The Most Famous
ARCHITECTS from Denmark
This page contains a list of the greatest Danish Architects. The pantheon dataset contains 424 Architects, 9 of which were born in Denmark. This makes Denmark the birth place of the 12th most number of Architects behind Netherlands and Japan.
Top 9
The following people are considered by Pantheon to be the most legendary Danish Architects of all time. This list of famous Danish Architects is sorted by HPI (Historical Popularity Index), a metric that aggregates information on a biography’s online popularity.
1. Jørn Utzon (1918 - 2008)
With an HPI of 67.10, Jørn Utzon is the most famous Danish Architect. His biography has been translated into 49 different languages on wikipedia.
Jørn Oberg Utzon (Danish: [ˈjɶɐ̯ˀn ˈutsʌn]; 9 April 1918 – 29 November 2008) was a Danish architect. In 1957, he won an international design competition for his design of the Sydney Opera House in Australia. Utzon's revised design, which he completed in 1961, was the basis for the landmark, although it was not completed until 1973. When it was declared a World Heritage Site on 28 June 2007, Utzon became only the second person to have received such recognition for one of his works during his lifetime, after Oscar Niemeyer. Other noteworthy works include Bagsværd Church near Copenhagen and the National Assembly Building in Kuwait. He also made important contributions to housing design, especially with his Kingo Houses near Helsingør. Utzon attended the Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts (1937–42) and was influenced early on by Gunnar Asplund and Alvar Aalto.
2. Arne Jacobsen (1902 - 1971)
With an HPI of 65.85, Arne Jacobsen is the 2nd most famous Danish Architect. His biography has been translated into 39 different languages.
Arne Emil Jacobsen, Hon. FAIA (Danish pronunciation: [ˈɑːnə e̝ˈmiˀl ˈjɑkʰʌpsn̩]; 11 February 1902 – 24 March 1971) was a Danish architect and furniture designer. He is remembered for his contribution to architectural functionalism and for the worldwide success he enjoyed with simple well-designed chairs.
3. Theophil Hansen (1813 - 1891)
With an HPI of 58.96, Theophil Hansen is the 3rd most famous Danish Architect. His biography has been translated into 25 different languages.
Baron Theophil Edvard von Hansen (German: [ˈteːofiːl fɔn ˈhanzn̩]; original Danish name: Theophilus Hansen, pronounced [tsʰe̝oˈfiːlus ˈhænˀsn̩]; 13 July 1813 – 17 February 1891) was a Danish architect who later became an Austrian citizen. He became particularly well known for his buildings and structures in Athens and Vienna, and is considered an outstanding representative of Neoclassicism and Historicism.
4. Verner Panton (1926 - 1998)
With an HPI of 58.85, Verner Panton is the 4th most famous Danish Architect. His biography has been translated into 21 different languages.
Verner Panton (13 February 1926 – 5 September 1998) is considered one of Denmark's most influential 20th-century furniture and interior designers. During his career, he created innovative and futuristic designs in a variety of materials, especially plastics, and in vibrant and exotic colors. His style was very "1960s" but regained popularity at the end of the 20th century. As of 2004, Panton's best-known furniture models are still in production (at Vitra, among others).
5. Jan Gehl (1936 - )
With an HPI of 56.00, Jan Gehl is the 5th most famous Danish Architect. His biography has been translated into 21 different languages.
Jan Gehl Hon. FAIA (born 17 September 1936, Copenhagen) is a Danish architect and urban design consultant based in Copenhagen whose career has focused on improving the quality of urban life by re-orienting city design towards the pedestrian and cyclist. He is a founding partner of Gehl Architects.
6. Johan Otto von Spreckelsen (1929 - 1987)
With an HPI of 51.70, Johan Otto von Spreckelsen is the 6th most famous Danish Architect. His biography has been translated into 18 different languages.
Johan Otto von Spreckelsen (4 May 1929 – 16 March 1987) was a Danish architect, best known for designing the Grande Arche of La Défense in Puteaux, near Paris. He directed the creation of several modern churches in Denmark.
7. Christian Frederik Hansen (1756 - 1845)
With an HPI of 51.22, Christian Frederik Hansen is the 7th most famous Danish Architect. His biography has been translated into 16 different languages.
Christian Frederik Hansen (29 February 1756 – 10 July 1845), known as C. F. Hansen, was the leading Danish architect between the late 18th century and the mid 19th century, and on account of his position at the Royal Danish Academy of Art (Det Kongelige Danske Kunstakademi) the most powerful person in artistic circles for many years. He was known as "Denmark’s Palladio" on account of the architectural style he promoted. His buildings are known for their simplicity, strength and scale.
8. Henning Larsen (1925 - 2013)
With an HPI of 49.90, Henning Larsen is the 8th most famous Danish Architect. His biography has been translated into 17 different languages.
Henning Larsen, Hon. FAIA (20 August 1925 – 22 June 2013) was a Danish architect. He is internationally known for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs building in Riyadh and the Copenhagen Opera House. Larsen studied at the Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts, from which he graduated in 1952. He continued studies subsequently at the Architectural Association School of Architecture and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. His mentors included Arne Jacobsen and Jørn Utzon. Larsen founded an architectural firm that bears his name, Henning Larsen Architects (formerly Henning Larsens Tegnestue A/S). From 1968 to 1995, he was a professor of architecture at the Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts. In 1985, he established the SKALA architecture gallery and the parallel SKALA architecture journal, both entities of which continued until 1994.
9. Bjarke Ingels (1974 - )
With an HPI of 40.76, Bjarke Ingels is the 9th most famous Danish Architect. His biography has been translated into 21 different languages.
Bjarke Bundgaard Ingels (Danish pronunciation: [ˈpjɑːkə ˈpɔnkɒ ˈe̝ŋˀl̩s]; born 2 October 1974) is a Danish architect, founder and creative partner of Bjarke Ingels Group (BIG). In Denmark, Ingels became well known after designing two housing complexes in Ørestad: VM Houses and Mountain Dwellings. In 2006 he founded Bjarke Ingels Group, which grew to a staff of 400 by 2015, with noted projects including the 8 House housing complex, VIA 57 West in Manhattan, the Google North Bayshore headquarters (co-designed with Thomas Heatherwick), the Superkilen park, and the Amager Resource Center (ARC) waste-to-energy plant – the latter which incorporates both a ski slope and climbing wall on the building exterior. Since 2009, Ingels has won numerous architectural competitions. He moved to New York City in 2012, where in addition to the VIA 57 West, BIG won a design contest after Hurricane Sandy for improving Manhattan's flood resistance. In 2011, The Wall Street Journal named Ingels Innovator of the Year for architecture, and in 2016 Time named him one of the 100 Most Influential People.
Pantheon has 9 people classified as architects born between 1756 and 1974. Of these 9, 2 (22.22%) of them are still alive today. The most famous living architects include Jan Gehl and Bjarke Ingels. The most famous deceased architects include Jørn Utzon, Arne Jacobsen, and Theophil Hansen.
Living Architects
Go to all RankingsDeceased Architects
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Jørn Utzon
1918 - 2008
HPI: 67.10
Arne Jacobsen
1902 - 1971
HPI: 65.85
Theophil Hansen
1813 - 1891
HPI: 58.96
Verner Panton
1926 - 1998
HPI: 58.85
Johan Otto von Spreckelsen
1929 - 1987
HPI: 51.70
Christian Frederik Hansen
1756 - 1845
HPI: 51.22
Henning Larsen
1925 - 2013
HPI: 49.90
Which Architects were alive at the same time? This visualization shows the lifespans of the 7 most globally memorable Architects since 1700.
