Ferdinand Meldahl practised at a period when the terms of architecture itself were under argument.
The record lists Ferdinand Meldahl as Danish architect (1827-1908).
Ferdinand Meldahl was born at Frederiksberg in 1827. His recorded nationality is Kingdom of Denmark. He trained at Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts.
Industrialisation gave architecture iron, glass and the lift, and with them the problems of the railway station, the factory and the tall city block.
He is recorded as architect and politician.
Among his best-known works are Old Town Hall (Fredericia), Alnarp Castle and Alþingishúsið. Buildings outlast their architects and usually their purposes, which is what makes the discipline unforgiving.
Recognition followed: Knight Grand Cross of the Royal Victorian Order, Knight of the Order of the Dannebrog, Decoration of the Cross of Honour of the Dannebrog and commander of the Order of the Dannebrog.
That the work was built in Kingdom of Denmark shaped it: climate, materials, planning law and who holds the budget all decide what can actually be built.
Ferdinand Meldahl died in 1908, aged 81. The buildings remain, still in use by people who never knew the name - which is the particular afterlife architecture offers.
Achievements
- Notable work: Old Town Hall (Fredericia)
- Notable work: Alnarp Castle
- Notable work: Alþingishúsið
- Knight Grand Cross of the Royal Victorian Order
- Knight of the Order of the Dannebrog
- Decoration of the Cross of Honour of the Dannebrog
- Trained at Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts
