN
INNOVATIVE DESIGN THAT CONTRIBUTED TO JACOBSEN'S INTERNATIONAL
RECOGNITION.
TO OPTIMIZE THE VIEW OF THE SEA, EACH HOUSE HAS A LIVING ROOM LOCATED
ON THE FIRST FLOOR WITH ACCESS TO A BALCONY AND WITH STEPS LEADING
DOWN INTO A DINING ROOM WHICH CONSEQUENTLY HAS AN UNUSUALLY HIGH
CEILING. FROM THE KITCHEN, LOCATED ON THE GROUND FLOOR LEVEL, THERE
ARE STAIRS DOWN TO THE CELLAR WHICH ALSO CONTAINS A GARAGE.
THE BELLAVISTA RESIDENTIAL COMPLEX, THE BELLEVUE THEATRE AND THE
BELLEVUE BATHING AREA IN KLAMPENBORG PLAYED A VERY IMPORTANT PART,
ALONG WITH THE EIGHTEEN TOWN HOUSES IN THE SHOLM COMPLEX, IN
SECURING ARNE JACOBSENS INTERNATIONAL BREAKTHROUGH. ARNE
JACOBSEN HAS ALSO EXERTED A GREAT DEAL OF INFLUENCE ON DANISH
APPLIED ARTS BY VIRTUE OF TURNING OUT PROTOTYPES FOR ARTICLES OF
FURNITURE, TEXTILES, CARPETS, SILVERWARE AND OTHER ARTICLES. WHAT IS
CHARACTERISTIC FOR JACOBSEN IS THAT MANY OF HIS BUILDINGS, ALL THE
WAY DOWN TO THE SMALLEST DETAIL, WERE SUPPLIED AND FITTED WITH
FIXTURES AND ARTICLES OF FURNITURE DESIGNED BY HIS OWN HAND.
IF ARCHITECTURE HAD NOTHING TO DO WITH ART, IT WOULD BE ASTONISHINGLY EASY TO
BUILD HOUSES, BUT THE ARCHITECT'S TASK - HIS MOST DIFFICULT TASK - IS ALWAYS THAT OF
SELECTING. ~ARNE JACOBSEN

IN A WAY, THE SENSE OF QUALITY HAS IMPROVED, THE STATUS SYMBOL OF THE SMALL
THINGS IS GONE, AND IT IS ACCEPTABLE TO USE STAINLESS STEEL, EVEN IF THE NEIGHBOUR
USES SILVER. ~ARNE JACOBSEN

I WAS GOING TO BE WORKING ON BATHROOM FITTINGS FOR A COMPANY IN THE USA, AND
THEN I THOUGHT IT WAS APPROPRIATE TO SIMPLIFY THE FITTINGS AND, THUS, LOWERING
THE COST.
~ARNE JACOBSEN
IN ADDRESSING A TASK, ONE ALMOST ALWAYS HAS SEVERAL POSSIBLE OPTIONS, SOMETIMES
ONLY A FEW, AND THEY MAY ALL BE PRACTICAL AND FUNCTIONAL. BUT THEY LACK THE
AESTHETIC ASPECT THAT RAISES IT TO ARCHITECTURE. ~ARNE
JACOBSEN
WITH A PAINTER OR A SCULPTOR, ONE CANNOT BEGIN TO ALTER HIS WORKS, BUT AN
ARCHITECT HAS TO PUT UP WITH ANYTHING, BECAUSE HE MAKES UTILITY OBJECTS - THE
BUILDING IS THERE TO BE USED, AND TIMES CHANGE.
~ARNE JACOBSEN
IN SHOLM II, THE TOWN HOUSES, MOREOVER, ARE DIVIDED UP INTO TWO
SECTIONS OUT OF CONSIDERATION FOR A GROUP OF ELEGANT OLD PLANE TREES.
THE OPEN PLAZA IS ALSO FLANKED OUT TOWARD THE SOUND BY THREE MORE OLD
TREES, TWO OF WHICH ARE STANDING IN ARNE JACOBSENS FRONT GARDEN.
WHEN SEEN FROM INSIDE THE BUILDING COMPLEX, THESE TREES TAKE ON THE
APPEARANCE OF SET PIECES THAT MARK OUT THE FOREGROUND IN A CLASSICAL
LANDSCAPE PAINTING, WHILE RESUND STANDS AS THE BACKDROP.
THE GROUND AREAS SLIGHT DECLINE TOWARDS THE RESUND AND THE LOW
SHRUBBERY SIMILARLY PLAY A PART IN UNDERSCORING THIS VIEW. IN A VIRTUOSO-
LIKE WAY, ARNE JACOBSEN HAS CONJOINED A PICTURESQUE IDEAL OF BEAUTY WITH
A FUNCTIONALIST IDEAL ABOUT ORIENTATION TOWARDS THE SUN AND REPETITION
OF BUILDING TYPES.
THE SHOLM II HOUSES, SITUATED FURTHER BACK FROM THE SEA, ARE
DIVIDED INTO TWO WINGS IN ORDER TO CATER FOR A GROUP OF
BEAUTIFUL OLD PLANE TREES ON THE SITE. EACH HOUSE HAS 130 SQUARE
METRES OF LIVING SPACE. THE L-SHAPED LIVING ROOM ON THE GROUND
FLOOR HAS A FIREPLACE AND AN ADJOINING KITCHEN. THE BEDROOMS ARE
ON THE FIRST FLOOR. THE ROOFS HERE ARE ALSO INTERESTING IN THAT
THEY SLOPE DOWN PAST THE BALCONIES AND WINDOWS IN THE EAST-
FACING NICHES.
THE HOUSE IS PART OF THE TERRACE HOUSES, SHOLM, SOUTH OF BELLAVISTA AT
STRANDVEJEN IN KLAMPENBORG.

THE HOUSES ARE BUILT IN STAGGERED ROWS AND WITH THE UNITS DIVIDED BY A
MIDDLE SECTION WHICH MAKES EACH HOUSE STAND OUT AS AN INDEPENDENT
COMPOSITION.
THE BUILDINGS WERE ERECTED BETWEEN 1945 AND 1953 IN THREE STAGES, EACH
WITH ITS OWN TYPE OF HOUSES ALL DESIGNED BY ARNE JACOBSEN.

THE HOUSE WAS PLANNED BOTH AS A PRIVATE HOME AND AS A STUDIO FOR
ARNE JACOBSEN HIMSELF. HE LIVED AND WORKED IN THE HOUSE FROM 1951 AND
UNTIL HIS DEATH IN 1971.
THE FOUR HOUSES IN SHOLM III ARE STAGGERED IN RELATION TO EACH
OTHER AND HAVE ONLY ONE STOREY SO AS NOT TO SPOIL THE VIEW. THE
HOUSES ARE DEEP RECTANGULAR BOXES. THE KITCHEN AND HALL ARE IN
THE MIDDLE OF THE HOUSE.
THE STAGGERING ALLOWS MORE NATURAL LIGHT TO COME IN THROUGH
WINDOWS ON THE SIDE. THE LIVING ROOM IS ON THE SOUTH SIDE NEXT
TO A SUNKEN PATIO. THE BEDROOMS ON THE NORTHWEST SIDE ARE THE
HIGHEST ROOMS IN THE HOUSE AS A RESULT OF THE SLOPING ROOF. THE
FACADE CONSISTS OF A GLASS AND WOODEN FRAME BETWEEN BEARING
WALLS OF YELLOW BRICK.
GROUND FLOOR
PLAN
FIRST FLOOR PLAN
SECOND FLOOR
PLAN
NORT
H
"WHAT IS PARTICULARLY REMARKABLE ABOUT THE
HOUSES IS THE WAY THE ARCHITECT HAS
TRANSFORMED THE USUAL TWO-FACADED ROW
HOUSES INTO A THREE-DIMENSIONAL
COMPOSITION WITH ALMOST AS MANY FACETS AS
A WELL POLISHED DIAMOND."
SKOVSHOVED PETROL STATION

AR. ARNE JACOBSEN...

THE SKOVSHOVED PETROL STATION IS A HISTORIC, STILL-OPERATING FILLING
STATION IN SKOVSHOVED AT THE NORTHERN OUTSKIRTS
OF COPENHAGEN, DENMARK. FIRST OPENED IN 1936, IT WAS DESIGNED BY ARNE
JACOBSEN AND IS AN EXAMPLE OF THE FUNCTIONALIST STYLE TYPICAL OF THE
TIME. IT IS CLASS A LISTED AND WAS THOROUGHLY RESTORED IN 2002.

THE EXTERIOR OF THE BUILDING IS DOMINATED BY THE PROJECTING

OVAL CANOPY, COLLOQUIALLY KNOWN AS THE MUSHROOM. IT
OFFERS SHADE AND SHELTER FOR FILLING MOTORISTS BUT, ILLUMINATED FROM
BENEATH, ALSO DOUBLES AS A SIGN AT NIGHT.
AARHUS CITY HALL

AR. ARNE JACOBSEN...

AARHUS CITY HALL IS THE CITY HALL OF AARHUS, DENMARK. THE DECISION TO
BUILD A NEW CITY HALL WAS TAKEN DURING A CITY HALL MEETING IN 1937. THE
NEW BUILDING WAS INAUGURATED 2 JUNE 1941, DESIGNED BY ARCHITECTS ARNE
JACOBSEN AND ERIK MLLER. ON THE FIRST PROPOSAL, THE PLANS DID NOT
INCLUDE A TOWER BUT DUE TO MASSIVE PUBLIC PRESSURE IT WAS LATER ADDED TO
THE DRAWINGS ALONG WITH THE IDEA TO CLAD THE STRUCTURE IN MARBLE. HANS
WEGNER WAS IN CHARGE OF THE FURNISHING - WHICH IS UNIQUELY DESIGNED TO
FIT THE BUILDING -, AND PARTS OF THE INTERIOR DESIGN.
THE CITY HALL HAS A TOTAL AREA OF 19,380 M INCLUDING THE BASEMENT. THE
TOWER IS 60 M TALL AND THE TOWER CLOCK FACE HAS A DIAMETER OF 7 M. THE
BUILDING IS MADE OF CONCRETE PLATED WITH 6,000 M OF
GREY MARBLE FROM PORSGRUNN IN NORWAY. ON THE OUTSIDE, COPPER IS USED
FOR MANY ARCHITECTURAL DETAILS, SIGNIFIED BY THE CHARACTERISTIC
GREEN VERDIGRIS. THE INTERIOR IS MORE LUSCIOUS IN ITS EXPRESSION WITH
OAKEN PARQUET FLOORS, CERAMIC TILE FLOORS IN VARIOUS PATTERNS, SPECIALLY
DESIGNED WOODEN FURNITURE, GLASS WALLS, WOODEN WALLS AND LARGE WALL
PAINTINGS AND DECORATIONS. INSIDE, BRASS AND BRONZE IS USED FOR METAL
ARCHITECTURAL DETAILS.
THANK YOU

ARNAV DASAUR (15631)

IN ARCHITECTURE, FUNCTIONALISM IS THE
PRINCIPLE THAT ARCHITECTS SHOULD DESIGN A
BUILDING BASED ON THE PURPOSE OF THAT
BUILDING.
THE C. F. HANSEN MEDALIS 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 DISTINCTION FOR AN ARCHITECT. IT
IS NAMED AFTER THE ARCHITECT C. F. HANSEN
AND HAS BEEN AWARDED SINCE 1830.