Henning Larsen a giant of Danish design

I am sure that many of you are familiar with my affinity with Danish design. I am taking this opportunity to mourn the loss of a giant in the architecture field. Henning Larsen was known at a master of light and shadow in his building and became the first Danish architect to win the prestigious The Praemium Imperiale.

He was also readily adept at blending classic Middle Eastern styles with modern European ones as exampled by his design of the monumental Saudi Arabian Foreign Ministry building in Riyadh (1982-84).

As a young architect he worked with one of my personal favorites Arne Jacobson who designed one of the most brilliantly complete “incomplete” building in the Aarhus city hall.

Larsen for his part won many prestigious awards and competitions. While, to my knowledge, he never designed a signature chair he had penned some tables and other fixtures. With a strong list of projects many yet to be completed he is a force in design that will be missed.