Leif Grung

Leif Kuhnle Grung (Born 1894 – died 1945), was a Norwegian architect, born in Bergen, educated in Stockholm. He established his own architectural studio in Bergen in 1923, produced an extensive number of buildings, and became one of the foremost pioneers for functionalism in Bergen.

Overview

Leif Grung was a very versatile architect and a remarkable personality with a distinctive artistic nerve. He was also very open to international ideas and was inspired by Bauhaus and Frank Lloyd Wright. He also committed himself to the self-builder movement, to modernizing onshore communications and expanding the road system surrounding Bergen.

In the end of the twenties he became a standard-bearer for the functionalist movement in Bergen. As such, he often met heavy resistance, even from his colleagues. Nevertheless he was widely respected, enjoying high standing and popularity. Eventually he became the most productive architect in Bergen in the thirties.

After the war he was accused of collaboration with the German occupation authorities and was expelled from the Bergen Architects Association. This led to his taking his own life. Just a few days after his suicide, the first prisoners of war from Germany returned home, the first witnesses who could confirm that, during the war, Grung had been an intermediary for the escape route across the North Sea to England, and had sabotaged German building plans.

In 1949, four years after his death, he was awarded the Houens foundation's diploma, (for Blauw-gården, awarded for good architecture).

Works

He designed Kalmarhuset and Blaauw-gården in Bergen. He also designed villas in the Tveiteås-area and Fjellveien/Starefossen-area. He also designed residential houses at Jægers minde, at Årstad, and Langhaugen among others. Leif Grung designed a number of industry- and store houses during his career, but the may be most “functional” of all his designs was Statens kornsilo at Vaksdal Mølle.

* Statens kornsilo at Vaksdal Mølle, from the beginning of the thirties.
* Blaauw-gården, C. Sundts gate 1, Bergen
* Kalmarhuset, built for the insurance company Æolus in 1936
* Residential development in the Fridalen area, including two residential houses for his own family, inspired by American bungalows, in Neo-classical style. The two bungalows at Fridalsveien formed a pattern for additional 17 buildings at Fridalshøyden.
* Self builders housing at Nymark. He designed and completed 174 houses in a five year period from 1923 to 1928.
* Jægers Minde, a complete residential area in functionalist style, outer Sandviken at Hegreneset, from 1930.
* Hegrenesveien 20, example of functionalist wooden architecture.
* "Langhaugen own homes ", Jomfrustien, are influenced by Mediterranean architecture. The end of the thirties.

External links

* Functionalism
* [http://kulturnett.ivest.no/tema/modernisme/default.htm Mellomkrigsarkitektur i Bergen] Norwegian language
* [http://www.vinduet.no/tekst.asp?id=187 Epitafium over Leif Grung] Norwegian language
* [http://www.kulturnett.no/personer/person.jsp?id=T5580449 Kulturnett.no Kunstnerregisteret] Norwegian language
* [http://www.ub.uib.no/felles/utstillinger/arkitektur/Grung.htm UiB utstillinger] Norwegian language
* [http://www.ub.uib.no/prosj/mellomkrigstid/web-mellomkrigstid/kunstogkultur/arkitektur/funkis/funkis.htm UiB Kunst og Kultur] Norwegian language
* [http://www.reisenett.no/norway/facts/culture_science/architecture_in_norway.html Architecture in Norway]