korshagehus, architect's own summerhouse, korshage, denmark, 1960, 1965 & 1986. architect: erik korshagen, 1926-2005.

parallels drawn between traditional Japanese houses and modernist architecture have formed a recurring theme since wright. mies developed it, his black painted steel standing in for the wooden post and beam construction. and during the 1950's, the Japanese influence found its way to denmark, though a common response here was to marvel at the similarities between Japanese and Danish vernacular, an angle no doubt born out of fisker's regionalism taught at the academy.

what other architects talked about, korshagen built. the steep thatched roof of his 1960 summerhouse, korshagehus, refers equally to asian and local vernacular, as do the black posts supporting the floating wooden deck. the cantilevered walkway that connects the rooms - the house was born with no interior doors - can only be read as a traditional Japanese engawa or kure-en but its use is entirely in keeping with the simplicity, even primitivism, of Danish summerhouse life at the time.

utzon wrote of the japanese house that its raised wooden floor was like a tabletop and that was why people took off their shoes - they treated it like furniture. korshagehus should be understood in that spirit, except here you take your shoes off because you've worn them all week to work.

there is a lesson in how korshagen was able to allude effortlessly to several building traditions within the abstract idiom of 1960's minimalism, while his 1986 postmodernist annex only really connects with the local farm buildings and despite the surgical precision of its architect only does so with considerable nostalgia. but even if the annex suggests a weakening of the architect's powers - as of architecture in general in the 1980's - korshagen made no mistakes when situating it: the informal ensemble of highly formal buildings is one of the paradoxical pleasures of the place, as is the idea of highly formal buildings that propose an informal lifestyle.

when I first met erik korshagen about ten years ago through my father-in-law, I never used a camera, so I have no interiors to show you from my visits, but the black exterior is well balanced by the warmth of untreated wood inside. currently, korshagehus is for sale - about a million euros will buy you its three buildings that were all listed while their designer and owner was still alive. I think they fulfill one of the promises of true architecture, that you can live in a work of art, but I am less certain there is an appreciative market for it. today, Danes expect their one million euro summerhouses to come with underfloor heating, flatscreen TVs, and jacuzzis - korshagehus needs a buyer who can see through all that.

when my wife and I were married nearby, erik korshagen turned up for the reception - out of respect for my in-laws, mind you - but when he saw the number of people there, he walked up to us and offered the keys to his guest house. you'll never find any privacy here, he said. and so, he made it possible for us to leave our own wedding when we had had enough which felt just right, as did the trip through the dark, cool forest to korshagehus - a classic that aimed at being one and succeeded, and where, of all places, we spent our wedding night.