Copenhagen: The Latest Architecture and News

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Tourism, as an urban and architectural phenomenon, has grown to encompass more than just sightseeing; it engages visitors with the social, cultural, and economic narratives that cities tell through their built environments. In celebration of World Tourism Day 2024, this collection of city guides highlights the role of architecture in shaping the urban tourism experience. Today, cities around the world stand as testaments to human ingenuity, historical preservation, and modern innovation. In fact, each city's versatile architecture offers a window into a city's identity, drawing millions of visitors each year who seek to understand how these spaces shape everyday life and collective memory.

In 2024, many cities have seized the world's collective imagination, each with its unique narrative waiting to be uncovered. Whether one finds themselves meandering through London, admiring Paris, or immersing in the cultural treasures of Sharjah, the story is always there to be unraveled. From Amsterdam's canals to Cairo's rich historical layers, Barcelona's avant-garde architecture, the liveliness of Santiago to the ancient marvels of Rome, and the diverse Istanbul to the bustling Bangkok – each city serves as a testament to the enduring spirit of human civilization.

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In a recent interview with ArchDaily, Sigurd Larsen, renowned for his innovative architecture practice, reflects on his journey and the evolution of his office. A significant player in shaping contemporary European architecture, Larsen shares insights into his career development, the current profile of his practice, and his approach to various types of projects.

Currently, Larsen's office is known for its diverse range of projects, including residential homes, hotels, and public spaces across Europe. "Our focus is on combining conceptual creativity with practical considerations," Larsen explained. Projects such as landscape hotels and public schools in Germany exemplify this approach, showcasing a blend of innovation and context-sensitive design.

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Copenhagen was founded around the 11th century, from a small fishing village called "Havn" (harbor), which served as a strategic point for trade and navigation. Over time, this settlement transformed into an industrial city and eventually became the capital of Denmark. Though small in size, Copenhagen exerts significant global influence as a model of urban living. Spread across two islands, it is recognized as one of the most livable cities in the world, compensating for its modest size with an imposing character, reflected in its vibrant urban life and a skyline punctuated by historic towers, low-rise buildings, and a mix of old and modern architecture.

Cities, like people, are dynamic and constantly evolving to keep pace with and adapt to the social, economic, and environmental changes of their time. Similarly, the vision of how the ideal city should be planned has been influenced by each era’s realities and prevailing thoughts.

Industrialization, the increasing migration of people from rural to urban areas, population growth, the development of new materials and construction technologies, the dominance of automobiles as a means of transportation, and, more recently, the search for alternative ways of occupying and moving through cities have all impacted urban planning theories throughout history. These influences have shaped the structure of modern cities—with their successes and challenges.

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Social infrastructure encompasses the resources and services that allow the creation of communal bonds and social connections. Within the built environment, it manifests through public spaces like parks, libraries, and community centers alongside threshold spaces such as public transportation stops.

These public social spaces play a crucial role in strengthening communities and, in turn, their ability to respond to catastrophic climate-related events. They can provide physical shelter to the populations most vulnerable to these events and foster resilient networks of people who can more quickly recover. Given the escalating frequency of extreme weather events in the United States due to climate change and its social infrastructure inadequacies, examining public spaces as a critical tool for climate resilience becomes vital.

Representing 32% of the global population, Generation Z (those born between 1995 – 2010) accounts for a healthy chunk of the workforce (27% by 2025 and rising every year). These are the fresh young minds employers are fighting to attract. With prospective employers’ impact on society (93%) and a healthy work/life balance (77%) the two biggest motivators in deciding where Gen Z’ers want to work, a large part of any new office building’s design brief is green space.

While hybrid working and flexible hours represent the most obvious ways to improve work/life balance for many, because of the missed social interactions and the lack of space or functionality at unproductive home workspaces, the majority of 16-24-year-olds are the only age group who prefer to work from the office.

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In the early morning of April 16, a fire broke out in the capital of Denmark, engulfing Copenhagen’s Old Stock Exchange, one of the oldest landmarks in the city. In the fire, the 56-meter-tall Dragon Spire, shaped as the tails of four entwined dragons, collapsed. In just a few hours after the fire begun, half of the 17^th century Børsen building was destroyed according to authorities. The structure was undergoing renovation works at the time of the event. Emergency workers, staff members and passers-by collaborated to rescue the historic artworks housed in the former stock exchange.

On April 4 – 6, the international conference FABRICATE 2024 will be held at the Royal Danish Academy in Copenhagen. Since its inception in 2011, FABRICATE has established itself as a global forum for new radical possibilities for architecture and welcomed thousands of participants from practice, industry, and research.

In this third article we meet architect Zhu Pei who is the founding Director of Studio Zhu Pei and Dean of the School of Architecture at Central Academy of Fine Arts in Beijing. The text is an excerpt from the upcoming FABRICATE 2024 book and is based on an interview conversation led by Co-chair Phil Ayres between Zhu Pei and architect Cristiano Ceccato, Director of Zaha Hadid Architects. The book will be published on the opening night of the FABRICATE 2024 conference.

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On April 4 – 6, the international conference FABRICATE 2024 will be held at the Royal Danish Academy in Copenhagen. Since its inception in 2011, FABRICATE has established itself as a global forum for new radical possibilities for architecture and welcomed thousands of participants from practice, industry, and research.

In this second article, we meet architect Indy Johar who is the director of WikiHouse Foundation and CEO and founder of Dark Matters Lab working with institutions around the world, from UNDP, the European Commission on Net Zero Cities, the European Environmental Agency, and various national agencies and cities. The text is an excerpt from the upcoming FABRICATE 2024 book and is based on an interview conversation led by Co-chair Phil Ayres between Indy Johar and Professor Philippe Block, Head of the Institute of Technology in Architecture (ITA), ETH Zürich. The book will be published on the opening night of the FABRICATE 2024 conference.

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On April 4 – 6, the international conference FABRICATE 2024 will be held at the Royal Danish Academy in Copenhagen. Since its inception in 2011, FABRICATE has established itself as a global forum for new radical possibilities for architecture and welcomed thousands of participants from practice, industry, and research.

In this first article we meet architect Anders Lendager who is CEO and founder of Lendager, a front runner and one of the most influential architecture studios and strategic consultants within sustainability and circular economy. The text is an excerpt from the upcoming FABRICATE 2024 book and based on an interview conversation led by Co-chair Mette Ramsgaard Thomsen with Anders Lendager and Meejin Yoon, Dean of Cornell AAP. The book will be published on the opening night of the FABRICATE 2024 conference.

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In 2017, Bjarke Ingels Group (BIG) unveiled its designs for a project in central Copenhagen. The project features an urban IKEA store, a budget-friendly hotel, and residential apartments connected by green spaces. As a significant part of the development, BIG designed two high-rise residential towers known as “KaKtus Towers,” which are linked by a raised public park connecting them. Both towers, with the tallest at 80 meters high, are scheduled to be completed in 2024. A recently released new set of images showcases BIG’s development nearing completion.

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The Danish Landscape Award 2023 has been awarded to the H.C. Andersen Garden, designed by MASU Planning. The award focuses on honoring landscape architectural works with character, serving as “inspiration” for the industry. Situated in Odense in Denmark, this year’s winner was praised for reviving urban renewal in the city center by creating an escape that blends with the existing context.

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