As a partner in KHR, Knud Holscher left his mark on a number of significant projects and shaped a generation of architects with his precise and generous approach. Jan Søndergaard has written a personal tribute, which can be read in ByrumMonitor.
Jan Søndergaard remembers Knud Holscher
ByrumMonitor asked Jan Søndergaard to write a eulogy for Knud Holscher because of their close professional relationship. Here are a few extracts and a brief insight into Knud's work:
After some educational years at Arne Jacobsen's design studio, Knud Holscher became part of KHR (then Krohn & Hartvig Rasmussen) in the 1960s and quickly came to characterise the practice with his keen eye and open, undogmatic approach to the architectural profession. Jan Søndergaard, who had Holscher as a professor at the School of Architecture and later as head of KHR, describes him as a teacher who left room for independent development and pushed projects forward with few, precise words:
"He inspired with outbursts that were not immediately interpretable, and then you had to figure out how to do it better yourself."
Structuralist thinking
One of Knud Holscher's most significant contributions was the university building in Odense. Jan describes how "Knud's visionary ideas were based on structuralist thinking", which became a modular system rolled out across the landscape - "like a fishnet stocking with holes in it."
"The result was a fusion of building physics and nature into a compelling whole." The project made a big impression on Jan, who describes that meeting the material "blew me away".
Strong collaborations
During the same period, Knud worked closely with Sven Axelsson and Erik Sørensen, and designed several of the projects that have shaped KHR's work, including
- Expansions at Copenhagen Airport
- Copenhagen Metro
- University of Copenhagen Amager (KUA)
Jan describes how, as a young man, he became involved in larger tasks, including National Museum of Bahrainand how Knud's confident demeanour gave him a free hand for the task of The Danish Pavilion to the World Expo in Seville: "An intoxicating moment where I fully experienced Knud's great professional generosity."
From architecture to design
In addition to his role as an architect and educator, Knud Holscher was also a significant figure in Danish design. In the late 1980s, he left KHR to focus fully on his own design company, Holscher Design. Here he created a series of iconic products in lighting, fittings and door handles that have achieved international recognition. His work was characterised by uncompromising precision and a deep respect for both function and aesthetics, leaving a lasting impression on both architecture and design.
Read the full eulogy in ByrumMonitor or dive deeper into KHR's history on this page.
