About the Architect

Jørn Oberg Utzon who is best known for designing the Sydney Opera House in Australia, was a Danish architect. In 1985, he was made an honorary Companion of the Order of Australia and in 1998, was given the Keys to the City of Sydney. He was awarded an honorary doctorate by the University of Sydney in 2003 and also the Pritzker Prize. 

On 28 June 2007, when the Sydney Opera house became a World Heritage Site, Utzon became the second person to have been given such recognition while still alive.

Utzon also made key contributions to the design of housing, most notably, with his Kingo Houses in Helsingør. [21]

About the location

The Scandinavian light is very unique. Low-altitude sunlight that hovers around the horizon is a primary attribute of the sky, year round, which often results in cases of glare. The Nordic sky follows a pattern of annual extremes - in summer, the sky is bright and the sun is visible, however in winter, there is limited daylight. For example, on 21 December the sun only reaches an altitude of 11 degrees at noon. This means that generally, the dome of the sky is a source of diffused illumination and not harsh direct sunlight.

Bagsværd Church is a Lutheran church located in Bagsværd, in the suburbs of Copenhagen where there had been no church since 1537. 

Utzon was contacted by the congregational council in Bagsværd who were working to have a church built and Utzon drew up two sketches, one of a group of people on a beach below clouds, and the other of people under a vaulted ceiling in procession towards a cross. These would go on to become the two defining images of the project. Permission was given to build the church in 1973 and construction was finally completed in August 1976. [22]

The church stands modestly among birch trees, simple and withdrawn, however it is only with gained knowledge of the workings internal architecture and daylighting design becomes more easily understood. The building is orthogonal in form and is clad in white precast concrete and glazed white tiles which are positioned in order to mirror the curvature in the interior.

The daylight entering the building is controlled by the soft curvature of the architecture. The curves rise from above where the congregation sits to where they are highest which is above the altar. To achieve this, white concrete was moulded in situ. Not only does this clever design guide and direct the light in order to create a space of diffuse and ambient lighting, but the design is intrinsically linked to the overall architectural vision of the project and this is reflected in the atmosphere brought about.

It is clear that the daylighting design was carefully considered due to the way the light enters overhead, whose intensity is then softened as it travels along these curves, but also in the way that it is filtered in through glass ceilings in the corridors. The natural lighting inside is also achieved by the high lateral windows across the entire structure which bring daylight in from the courtyards. [23]

Utzon’s design for this building was conceived in reaction to the unique characteristics of Scandinavian daylight. The role of light as an organising factor is central to the relationship between ordering systems - Utzon’s decisions on where and how light should enter the building then led to the quality and organisation of spaces.

“It is light,” Jorn Utzon has written, “that is the most important thing in this church.”

The particularly low sun path led Utzon to catch, refine and reflect this direct low-angle light, while simultaneously embracing and exploiting the diffuse skylight from above. Appropriately, the facades of the church have almost no windows but instead utilise courtyards and glazed ceilings in order to receive daylight and create enhanced comfort levels in the interior.

“Utzon’s lighting strategy is fundamentally Nordic, manifested pragmatically, and probably deeply personal.” [24]

Because the light entering the building is mostly from above, and is receiving the characteristically blue skylight rather than direct sunlight, it is probable that the occupants’ pineal gland is being stimulated by these wavelengths of light, and thus resulting in healthier and happier occupants.

“It is reasonable to believe that the invigorating atmosphere of Bagsvaerd Church is realized by the quality of its light and the strategy behind it. It is a place for people and light in motion.” [26]

The six courtyards in this building each incorporate slightly differentiating functions and aspects so that they become circulation spaces, gardens and places for people to socialise and gather. These spaces extend the interior making them feel bigger and more airy. This has also been achieved through the reception of light from above. The courtyards render sunlight and skylight into interior diffuse daylight. This effect is enhanced by the surfacing indoors which are matte or of fine texture, meaning that the occupant will experience diffuse light rather than a shiny surface or bright sunlight. The surfaces of the courtyards reflect light toward the glass and wooden facades of the adjacent spaces. These screens receive the light in a way that is not harsh or glaring, but also create a relationship between the indoors and outdoors by obscuring the border between both. [26] [27]

The courtyards cut from the centre of the building, in tandem with the corridors that cross the building, provide daylight to the rooms from dual aspects, creating ideal illuminance levels. [26] [27]

This building captures daylight in a very clever way, by bringing indirect light in from above, the result is ambient diffuse daylight which makes for very good comfort levels. The colours and textures of the interior also help to bring this result about. It has been designed to suit the dynamic Scandinavian sun in a way that creates ideal illuminance levels in the interior. Bagsværd Church’s serene and light atmosphere reflects a culture of Scandinavian modernism and enhances the tradition’s range of whiteness.