Vilhelm Lauritzen
Vilhelm Lauritzen (1894-1984) is one of the most significant architects in the history of Denmark; he was the trail-blazing figurehead of Danish functionalism. A number of his buildings - Nørrebro Theatre (1931-32), Daells Varehus department store (1928-35), Radiohuset (1936-41) and the first airport built in Kastrup (1937-39) - represented the concentrated essence of contemporary life. Other significant buildings to stem from Lauritzen's drawing board include Folkets Hus (1953-56) better known today as the Vega concert venue, the Shellhuset (1950-51) building and the Danish embassy in Washington (1958-60). In particular the Radiohuset building and the earliest version of Kastrup Airport - both listed today - are considered peerless monuments to modernism in the European genre of construction. Throughout his life, Vilhelm Lauritzen adhered to the principle that architecture is applied art - with equal emphasis on both 'art' and 'applied'. "No life without aesthetics" was another one of Vilhelm Lauritzen's firmly held beliefs. Vilhelm Lauritzen mastered both daylight and artificial lighting.