Niels Bohr’s Guesthouse: Tradition and Modernity in Denmark

Abstract

Despite the shift in meaning of the aesthetic expression and the creation of a new architectural image, what Sigfried Giedion (1888–1968) called the “third generation of architecture,” developed in Denmark, shares values with the traditions of buildings of the past. Its roots can be found in Danish tradition: in handicrafts, the skilled use of materials, and the knowledge of vernacular construction. It combines all artistic disciplines and traditional crafts related to building design and construction in order to advance and regenerate itself through the absorption of international influences, thus achieving seamless interaction. It is forged in the emergence of a common ideal of enormous personality that today has come to be valued as an authentic contribution to the world of architecture from a culture that was formerly seen as peripheral. Its objective is to achieve authenticity by maintaining a common cultural identity while renewing itself upon the foundations of the familiar. The aim of this investigation was to unveil some of the keys to Danish modernity , using Vilhelm Wohlert’s first work, in order to recognize, discover, and revive its legacy, whose lesson is seen as entirely of the present.