The tectonic structures of Sverre Fehn

Abstract

The work by Sverre Fehn (1924-2009) professes an obstinate devotion for essence and authenticity by combining tradition and timelessness. The poetical intensity of his legacy is reflected in an abstract work by its geometric accuracy, which is tactile in its constructive refinement and vernacular in its attention to place and memory. This research analyses the building advances of his first works and the fidelity of the tectonic foundations of his modern empirical language that abandons the orthodox functionalism of avant-gardes, and develops by paying attention to the topographical, climate and building peculiarities of the location. After he finished his training in 1949 at the Oslo School of Architecture with Professors Arne Korsmo and Knut Knutsen, Sverre Fehn worked with Jean Prouvé in Paris (1953-1954), where he found the model of inventive disposition and building skill in technical curiosity and hand-produced passion.