Name Jens Dunker Role Architect | Died August 25, 1981 | |
Jens Gram Dunker (February 17, 1892 – August 25, 1981) was a Norwegian architect. He was noted for his work in the transition between neo-classicism and functionalism in Norwegian architecture.
Dunker was born in Christiania (now Oslo), Norway. He attended the Norwegian National Academy of Craft and Art Industry (1910-11) and took architectural education (1911-14) at Technische Hochschule in Dresden.
Dunker made significant contributions to Norwegian functionalism through different types of buildings: townhouses, housing blocks, townhouses, villas, theaters and hotels. He first worked as assistant under Morgenstierne & Eide, Harald Hals and Arnstein Arneberg. In 1919 he established his own architectural practice. Together with Gudolf Blakstad, he drew the theatre building for Det Nye Teater which opened in Oslo during 1929. This building marked an important transition between neo-classicism and functionalism in Norwegian architecture. The design of the Det Nye Teater by Blakstad and Dunker was awarded the Houens fonds diplom in 1930.
Dunker also performed restoration work at Oscarshall and at several churches including Fåvang stave church (1948-51) and Slidredomen in Vestre Slidre (1955-56). In 1938 he was hired as a manager at the Royal Palace, Oslo, retiring in 1962 after a lengthy building restoration that commenced in 1950. He received a number of honors, including the Order of St. Olav (1945) and the King's Medal of Merit as well as several foreign orders.