We worked with Arne Jacobsen and Flemming Lassen on Søllerød Town Hall, now renamed Rudersdal Town Hall, having only a few years earlier collaborated with Arne Jacobsen on Aarhus Town Halll, designed on similar modern functionalist principles. Rudersdal is located 20km north of Copenhagen and the Town Hall was completed in 1942 with chairs, desks, lamps and textiles all designed by Arne Jacobsen. Built in reinforced concrete, faced in marble with a copper-plated roof, it was the first public building built after 1900 to become heritage listed.
72 years and a couple of generations later, Søllerød Municipality has become part of Rudersdal Municipality and Steensen Varming has after its permanent establishment in Australia following the commission on the Opera House with Jørn Utzon, re-opened its Copenhagen and London studios along with new studios in Hong Kong and New York. The reunion with this iconic masterpiece is the second recent project that represents a re-connection with our past, following our engagement on the restoration of the Varming Villa in Gentofte designed by our founder Jørgen Varming with the architects Niels and Eva Koppel. The continued involvement on projects from our early years enable us to apply the knowledge and approach that has been passed on through our people and practices and this opportunity represents one of the main reasons behind the return to our roots.
