Kay Fisker and the Boligbyggeri course (1924–1955). The impact of the education reform at the Royal Academy of Fine Arts / Kay Fisker e il corso Boligbyggeri (1924–1955). L'impatto della riforma nel programma educativo della Reale Accademia di Belle Arti

The 1932 report by the Danish architect Kay Fisker (1893–1965) entitled Teaching of Housing Construction at the Academy of Fine Arts and published on «Arkitekten Maanedshæfte» vividly depicts the structure of the Boligbyggeri course (or Bolig Klass), set up in 1924 at the School of Architecture, highlighting its renovated pedagogical program and presenting samples of student project assignments’ plates. Notably, the inception of this course coincided with the national education reform, presented at the 1924 International Congress of Architectural Education in London. The same year, Fisker assumed full educational management of the 3rd Bolig Klass, a novel organisation of day school operating from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Over time, he significantly expanded the study curriculum, involving many teachers (as well practitioners) and experts outside the academia, forging a solid team. The aim was to offer education in domestic and modest construction, contrasting with the Academy's previous focus on monumental architecture. This foundation equipped the course to meet modern urgent housing demand with a broad spectrum of expertise, emphasizing that drawing (and re-drawing) served not as aesthetic representation, but rather as tool for measuring, comparing, and communicating the building developments. Leading the Bolig Klass until 1955 required integrating Academy preschool students and graduates from technical schools into a unified class and initiating programs that instilled cultural sensibility and technical proficiency, essential for the architects’ social role. In the 1940 Academy Annual Report, he thoroughly details the 3rd course advancements and activities. Beyond the traditional lectures and studio revisions, the curriculum included on-site visits to Copenhagen historic and contemporary areas, meetings with local committees for building regulation, trips to European cities and exchanges with other Nordic schools, etc. These experiences were aimed at imparting a solid method of systematizing, categorizing and arranging all the received knowledge to foster the elaboration of any kind of project. Fisker’s accounts of the course’s teaching methods, largely unexplored until now, is a focal point of this paper. Additionally, lectures handouts (1946–1947, 1950, 1956) as well as historical and typological-based edited books like Københavnske Boligtyper (1936) and Rækkehusetyper (1941) further underscore the Boligbyggeri’s impact on many Danish architects’ generations.