Kingo Houses is a housing development designed by architect

Jørn Utzon Jørn Oberg Utzon, , Hon. FAIA (; 9 April 191829 November 2008) was a Danish architect. He was most notable for designing the Sydney Opera House in Australia, completed in 1973. When it was declared a World Heritage Site on 28 June 2007, Utzon ...

Helsingør Helsingør ( , ; sv, Helsingör), classically known in English as Elsinore ( ), is a city in eastern Denmark. Helsingør Municipality had a population of 62,686 on 1 January 2018. Helsingør and Helsingborg in Sweden together form the northe ...

Denmark ) , song = ( en, "King Christian stood by the lofty mast") , song_type = National and royal anthem , image_map = EU-Denmark.svg , map_caption = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = Kingdom of Denmark , establish ...

. The development consists of 60 L-shaped houses based upon the design of traditional Danish farmhouses with central courtyards and those of Chinese and Islamic dwellings.John Pardey: "Poetry from materials – Jørn Utzon’s brickwork beginnings" in ''Brick Bulletin'', Spring 2009
. Retrieved 24 September 2011.

History

The design of the Kingo Houses was based on a competition project Utzon had developed for the south of Sweden in 1953. Although he did not obtain a commission in Sweden, the mayor of Helsingør liked his idea and provided land for Utzon to realize his project."Jørn Utzon, 2003 laureate, Biography"
, ''PritzkerPrize.com''. Retrieved 25 September 2011. Named after the developer Boligselskabet Kingo, the housing is currently known as ''Romerhusene'' (English: Roman houses).

Design

The development is based on Utzon's additive approach, starting modestly with one unit and proceeding from there, taking into account the lie of the land and the surroundings. Utzon described the arrangement of the houses as "flowers on the branch of a cherry tree, each turning towards the sun." Each unit has an area of , enclosed on two sides by the L-shaped house, and by walls on the other two sides. The small size of the units makes them not only economical but also easily adaptable to the natural terrain. The limited size of the private area is compensated by the provision of a large landscaped communal space. Each house has a courtyard with two wings, one for living, the other for sleeping. Utzon set the exact amount of bricks to be used for the courtyard walls but he told the bricklayers they should build each house individually, catering for privacy, shade, view and enclosure. Built with state funding, the houses were limited to per three-bed unit.

Influence

Utzon drew inspiration for the Kingo Houses from traditional Nordic architectural sensibilities. The design of the dwellings were predicated on traditional Danish vernacular farmhouses. Furthermore, their design formed a prototype for Utzon's second courtyard housing project, the Fredensborg Houses, one of the most perfect 20th century brick-built housing developments. They have been called the finest Scandinavian example of humane housing.Adrian Carter, "Between Earth and Sky: The work of Jørn Utzon, as an exemplary phenomenological approach to modern architecture made concrete"
Retrieved 25 September 2011. File:Romerhusene01.jpg, Street view File:Romerhusene 054.jpg, Street view File:Kingo Houses - courtyards.jpg, Courtyards File:Utzon, kingohusene, helsingør 3.jpg, Living room and courtyard

References

External links

{{coord, 56, 1, 55.59, N, 12, 34, 42.4, E, source:dawiki_region:DK_type:landmark, display=title Residential buildings in Denmark Jørn Utzon buildings in Denmark Houses in Helsingør Municipality Modernist architecture in Helsingør Helsingør Listed buildings and structures in Helsingør Municipality Residential buildings completed in 1958