Kingo Houses

As the person who dreamt up Australia’s most iconic landmark, Danish architect Jørn Utzon is a household name. Lesser known, but equally visionary, are his thoughtful residential designs that explore the principles of modesty and efficiency. Whilst the huge scale and budget of the Sydney Opera House are well-documented, Utzon’s domestic projects sit quietly at the other end of the spectrum.

Utzon developed Kingo Houses, or Kingohusene, as a development of 60 homes in Helsingør (Elsinore), Denmark, between 1957 and 1960. He based the design on a Swedish design competition submission, which, though unsuccessful, attracted the attention of Helsingør’s mayor. The mayor then provided 6.5 hectares of land for Utzon to bring his project to life, with assistance from developers Boligselskabet Kingo, from which the project derives its name.

Each 3-bedroom unit measures 15m x 15m, with 2 wings (one for living and one for sleeping) forming an L-shape around a courtyard. The L-shape provides great flexibility, as each residence is arranged on the undulating site to capture the best possible aspect, privacy, sun, and wind shelter. Utzon described this deliberate arrangement as “flowers on the branch of a cherry tree, each turning towards the sun.” Therefore, despite the orthogonal geometry of individual homes, the system is organic in its ability to adapt to conditions.

The Kingo Houses draw inspiration from vernacular Nordic architecture, especially Danish farmhouses, constructed with traditional yellow bricks and timber.

Constructed with high thermal-performing materials and employing simple construction methods, the houses achieve architectural strength and high dwelling quality within a modest budget. They have been described as ‘a triumph of low-cost domestic planning.’

For instance, Utzon precisely determined the exact number of bricks for the courtyard walls to standardise costs. This kind of quantitative rigour meant the project was suitable for the government to subsidise for low-income workers.

In both concept and execution, Kingo Houses is visionary and has inspired many architects since. Their simplicity, thermal comfort, and efficiency ensure their longevity, influence, and place in the annals of architecture. Although not as well-known as Sydney Opera House, Utzon’s quieter residential experiments are, in their own way, just as iconic.