Frits Schlegel (4 May 1896 - 5 March 1965) was a Functionalist Danish architect active during the transition from traditional craftsmanship to industrialized construction methods in the building industry. He was among the first architects in Denmark to experiment with poured-in-place concrete. His work was part of the architecture event in the art competition at the

1928 Summer Olympics The 1928 Summer Olympics ( nl, Olympische Zomerspelen 1928), officially known as the Games of the IX Olympiad ( nl, Spelen van de IXe Olympiade) and commonly known as Amsterdam 1928, was an international multi-sport event that was celebrated from ...

Biography

Schlegel was born in Frederiksberg, Copenhagen. He completed an apprenticeship as a mason in 1915 and studied at the Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts from 1916 to 1923, winning the small gold medal in 1924 (for a stadium design) and the large gold medal in 1927 (for a university in Aarhus). After working at the offices of Edward Thomsen (1916–34) and Gudmund Nyeland Brandt (from 1920), Schlegel set up his own office in 1934 which he operated until his death in 1965. His early works show inspiration from the French architect Auguste Perret. His most important works include Tivoli Concert Hall in the Tivoli Gardens, Mariebjerg Chapel and ''Overformynderiet'' in Copenhagen. Particularly in the 1930s, Schlegel also designed a number of furniture lines with inspiration from the

Bauhaus movement The Staatliches Bauhaus (), commonly known as the Bauhaus (), was a German art school operational from 1919 to 1933 that combined crafts and the fine arts.Oxford Dictionary of Art and Artists (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 4th edn., 20 ...

Selected projects

* Daells Varehus (with

Vilhelm Lauritzen Vilhelm Lauritzen (9 September 1894 – 22 December 1984) was a leading Danish modern architect, founder of the still active architectural firm Vilhelm Lauritzen Arkitekter. Biography Vilhelm Lauritzen was born in Slagelse, Denmark. He studi ...

, 1923) * Søndermark Crematory,

Søndermark Cemetery Søndermark Cemetery (Danish: Søndermark Kirkegård) is a cemetery in the Frederiksberg district of Copenhagen, Denmark, located on Roskildevej, opposite Solbjerg Park Cemetery. It is the youngest of the three cemeteries in Frederiksberg Municip ...

, Copenhagen (with Edward Thomsen, 1926–27) * Mariebjerg Chapel (1936) * Overformynderiet, Copenhagen (1937) * Giraffe House, Copenhagen Zoo, Copenhagen (1939) * ''Statsanstalten for Livsforsikring'' (with

Mogens Lassen Mogens Lassen (20 February 1901 – 14 December 1987) was a Modernist Danish architect and designer, working within the idiom of the International Style. He mainly designed residential buildings, both in the form of single-family houses and apart ...

, 1950–53) * Tivoli Concert Hall, Tivoli Gardens, Copenhagen (with Hans Hansen, 1954–56) * Bikuben building, Nørre Vold, Copenhagen (1956)

Bibliography

* Andersson Møller, Vibeke, Arkitekten Frits Schlegel, Arkitektens Forlag. 2004. /

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Schlegel, Frits Danish architects People from Frederiksberg 1896 births 1965 deaths Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts alumni Recipients of the Eckersberg Medal Olympic competitors in art competitions