Day 2 - Betsy in Copenhagen - Danish Architectural Center - BLOX

The new DAC is housed in a new complex called the BLOX. It was designed by OMA and has an outdoor skate park, coworking area, kids area, museum, café, lecture hall and educational spaces. It sits right at the water and has decks that in summer would be wonderful to sit at.

The DAC had a show featuring Jorn Utzon – Denmarks architectural master. The show was really complete with lots of his own sketches, models and words/videos.  Utzon was the design architect for the Sydney Opera House and that part of his career was documented well. The inspiration and the eventual break down of his relationship with the building were described.

I found a few things most interesting. First he had designed many homes for his family. The one in Majorca was incredible. It was built on a cliff. The house is comprised of 5 villas that sit simply and quietly on the site. The videos and models show the home and how the views and sun where the single design drivers. Few few furnishings were there and the ones that were were built of sandstone and concrete like the home itself. Utzon described enforcing the views by enlarging the window forms and putting them on the exterior wall of the home. So when viewing from the inside out it appears as if there is no window there at all.

He also described how the Sydney Opera House was inspired by his visits to Mexico and Central America. Studying the ancient Mayan pyramids and how the base supported the alters.