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Hans Brattrud
(born1933) is a renowned Norwegian designer and architect. He has
a whole host of awards to his name, and his furniture designs have become inter-
nationally recognised classics. Brattrud pioneered high frequency lamination in Nor-
way, a method which is now the most common production technique in the world.
Brattrud started his career as a carpenter in the mid1950s, and he attributes
much of his design confidence to the skills he learned while working with wood.
He went on to study at the National College of Art & Design in Oslo, Norway. Among
his teachers were the architect Arne Korsmo and industrial designer Birger Dahl, who
both influenced the talented young man. Hans Brattrud was considered the most
promising Norwegian furniture designer in the1960s. He had his own design office,
developing new furniture models and working with demanding design commissions.
His designs from this period won several national and international competitions.
In1957, during his last year at the National College of Art & Design, he designed
the prototype of the Scandia Junior chair as a school project. True to the Scandina-
vian Design aesthetic that was predominant at the time, the project was initially
ill received by his professors due to the fact that it seemed impossible to manufac-
ture with the production methods of the time. In1958, after attending an industrial
fair in Germany and finding out about the high frequency lamination technique,
Brattrud proved his mentors wrong. Convincing the Norwegian furniture manufac-
turer Hove Møbler to adopt the technique, the Scandia Junior chair started producti-
on in1960. Additional models were then developed.
The Scandia stackable chair was revolutionary both in shape and expression.
By using horizontal ribs, a two-dimensional laminated shape was strung up and made
three-dimensional. This was an ingenious construction that also yielded a unique
and timeless design. The chair range immediately won recognition and became
a show stopper at several exhibitions and fairs. In1967, the Scandia stackable chair
was awarded the gold medal at the International arts and crafts fair in Munich. The
same year it also received “The Award for Design Excellence” by the Norwegian
Design Council. As late as in 2006, the Scandia easy chair received the “Interior in-
novation award Cologne 2006” and was nominated for the “The Design Award of the
Federal Republic of Germany 2007”. In 2008, Hans Brattrud was awarded “The King’s
Medal of Merit” for his work within furniture design, his contribution to technical
innovation and the development of the Norwegian furniture industry.
Designers
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