Forms of Resistance: The Necessity of Modern Nordic Architecture

by Michael Sheridan (New York)

Abstract

During the mid-twentieth century, roughly 1920-70, a group of Nordic architects developed an alternative version of modern architecture that rejected ideology in favour of experience. Rather than following the revolutionary approach of European Modernism, which promoted a clean break with tradition and the embrace of industrial building techniques, this band of skeptical Humanists pursued an evolutionary approach that combined modern ideas with local practices. The most important buildings from this period reveal a handful of fundamental traits that are less a matter of style or formalism than a matter of philosophy. Those traits include a commitment to context and a sense of location; a profound respect for Nature and a devotion to the environment; a concern for individual experience that encompasses psychological comfort; and a celebration of construction techniques that combine ethics and aesthetics. Today, as technological developments continue to erode our sense of place and the primacy of the physical world – isolating us from our surroundings, from others and from ourselves – twentieth-century Nordic architecture remains an essential source of useful principles, values and lessons. So much so, that it can be seen as the most important chapter of modern architectural history, providing guidance as we navigate our own time and imagine the future.

Michael Sheridan (New York)

Michael Sheridan is a New York-based architect, critic and author. He is one of the world’s leading experts on modern Scandinavian architecture. In 2017 he published the book “Louisiana – Architecture and Landscape” as a result of research and work about the architect and founder of Louisiana – museum of modern art, Knud W. Jensen. He has also worked as curator on exhibitions as well as being lecturer on Scandinavian architecture and design around the world.