The Portør summerhouse is considered the climax of Knutsen´s career. It constitutes a synthesis of his work and reflects his ability to build in harmony with the environment. Knutsen had a strong public commitment. A social tendency towards disintegration was, according to Knutsen, reflected in the architecture of the time. He was critical of the tendency of contemporary architecture to both threaten the environment and to disturb and dominate the existing landscape. He was concerned with the creating of meaningful houses. He sought an architecture free from solemnity, an architecture that should convey a natural and relaxed atmosphere. This ideal is perhaps most successfully achieved in his own summer house in Portør. Here Knutsen avoided any encroachment on the landscape. The house has a characteristic atmosphere of well-being, as a place to rest and seek inspiration. It reflects a harmonious architecture subordinated to nature. Knutsen´s summerhouse lies almost invisible, hidden among rock hillocks and pine trees. It slides into the landscape and creates a harmonious whole with the surroundings. It responds well to the climatic and topographical conditions of the site. It seeks shelter from the wind, and adapts nicely to the light, sun and panorama. The summerhouse, erected in 1949, consists of two parts: a living-room section and a bedroom wing, and between these a covered terrace with a window wall on one side. A continuous roof ties the parts together. The terrace combines the natural landscape with the artificial landscape, hence nature becomes an integral part of the interior. Gennaro Postiglione, of the Politecnico of Milan, describes his first encounter with the Knutsen summerhouse in this way; "The living-room is organised as a single, continuous space in wood, where only the stone block of the fireplace, imposing in its physicality, separates the sitting area from the dining area. Apart from this, our gaze seems to be projected towards the outside, always in perspectives that are never closed, due to the way in which the architect designed the corners, which are all obtuse (the only right-angle corners are 'annulled' by the presence of the windows). This gives the space a continuous sense of openness, since there are no categorical closures of perspective; it also gives the composition a dynamic sense, characterised by a powerful centrifugal force. (...) Everything seems natural and organic, and the irregular, though rigorous geometry of the composition hides the 'secret' of the search for appropriate form (appropriate to the aims, the place and the meanings), according to methods and typologies that tradition hands down and modifies, perfecting them through tiny variations. This wisdom is hidden between the lines of the project and incorporated in its construction. We should not be misled, however: the house is not of a traditional 'type', in the sense of the simple transposition of forms: apart from the wood, there is little, almost nothing, that continues the link with tradition in a direct manner. At the same time, however, the house is in keeping with traditional architecture in the sensibility and appropriateness of the use of materials, the way in which it gives form to necessity, the way in which it offers itself as a place for people, and the way in which it establishes a balanced and harmonious relationship with the surrounding nature." The summer house is often regarded as part of the new wave of anti-rational tendencies flooding international architecture in the years following the Second World War. In this context Knutsen becomes a pioneer in the revolt against the simplified and unemotional version of functionalism. "Freed from architectonic styles, architecture could make the art of building a language of more lasting value... Everyone can learn the techniques of construction, the use of materials, the function and the economy of the building sector, but very few have the talent to 'make music', to ensure that the materials and the dimensions sing, live and convey universal values." This evaluation of Knutsen´s work by the Norwegian theorist of architecture, Christian Norberg-Schulz, helps to explain Knutsen´s originality and distinctive expression. Despite the fact that he was undoubtedly inspired by both A. Aalto and F.L. Wright, traditional Norwegian and Oriental architecture, Knutsen´s architecture stands out as something which opened the way to a renewal in Norwegian architecture. The summerhouse in Portør constitutes a climax of his production and in many ways reflects Knutsen both as a man and as an architect. Here he fulfilled his overall task to "give expression to a 'human content'". Through his buildings and his teaching, Knutsen inspired and influenced many colleagues, especially younger architects, and will continue to do so even after his death. < BACK
Silje Skrondal