Arne Jacobsen was one of the most accomplished Danish designers and architects of the 20th century. His distinctly elegant style married the efficiency and clean lines of modernism with sensuous, organic forms found in nature. Biography Arne Jacobsen Arne Jacobsen was born in Copenhagen in 1902. Originally, he began an apprenticeship as a stonemason, but decided instead to study architecture at the Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts in Copenhagen, which he successfully graduated from in 1927. One of Jacobsen’s first projects was a ‘House of the Future’, with a helicopter landing pad on the roof, which he designed together with Flemming Lassen. He also designed several larger projects, such as the Bellavista housing estate in Klampenborg. In 1942, Arne Jacobsen and Erik Moller won an architectural competition to design the City Hall of Aarhus, working together with the designer Hans J Wegner. Between 1956 and 1960, he worked on the SAS Royal Hotel (now the Radisson Blu Royal Hotel) in Copenhagen. The building was conceived as a total work of art, and the three architects designed every detail, from the Egg Chair and the Swan Chair, which owe their iconic status to their seductive, organic forms, down to the cutlery in the building. In 1956, he became a professor at the Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts. The Munkegård school in Genofte, the Toms factory in Ballerup, the Danish National Bank and the Sports Hall in Landskrona, were all pioneering works of Scandinavian modernism designed by Jacobsen. Some of Jacobsen’s international projects, such as the school building for Christianeum in Hamburg and the Danish Embassy in London were only completed after his death in 1971. Designs by Arne Jacobsen Jacobsen designed furniture, textiles, cutlery and wallpapers among other things, but his most famous projects are his chairs. His 1952 Ant Chair, together with his later Series 7 Chair became some of the most commercially successful designs ever produced. Jacobsen's work is influenced by the iconic architecture and furniture of Le Corbusier and Ludwig Mies van der Rohe. In his quest for perfection, he was not afraid to investigate new and even radical ideas. He always worked to produce objects industrially, while imbuing them with a certain handmade quality; an approach that became the hallmark of modern Danish design. Jacobsen’s Swan Chair Designed for the lobby and lounge of the SAS Royal Hotel, Jacobsen's Swan Chair of 1956 is deemed by many to be a true turning point in furniture design. Inspired by the bird’s elegant, soaring wings, the innovative design abandons straight lines in favour of sweeping curves and organic forms. The chair's sensuous sculptural qualities and bold colours epitomise the optimism of the 1960s. The Swan Chair was first produced by the Danish manufacturer Fritz Hansen, who continue to produce it to this day. Egg Chair Like the Swan Chair, the Egg Chair was also designed for the SAS Royal Hotel in Copenhagen. The armchair's generous size means it was used to furnish the hotel's lobby. The Egg Chair's restrained form is made seductive by the organic shapes reminiscent of an oval eggshell. Because of its unique, comfortable design, it is one of the most popular chair designs of the 20th century, and continues to be manufactured today by Fritz Hansen. © by Architonic

With 30 years of experience, Schmidt Hammer Lassen Architects is one of Scandinavia’s most recognized and award-winning architectural practices. Working out of studios located in Copenhagen, Aarhus, Shanghai and London, we provide skilled architectural services all over the world, with a distinguished track record as designers of international high-profile architecture. We are deeply commited to the Nordic architectural traditions based on democracy, welfare, esthetics, light, sustainability and social responsibility. Schmidt Hammer Lassen Architects was founded in Aarhus, Denmark, in 1986 by architects Morten Schmidt, Bjarne Hammer and John F. Lassen. Today, the practice has grown substantially and employs 150 staff. The group of partners has also grown and now includes Senior Partners Kim Holst Jensen and Kristian Lars Ahlmark, Partners Chris Hardie and Rong Lu. In addition, there are six associate partners and seven associates. Day-to-day management of the practice is the responsibility of CEO Bente Damgaard. People/Places Our permanent staff consists of a dedicated, experienced and well trained team of architects, landscape architects, planners, design engineers, draughtsmen, model makers, interior architects, multimedia designers, graphic artists and administrative staff. Over time, we have learnt the importance of being physically present where we create buildings. We have two offices in Denmark, one in Shanghai and one in London. In addition, we have small offices on site. We do so, because we believe in being present and solving day-to-day problems, including dealing with the local authorities, contractors, consultants and architects. Our Work Cultural and educational buildings, offices, commercial, retail and residential, often in mixed-use developments and complex urban contexts, are cornerstones of our output. Most projects span every aspect of scale from interior design to concept plans and masterplans – from detailing, to urban development and landscape. The practice has extensive global experience in the design of libraries and other public and cultural landmark buildings including the Katuaq Cultural Centre of Greenland in Nuuk (1997), the extension to the Royal Library in Copenhagen (1999), ARoS Museum of Art in Aarhus (2004), Halfiax Central Library in Canada (2015) and the largest public library in Scandinavia, Dokk1 in Aarhus (2015). Aside cultural buildings, our works have a democratic approach to architecture creating modern, open and multi-functional spaces such as The International Criminal Court in The Hague (2016). We pride ourselves on projects which interact with their urban context placing particular emphasis on the surroundings and social context like Malmö Live, a Concert/Congress/Hotel centre in Sweden (2015), Ningbo Home of Staff in China (under construction) and Christchurch Central Library in New Zealand (under construction). Awards Our innovative, sustainable and democratic approach to architecture has attracted global attention, this is reflected in 100+ prestigious, national and international awards received through the years including the Governor General’s Medal in Architecture in Canada/A+Award 2016/Årets Bygge 2016/Architectural Review IPIM Future Project Awards 2015/World Green Design Product Award 2014/RIBA National Award 2013/RIAS Award 2013/ArchDaily Building of the Year Award 2011/LEAF Award 2011 to name but a few.