Vejen til det industrielle byggeri - 15 års forceret teknologiudvikling 1945-1960

Abstract

The road to industrial construction: 15 years of ambitious technology development

After the end of the Second World War, Denmark stood in great need for new homes, while also having to build factories and institutions of the welfare state that many had long dreamed of. Thanks to intensive development work, it was possible to switch to full industrial construction in just 15 years, so that annual out-put could be quadrupled compared with pre-war figures.

This article explains how such a drastic change could have taken place. Post-war reconstruction succeeded thanks to a collective development response of the Danish construction industry, where standardized factory-built elements played a central role. History shows that innovation is not only the use of new techno-logy but is a complete transformation of thinking and renewal of organizational forms, company constellations, education, public administration and financial management. The development was run by a relatively small group of technicians supported by coura-geous politicians. Parallel developments taking place abroad were inspiring to the Danes and likewise Danish solutions provided inspiration to foreign innovators.