Frederik Marius Draiby (28 April 1877 in Kirke Helsinge on western

Zealand Zealand ( da, Sjælland ) at 7,031 km2 is the largest and most populous island in Denmark proper (thus excluding Greenland and Disko Island, which are larger in size). Zealand had a population of 2,319,705 on 1 January 2020. It is th ...

— 16 April 1966 in Aarhus) was a

Danish Danish may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to the country of Denmark People * A national or citizen of Denmark, also called a "Dane," see Demographics of Denmark * Culture of Denmark * Danish people or Danes, people with a Danish ance ...

architect An architect is a person who plans, designs and oversees the construction of buildings. To practice architecture means to provide services in connection with the design of buildings and the space within the site surrounding the buildings that h ...

and the first city engineer of

Aarhus Aarhus (, , ; officially spelled Århus from 1948 until 1 January 2011) is the second-largest city in Denmark and the seat of Aarhus Municipality. It is located on the eastern shore of Jutland in the Kattegat sea and approximately northwes ...

. Until his retirement in 1943 Frederik Draiby impacted the architecture in Aarhus through his job where he approved building designs and with several notable buildings of his own designs. The municipal

Spanien Public Baths Spanien Public Baths (Danish: Badeanstalten Spanien), colloquially known simply as ''Spanien'', is a public bath house and a listed building in Aarhus, Denmark. The bath house was completed in 1931 and was listed on the Danish national registry o ...

, the harbor warehouse

Stykgodspakhuset Stykgodspakhuset, or ''Pakhus 13'', is a former warehouse and a listed building in Aarhus, Denmark. The warehouse was built in 1926 and was listed in the Danish national registry of protected buildings and places by the Danish Heritage Agency on 4 ...

and ''Store Kapel'' (Great Chapel) on

Vestre Cemetery Vestre Cemetery ( da, Vestre Kirkegård, meaning "Western Cemetery") is located in a large park setting in the Kongens Enghave district of Copenhagen, Denmark. With its 54 hectares it is the largest cemetery in Denmark. The cemetery is land ...

are his best known works although he also worked on

urban planning Urban planning, also known as town planning, city planning, regional planning, or rural planning, is a technical and political process that is focused on the development and design of land use and the built environment, including air, water ...

designs.

Background

Frederik Draiby was born in Kirke Helsinge where his father worked as a master builder. Draiby moved to

Copenhagen Copenhagen ( or .; da, København ) is the capital and most populous city of Denmark, with a proper population of around 815.000 in the last quarter of 2022; and some 1.370,000 in the urban area; and the wider Copenhagen metropolitan ar ...

to study at the Technical School. He graduated as a mason and was then admitted to the

Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts The Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts ( da, Det Kongelige Danske Kunstakademi - Billedkunst Skolerne) has provided education in the arts for more than 250 years, playing its part in the development of the art of Denmark. History The Royal Dan ...

architecture school in 1898. From 1898 to 1900 he worked for the architect

Vilhelm Dahlerup Jens Vilhelm Dahlerup (4 August 1836 – 24 January 1907) was a Danish architect who specialized in the Historicist style. One of the most productive and noted Danish architects of the 19th century, he is behind many of the most known buildings a ...

. In 1901, Draiby travelled to

Cape Town Cape Town ( af, Kaapstad; , xh, iKapa) is one of South Africa's three capital cities, serving as the seat of the Parliament of South Africa. It is the legislative capital of the country, the oldest city in the country, and the second larges ...

South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the southernmost country in Africa. It is bounded to the south by of coastline that stretch along the South Atlantic and Indian Oceans; to the north by the neighbouring count ...

where he was employed by the architect Herbert Thomas Jones and in 1903, he became a partner in the company. The following year he was appointed director of the department in

Johannesburg Johannesburg ( , , ; Zulu language, Zulu and xh, eGoli ), colloquially known as Jozi, Joburg, or "The City of Gold", is the largest city in South Africa, classified as a Megacity#List of megacities, megacity, and is List of urban areas by p ...

. In 1905, Draiby married a Swedish woman and started preparing to move back to Denmark. In 1907 he was back in Denmark where he was hired at the city engineer's office in Copenhagen. In 1919, the office of city engineer was established in Aarhus and Draiby was hired for the position on October 1, 1919.

Works

Draiby's primary contribution as city engineer was creating architectural uniformity within neighborhoods such as the ''Stadion Allé'' borough in

Frederiksbjerg Frederiksbjerg is a borough in Aarhus, Denmark. Frederiksbjerg is part of the postal district Aarhus C and is located just south of the historical city centre, separated from it by a broad railway yard and connected by three bridges. Despite being ...

. He also created a number of works of his own such as the terraced houses on ''Poul Martin Møllers Vej'', twin houses in Marienlund and two apartment blocks at ''Søndre Ringgade'' and ''Trepkasgade''. The two apartment blocks are also on Frederiksbjerg and the largest one is considered among the finest examples of

neoclassical architecture Neoclassical architecture is an architectural style produced by the Neoclassical movement that began in the mid-18th century in Italy and France. It became one of the most prominent architectural styles in the Western world. The prevailing sty ...

in Aarhus. For

he built the Great Chapel and by the harbor the Functionalist

. *

*Great Chapel

*Terraced houses on ''Poul Martin Møllers Vej'' *Twin houses in Marienlund (1926) *Two apartment blocks at ''Søndre Ringgade'' and ''Trepkasgade'' *

Den Permanente Den Permanente (lit: The Permanent) is a sea bath and a beach in Aarhus, Denmark. Den Permanente is situated below the woodland park Riis Skov north of the city centre and along the railway line of Aarhus Nærbane. Den Permanente is one of two m ...

Stadion Allé.JPG, City planning (Stadion Allé, around 1920) Frederiksbjerg-bo.jpg, Frederiksbjerg-bo (1926, Trepkasgade) Trepkasgade (facade).jpg, Frederiksbjerg-bo (detail) Stykgodspakhuset (facade).jpg, Pakhus 13 (1926) Vestre Store Kapel.JPG, Great Chapel (1927)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Draiby, Frederik Danish architects 1877 births 1966 deaths Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts alumni People from Kalundborg Municipality