Knud Friis (March 12, 1926 – November 25, 2010) was a Danish architect who worked in Denmark and co-founded Friis & Moltke.

Biography

Knud Friis was born in

Stilling Stilling is a surname. Notable people with the surname include: *Benedict Stilling Benedikt Stilling (11 February 1810 – 28 January 1879) was a German anatomist and surgeon who was a native of Kirchhain. He was the father of German ophthalmolo ...

to Anton Friis and Petra Laurine Laursen and graduated from ''Herning Gymnasium'' in 1944. During the Second World War, Friis was active in the Danish resistance in operations for receiving supplies. In 1950 he graduated from the

Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts The Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts () 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 Danish Academy of Portraiture, Sculpture, and Architecture in Cope ...

school of architecture and was subsequently employed at C. F. Møller Architects in Aarhus where he worked on projects for

Aarhus University Aarhus University (, abbreviated AU) is a public research university. Its main campus is located in Aarhus, Denmark. It is the second largest and second oldest university in Denmark. The university is part of the Coimbra Group, the Guild, and Ut ...

and

Aarhus Katedralskole Aarhus Katedralskole is a cathedral school, an institution of secondary education, a Danish Gymnasium (Denmark), Gymnasium and a Listed buildings in Aarhus Municipality, listed building in Aarhus, Denmark. The school is situated in the neighborhoo ...

. In 1957 he founded the architects company Friis & Moltke with Elmar Moltke Nielsen. Friis was married on 27 May 1950 in

Ringkøbing Ringkøbing (older spelling ''Ringkjøbing'') is a town in Ringkøbing-Skjern Municipality in Central Denmark Region, Region Midtjylland on the west coast of the Jutland peninsula in west Denmark. It has a population of 9,830 (1 January 2025).

to Bodil Johanne Andersen. From 1967 to 1970 he was a professor at the Aarhus School of Architecture and from 1979 to 1989 he operated an architects company in the United States, in collaboration with Jay Robert Larsson, an American Architect. Friis was a guest professor at the

Ball State University Ball State University (Ball State or BSU) is a public research university in Muncie, Indiana, United States. The university has three off-campus centers in Indianapolis, Fort Wayne, and Fishers, Indiana. The university is composed of seven aca ...

Indiana Indiana ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders Lake Michigan to the northwest, Michigan to the north and northeast, Ohio to the east, the Ohio River and Kentucky to the s ...

in 1975, a member of Statens Kunstfond from 1977 and chairman of Dansk Arkitektur Center 1987-89. Friis exhibited at the

Charlottenborg Spring Exhibition The Charlottenborg Spring Exhibition (''Charlottenborg Forårsudstilling'') is an annual art exhibition in Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark. The event is held at the Charlottenborg Exhibition Building (''Kunsthal Charlottenborg''). Kunsthal Cha ...

in 1953, 1956–57, 1960, 1962–65, 1967–69, 1974, 1986–87, Charlottenborg Fall Exhibition in 1971, 1981, 1984, the Å-Exhibition in 1958,

Forum Copenhagen Forum Copenhagen () is a large multi-purpose, rentable indoor arena located in Frederiksberg, Denmark. It hosts a large variety of concerts, markets, exhibitions and other events. The venue can hold up to 10,000 people depending on the event. Th ...

1959, Vrå-Exhibition in 1964-93, Aarhus City Hall 1968,

Bella Center Bella Center (abbreviated BC) is Scandinavia's second largest exhibition and conference center (after Messecenter Herning), and is located in Copenhagen, Denmark. Located in Ørestad between the city centre and Copenhagen Airport, it offers an ...

1978 og 1980 and in

Karlsruhe Karlsruhe ( ; ; ; South Franconian German, South Franconian: ''Kallsruh'') is the List of cities in Baden-Württemberg by population, third-largest city of the States of Germany, German state of Baden-Württemberg, after its capital Stuttgart a ...

, Germany 1983. Friis has received numerous awards including Træprisen in 1959,

Eckersberg Medal The Eckersberg Medal (originally the ''Akademiets Aarsmedaille'' or Annual Academy Medal) is an annual award of the Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts. It is named after Christoffer Wilhelm Eckersberg, known as the father of Danish painting. The ...

in 1967, Møbel- og Betonprisen in 1972, the architecture prize of the

Association of German Architects The Association of German Architects (, BDA) is an association of architects founded in 1903 in Germany. It publishes the bimonthly magazine ''der architekt''. The BDA has over 5,000 members. In 1995, it founded the German Architecture Centre ...

Bayern Bavaria, officially the Free State of Bavaria, is a state in the southeast of Germany. With an area of , it is the largest German state by land area, comprising approximately 1/5 of the total land area of Germany, and with over 13.08 million ...

1975,

Dagbladet Børsen ''Børsen'' (full name: ''Dagbladet Børsen'') is a Danish newspaper specialising in business news published in Denmark. History and profile ''Børsen'' was founded in 1896 by merchant and editor Theodor Hans Carsten Green. In 1899, it was chan ...

s Diploma for commercial buildings in 1978, IF-prisen Gute Industrieform 1982 and C.F. Hansen Medal 1987. He became an

Honorary Fellow Honorary titles (professor, president, reader, lecturer) in academia may be conferred on persons in recognition of contributions by a non-employee or by an employee beyond regular duties. This practice primarily exists in the UK and Germany, as ...

of the

American Institute of Architects The American Institute of Architects (AIA) is a professional organization for architects in the United States. It is headquartered in Washington, D.C. AIA offers education, government advocacy, community redevelopment, and public outreach progr ...

in 1983 and an honorary member of the Association of German Architects in 1992.

Gallery

Højen 13, Brabrand, Knud Friis' set fra haven.jpg, Knud Friis' House Højen 13, Brabrand, Knud Friis' hus skråt forfra.jpg, Højen 13, Brabrand, Knud Friis' hus set forfra.jpg,

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Friis, Knud Danish architects 1926 births 2010 deaths Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts alumni Recipients of the Eckersberg Medal Recipients of the C.F. Hansen Medal