HOLIDAY HOME: New Exhibition at the Utzon Center 

As a result of corona and lockdowns, we have rediscovered the holiday home. But do you actually know the whole story about these small houses that are such a key part of Danish cultural heritage? 

On 18 March, the Utzon Center opens the exhibition HOLIDAY HOME. It is a journey through the architecture and history of the holiday home. From cosy log cabin to holiday palace. To a future of small, sustainable houses.  

You can even experience a full-scale version of that future. For the exhibition, we are building a holiday home designed by BIG for LiveKlein. Bjarke Ingels and BIG are probably best known for huge projects involving entire neighbourhoods and high-rises.

'The ‘Klein A45’ is a prefabricated house that, in principle, can be placed anywhere. As a very special feature of this exhibition, it will be situated in the Utzon Center courtyard.  Sustainable holiday-home architecture is partly about temporary settlement and building smaller, but better. In this respect, the Klein A45 is really interesting, because it’s hardly any bigger than a box or a shed. There’s something pleasurable and dreamlike about it. Those are pretty positive features when it comes to a holiday home,' says Line Nørskov Eriksen, director of exhibitions and curator of HOLIDAY HOME.
 

Holiday Areas and Landscape

For more than 100 years, holiday homes have been a playground for architects. They have given them the freedom to dream, experiment and unleash their imaginations.

But many of the modern ‘holiday palaces’ have lost all sense of the landscape and any link to the historic holiday homes we have been building since the early 20th century.

Holiday home areas are also changing in character. Today, many of them resemble ordinary neighbourhoods of detached houses, and the peace of early morning is drowned out by the rattle and squeal of lawn mowers.

'Diversity and empathy with nature are two major hallmarks of Danish holiday-home architecture. But in recent years, the development raises the question of why we build holiday homes today. They have become grotesquely large, and many holiday home areas are just like the very neighbourhoods of detached houses, where the owners lead their ordinary lives. Decadence and conformity are both problems,' says Line Nørskov Eriksen. 

'So, what can holiday homes do that year-round dwellings can’t? And are we approaching them correctly? Architecture is a slow art, and both time and budget are limiting factors. However, particularly among young architects, one gets the sense that sustainability is no longer a style, but a given. Their work indicates a future of more trees, fewer lawns, temporary settlement, fewer square metres and more climate-smart materials. We really hope the exhibition will be a source of inspiration. It features all sorts of amazing holiday homes,' says Line Nørskov Eriksen. 

What You Can See in the Exhibition

 The exhibition gives you a chance to sense, touch and feel holiday-home architecture. It will provide you with inspiration for your own holiday home.

Explore classics, both old and new, by the likes of Arne Jacobsen, Anton Rosen, Vilhelm Wolert, Friis og Moltke, Erik Korshagen, Mette Lange, Praksis Arkitekter, Karen Kjærgaard, Kim Lenschow, Søren Pihlmann, OS Arkitekter, Lendager Group and Claus Bonderup. And discover the A45, designed by BIG for LiveKlein.

Read more: utzoncenter.dk/SOMMERHUS
Photos: SOMMERHUS

Photos: Utzon Center and Restaurant JØRN

Contaktinfo

Line Nørskov Eriksen

Udstillingsdirektør
+45 2520 0388
lne@utzoncenter.dk

Kim Rathcke Jensen
Kommunikationschef
+45 2069 2320 
kim@utzoncenter.dk