Odd Brochmann (21 December 1909 – 27 October 1992) was a Norwegian architect, professor and children's writer.

Background

Brochmann was born in

Kristiania Oslo ( , , or ; sma, Oslove) is the capital and most populous city of Norway. It constitutes both a county and a municipality. The municipality of Oslo had a population of in 2022, while the city's greater urban area had a population of ...

(now Oslo), Norway. He was a son of Diderik Hegermann Brochmann (1879–1955) and Margit Hagen (1896–1962). He was a brother of the poet and playwright

Zinken Hopp Signe Marie "Zinken" Hopp, née Brochmann (9 January 1905 – 3 September 1987) was a Norwegian writer, poet, playwright. She wrote in several genres: cultural-historical books, poems and travel stories. She translated children's books and was ...

and a nephew of the journalist and playwright Georg Brochmann. He graduated from the

Norwegian Institute of Technology The Norwegian Institute of Technology (Norwegian: ''Norges tekniske høgskole'', NTH) was a science institute in Trondheim, Norway. It was established in 1910, and existed as an independent technical university for 58 years, after which it was m ...

in 1934.

Career

Brochmann established his own practice in Oslo in 1937, along with his first wife, Karen Berner. After

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

, he was involved in building projects at

Ljan Ljan () is a residential neighborhood in the borough Nordstrand in Oslo, Norway. It is located in the eastern rolling hillsides of the fjord Bunnefjorden. To the south Ljanselva which begins at Lutvann has its mouth, and where it runs through Li ...

and

Tveita Tveita is a neighborhood in the borough of Alna in Oslo, Norway. The area was built up between 1963 and 1967. It is served by the station Tveita on the Oslo Metro The Oslo Metro ( no, Oslo T-bane or or simply ) is the rapid transit system of O ...

Oslo Oslo ( , , or ; sma, Oslove) is the capital and most populous city of Norway. It constitutes both a county and a municipality. The municipality of Oslo had a population of in 2022, while the city's greater urban area had a population of ...

, and the designing of social institutions nationwide. From 1949 to 1956, he was appointed professor at the Norwegian Institute of Technology in

Trondheim Trondheim ( , , ; sma, Tråante), historically Kaupangen, Nidaros and Trondhjem (), is a city and municipality in Trøndelag county, Norway. As of 2020, it had a population of 205,332, was the third most populous municipality in Norway, and ...

. From 1952, he worked with the architect Dag Rognlien (1921-1999). Brochmann also wrote literature on the relationship between architecture and society. He made a considerable effort by processing and releasing the collected material of housing surveys in Oslo in the years 1948-1961. He discontinued his architectural practice in 1963 and settled in

Copenhagen Copenhagen ( or .; da, København ) is the capital and most populous city of Denmark, with a proper population of around 815.000 in the last quarter of 2022; and some 1.370,000 in the urban area; and the wider Copenhagen metropolitan ar ...

, where he worked as a writer (including for ''Politiken'' 1964-1966). He also wrote travelogues, worked as a draftsman and as a teacher at the

Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts The Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts ( da, Det Kongelige Danske Kunstakademi - Billedkunst Skolerne) has provided education in the arts for more than 250 years, playing its part in the development of the art of Denmark. History The Royal Dani ...

. He was also widely used as an illustrator. Among his children's books are ''Mariannes brev'' from 1946 and ''Marianne på sykehus'' from 1948. He also illustrated children's books written by Heljar Mjøen (1903–2000) and

Einar Schibbye Einar is a Scandinavian given name deriving from the Old Norse name Einarr, which according to Guðbrandur Vigfússon is directly connected with the concept of the einherjar, warriors who died in battle and ascended to Valhalla in Norse mythology ...

(1900-1959).

Personal life

Brochmann was married twice. In 1935, he married fellow architect Karen Berner (1908-1988). The marriage was dissolved in 1963. In 1963, he married the architect and research librarian Ida Caline Naur (1923-2000). He became honorary doctor at

Chalmers University of Technology Chalmers University of Technology ( sv, Chalmers tekniska högskola, often shortened to Chalmers) is a Swedish university located in Gothenburg that conducts research and education in technology and natural sciences at a high international level ...

in 1981 and an honorary member of the Norwegian Architects National Association (NAL) from 1981. He was also decorated as a Knight of the

Order of St. Olav The Royal Norwegian Order of Saint Olav ( no, Den Kongelige Norske Sankt Olavs Orden; or ''Sanct Olafs Orden'', the old Norwegian name) is a Norwegian order of chivalry instituted by King Oscar I on 21 August 1847. It is named after King Olav II ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Brochmann, Odd 1909 births 1992 deaths Architects from Oslo Norwegian Institute of Technology alumni Academic staff of the Norwegian Institute of Technology Norwegian children's writers Norwegian emigrants to Denmark 20th-century Norwegian writers 20th-century Norwegian architects Writers from Oslo