Copenhagen: The Latest Architecture and News

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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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In the rapidly evolving landscape of the 21st century, cities have emerged as models of innovation in terms of sustainable development goals. Cities creatively address pressing urban challenges, including density, transportation, housing, and resilience. They hold the potential to pioneer a comprehensive climate agenda, serving as laboratories for sustainable initiatives, cross-sectoral innovations and community-oriented strategies. Cities act as catalysts for revolutions, implementing impactful solutions that can be applied worldwide.

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In a bid to explore new materials and methods for more sustainable construction, Henning Larsen opens the “Changing our Footprint” exhibition at the Danish Architecture Center in Copenhagen. The initiative, open from November 17, 2023, until March 3, 2024, aims to showcase ideas for more climate-friendly architecture and to start conversations on architecture and construction’s role in mitigating the effects of climate change. This represents the second iteration of the exhibition, as the first version opened at the Aedes Architecture Forum in Berlin earlier this year.

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Copenhagen-based philanthropic association re:arc institute has announced the cohort of nonprofit organizations, people, and practices they will support throughout 2024. The organization founded in 2022 works at the intersection of climate action and architectural philanthropy, aiming to support the development of solutions that address the root causes and consequences of climate change.

The architectural field often adheres to conventional industry models, either client-based or competition-based, which can perpetuate problematic or extractive motivations. The re:arc institute hopes to rethink the architecture discipline’s potential for addressing social and environmental concerns by providing a blueprint for pioneering philanthropic projects. To do so, they provide funding to nonprofits, individuals, and community-led projects exploring innovative approaches that prioritize planetary well-being. Their focus is on hyper-local, grassroots initiatives that address climate crises with a strong emphasis on the unique needs of specific places and communities.

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In September of this year, New York City experienced a severe storm that inundated its streets with more than 7 inches of rain in less than 24 hours, causing a number of roads to close, cars to submerge, and buses to get trapped. This event again highlighted the city's old infrastructure's inability to handle fast and heavy rainfall. As climate change intensifies, experts warn that such extreme weather events will become increasingly frequent. This vulnerability is especially concerning in densely populated urban areas such as New York City, where flooding risks increase due to the large amounts of impervious surfaces.

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This year, the torch of the World Capital of Architecture passed from Rio de Janeiro to Copenhagen. For Audrey Azoulay, Director-General of UNESCO, “Copenhagen will build upon Rio’s achievements, by continuing to show the way in which architecture and culture can respond to the challenges of our time, especially in the environmental field.”

Through the perspectives of various Danish architects, such as Marie-Louise Høstbo, Head of Design at Fritz Hansen, we venture into the unique character of North Copenhagen. Exploring some of her favorite locations –all of which exemplify the city’s culture and sustainable approach– we analyze how Copenhagen upholds a strong legacy and how architecture and urban development play an essential role in shaping its urban identity, while promoting sustainability and liveability. From the serene coastal escape at Bellevue to the reimagined dry dock echoing the city’s maritime history, Høstbo showcases how the World Capital of Architecture seamlessly integrates “design, art, and architecture from the past, present, and future.”

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What will cities of the future look like? Or rather, what should cities of the future look like? The classic sci-fi, Star Trek-inspired movies many of us grew up watching painted a picture of flying cars, grotesque steel skyscrapers and urban fabrics far too vast and dense for the human scale. It’s safe to say, however, that the ideal for today’s and tomorrow’s cities has taken a 180-degree turn. New, modern urbanism promotes diverse, mixed-use cities with walkable blocks, sustainable transport and accessible public spaces. Copenhagen, with its pedestrian- and bicycle-friendly streets, idyllic water canals, iconic buildings and overall happy residents, ticks many of those boxes. No wonder the Danish capital has been designated as UNESCO’s World Capital of Architecture for 2023; another testament to the city’s position as a laboratory for innovative contemporary architecture and human-centered urban planning.

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Copenhagen is a living testament to its architectural legacy, innovative urban development, and commitment to sustainability and liveability. The city inspires the whole world with its quality of urban life, made up of efficient and intelligent mobility systems, along with vibrant and interesting public and private spaces. It is in this context that the city has been awarded the title of World Capital of Architecture by UNESCO for 2023, and hosted the World Congress of the International Union of Architects. These milestones represent unique opportunities to highlight the crucial role of architecture and urban planning in building a sustainable future, establishing the city as a prominent international forum for discussing crucial issues related to the urban environment and the ongoing search for innovative solutions.

Visit Copenhagen has developed a series of four videos to explore the city's architectural wonders, guided by local architects. In the first one, which you can watch below, Danish architect Dan Stubbergaard –founder of Cobe– takes us on a captivating tour of Copenhagen, sharing his insights into what makes the city truly exceptional for its inhabitants.

Ten years ago, SPACE10 was born as a pioneering platform ushering in a novel approach to corporate innovation, consolidating itself for its ability to be open, democratic, driven by a playful purpose, and community-oriented. Composed of a small core team of around 23 people based in Copenhagen, their efforts have focused on combining the power of creativity, science, and technology to find solutions that address the accelerated climate crisis and social injustices.

This year’s Danish Pavilion at The 18th International Architecture Exhibition – La Biennale di Venezia, was curated by Josephine Michau. Titled “Coastal Imaginaries,” the exhibition addresses solutions to alleviate global challenges such as rising sea levels and storm floods. Onsite in Venice, ArchDaily had the chance to speak with the curator Josephine Michau, where she discussed the thought process behind the pavilion, the collaborations, and her hopes of starting meaningful dialogue as a result of the exhibition.

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During the opening keynote at the UIA 2023 World Congress of Architects, Bjarke Ingels, the lead and founder of BIG, shared insights into pressing global challenges along with the office’s distinctive approach to addressing them. After the conference, ArchDaily had the chance to sit down with Bjarke Ingels to further expand on these topics. The discussion touched on a number of subjects, including BIG’s approach to design, based on their principle of “Hedonistic Sustainability,” the meaning and opportunities behind this change in mentality, the inter-applicability of technological innovations across different fields and even across planets, and the need to develop a New European Bauhaus as a response to the emerging environmental necessities.

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