he graduated from efterslægtselskabets skole in 1873. he then apprenticed as a mason for half a year c. wienberg and studied drawing under c. v. nielsen. he enrolled at the royal danish academy of fine arts' school of architecture in october 1874, graduating in 1880. in 1877–78, together with martin nyrop, hack kampmann and martin borch, he contributed to hans j. holm's surveying of kronborg castle. he studied majolica ceramics on a journey to italy in 1877–83. he also worked as a draftsman for ludvig fenger and contributed to ferdinand meldahl and heinrich hansen's interior restoration of frederiksborg castle and received attention for his moorish hall at the panopticon building in copenhagen.