Danish Moderns – Looking Back at Our Mini-Seminar

And House Tours in Copenhagen

• Welcome reception at BLOX penthouse terrace in presence of Henk Swarttouw, Ambassador of The Netherlands and Peter Cederfeld, CEO of Realdania By & Byg. Photo Els Zweerink.
• From left to right, Natascha Drabbe, Founding Director Iconic Houses network; Peter Cederfeld and Anne Mette Rahbæk, CEO and Development Manager Realdania By & Byg; Hendrik-Jan de Ru, Chair Iconic Houses Foundation. Photo Els Zweerink.
• Presentation ‘Sustainable Conservation of Modern Architecture’ by Tommi Lindh, Director Alvar Aalto Foundation. Photo Els Zweerink.
• Presentation ‘Energy Efficiency in Modernist Houses’ by Per Troelsen, Project Leader Realdania By & Byg. Photo Els Zweerink.
• Visit Halldor Gunnløgsson’s own house in Rungsted Kyst, 1958. Photo Els Zweerink.
• Visit Poul Henningsen’s own house in Gentofte, 1937. Photo Els Zweerink.
• Arne Jacobsen’s own house in Charlottenlund, 1931. Photo Els Zweerink.
• The almost restored house of Arne Jacobsen in Klampenborg, 1951. Photo Els Zweerink.
• Jørn Utzon’s own house in Hellebæk, 1952. Photo Els Zweerink.
• Private tour by architect Jan Utzon at his father’s house. Photo Els Zweerink.
• Bad luck with our bus on a steep slope… Photo Els Zweerink.

• Welcome reception at BLOX penthouse terrace in presence of Henk Swarttouw, Ambassador of The Netherlands and Peter Cederfeld, CEO of Realdania By & Byg. Photo Els Zweerink.
• From left to right, Natascha Drabbe, Founding Director Iconic Houses network; Peter Cederfeld and Anne Mette Rahbæk, CEO and Development Manager Realdania By & Byg; Hendrik-Jan de Ru, Chair Iconic Houses Foundation. Photo Els Zweerink.
• Presentation ‘Sustainable Conservation of Modern Architecture’ by Tommi Lindh, Director Alvar Aalto Foundation. Photo Els Zweerink.
• Presentation ‘Energy Efficiency in Modernist Houses’ by Per Troelsen, Project Leader Realdania By & Byg. Photo Els Zweerink.
• Visit Halldor Gunnløgsson’s own house in Rungsted Kyst, 1958. Photo Els Zweerink.
• Visit Poul Henningsen’s own house in Gentofte, 1937. Photo Els Zweerink.
• Arne Jacobsen’s own house in Charlottenlund, 1931. Photo Els Zweerink.
• The almost restored house of Arne Jacobsen in Klampenborg, 1951. Photo Els Zweerink.
• Jørn Utzon’s own house in Hellebæk, 1952. Photo Els Zweerink.
• Private tour by architect Jan Utzon at his father’s house. Photo Els Zweerink.
• Bad luck with our bus on a steep slope… Photo Els Zweerink.

Over 40 Iconic Houses members took part in our mini-seminar and house tours in Copenhagen on May 23 and 24, 2019. They attended a round-table discussion about developing an annual trip for the members and friends’ circles of the house museums that make up our network. The Iconic Houses Foundation was delighted with this initiative of Realdania By & Byg to meet with this group of active members in order to discuss future cooperation.

Meet and greet
The welcome reception was hosted by Realdania at BLOX, Copenhagen’s cultural hotspot designed by Dutch architecture studio OMA and developed by Realdania By & Byg. Our members enjoyed meeting old and new friends on a sunny penthouse terrace in the presence of the Dutch ambassador to Denmark, Henk Swarttouw, and Peter Cederfeld, CEO of Realdania By & Byg.
Launched almost seven years ago in November 2012, Iconic Houses is more than just a handy website that lists all affiliated museums: it is equally important as a professional network. So, in addition to our bi-annual meetings during our international conferences, this mini-seminar with our European members lays the ground for holding more smaller gatherings at the national level.

National Iconic Houses get-togethers
Denmark counts three Iconic Houses members so far: Finn Juhl’s house and Arne Jacobsen’s own houses in Charlottenlund and Klampenborg. In countries with more members, like Germany and the Czech Republic (currently both 10 members), France (13) and the Netherlands (20), we can already imagine a yearly national Iconic Houses get-together. For Denmark too, this is certainly something to aspire to, possibly as a Nordic get-together with Finland (9) and Norway (3 members).

Meeting Results and Follow-Up Actions
The conclusion was that Realdania By & Byg will organize a trial trip with house tours for its members and disseminate the learning with its peers. The link gives an impression of the houses that were toured during this trip, featuring Modern Danish masterpieces. We will keep you posted about the outcome and any future short trips organized by other members for their friends’ circles.

Further reading
Since we were unable to photograph the houses’ interiors out of respect to their tenants, here are some links to the Realdania By & Byg homes we toured.

You can also download two books about Arne Jacobsen’s own houses (in English).
Please find them here:

Arne Jacobsen’s own house in Charlottenlund

Arne Jacobsen’s own house in Klampenborg

In the following links please find information on the other houses that were toured:
Poul Henningsen’s own house and
Halldor Gunnløgsson’s own house.

Don’t miss out on the publications about another of Utzon masterpiece and member of Iconic Houses, the house Can Lis that he designed for himself and named after his wife Lis, in our Books section.

Film

A new documentary Jørn Utzon: The Man & The Architect (92 min.) will be screened at the Architecture Film Festival Rotterdam/AFFR on 12 October 2019.

Iconic Houses members can login to our Expertise Centre for the full program and report.

Posted 26 September 2019