Scharoun, Hans Bernhard (1893-1972)

German architect. He was one of the greatest 20th-century exponents of the organic tradition in architecture. His first major project was the Schminke House, Lobau, Saxony 1932-33, notable for the lightness of its exposed steel-frame structure. The concert hall for the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra, completed 1963, is the most dramatic expression of his ideas on organic design, integrating audience and orchestra on various levels.

Scharoun studied architecture at Berlin Technical College 1912-14, later becoming associated with the influential Deutscher Werkbund movement, which called for high standards in industrial design. The rise to power of the Nazis brought his career to a temporary halt but he was involved in plans for the rebuilding of Berlin 1946, and subsequently produced many influential competition designs, one of which formed the basis for the Berlin Philharmonic building. Other post-war works of note are the Maritime Museum, Berlin, 1970, and the National Library, Berlin, 1978.