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Dorte Mandrup Arkitekter: The Latest Architecture and News

Video: Dorte Mandrup Discusses the Wadden Sea Center and Expanding Construction Tradition

We always attempt to work with a material and try to see what it can do in relation to the sculptural or in relation to the place

In this video from the Louisiana Channel, Dorte Mandrup discusses the design philosophy behind her firm’s nearly completed Wadden Sea Center, a visitor’s center located in within Denmark’s largest national park. The design employs local construction traditions, creating a sculptural roof and facade from a modernized thatch roof system. Watch the video for more on how Dorte Mandrup Arkitekter approaches a design challenge, and how their buildings belong to their sites.

Material Focus: Salling Tower by Dorte Mandrup Arkitekter

This article is part of our new "Material Focus" series, which asks architects to elaborate on the thought process behind their material choices and sheds light on the steps required to get buildings actually built.

Installed last year, the Salling Tower provides a striking, sculptural landmark in Aarhus Docklands. From inside, its deceptively simple counterbalanced form provides a range of ways to look out over the harbor and the city - but from the outside the project's designers, Dorte Mandrup Arkitekter wanted the tower to take on an abstract appearance, referencing nautical themes with its sail-like shape and porthole-like openings all while obscuring the process of its own construction. To do this, the firm created a structure composed entirely of a single steel piece resting on top of its foundations. In this interview, project architect Noel Wibrand tells us about how the project's material choice contributed to the construction process.

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Dorte Mandrup Arkitekter Reveals Shimmering Opal Design for Copenhagen Harbour

Dorte Mandrup Arkitekter won the competition to design an extension for the headquarters of the Danish Society of Engineers (IDA). ‘‘The Opal’’ will form part of the scenic Copenhagen Harbour, accommodating a conference hall and restaurant. Of all shortlisted designs, the IDA stated that The Opal best-reflected "[their] vision of engineering."

The eye-catching design alludes to the gemstone it is named after, which reflects light to take on multiple colours. This reference is seen both in the structure and form of the new addition to the Copenhagen Harbour.

Dorte Mandrup Arkitekter Selected to Design Viewing Pavilion at Greenland’s Icefjord

Dorte Mandrup Arkitekter have been selected as the winners of an international competition to design The Icefjord Centre in the UNESCO-protected area of Ilulissat, Greenland. Beating out proposals from leading architects including Snøhetta, Studio Other Spaces, Rintala Eggertsson Architects and Kengo Kuma and Associates, the new pavilion will serve as an exhibition and gathering space for locals, tourists and researchers alike.

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Nine Projects to be Highlighted in 'In Therapy', the Nordic Contribution to the 2016 Venice Biennale

The Swedish Centre for Architecture and Design (ArkDes) have revealed that In Therapy: Nordic Countries Face to Face—the exhibition for the Nordic Pavilion at the 2016 Venice Biennale, curated by David Basulto—will partly comprise "a contemporary survey of Nordic architecture." 300 projects, drawn from over 500 submissions to a recent open call, will be complemented by an in-depth study of nine projects completed post-2008 by practices including Tham & Videgård, Reiulf Ramstad Arkitekter, and Lahdelma & Mahlamäki.

"Just as Sverre Fehn’s pavilion is a crystallisation of Nordic architecture—embodying a precise and fluid articulation of structure, light, and nature—the nine we have chosen to focus in on as particularly representative of the contemporary scene have a similar gravitas and complexity – but with their own distinct identities" says Basulto, who has made the selection alongside James Taylor-Foster, Assistant Curator.

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Elkiær+ Ebbeskov and Leth & Gori Win Competition for Multifunctional Sports Centre

Danish architects Elkiær + Ebbeskov (E+E) and Leth & Gori have won an invited competition to design a large multifunctional sports building in Langvang, Denmark. Competing against teams led by Dorte Mandrup Arkitekter, CEBRA, COBE and Kontur, their winning proposal features a combined sports hall and community centre consisting of a series of multifunctional arenas for activities and events. The scheme also includes a masterplan of the surrounding area centered around sports and recreation.

Marthagården Day Care Centre competition winner / Dorte Mandrup Arkitekter + LETH & GORI

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Courtesy of Dorte Mandrup Arkitekter

A team consisting of Dorte Mandrup Arkitekter, Leth & Gori Architects, Marianne Levinsen Landscape with Henrik Larsen and Jørgen Nielsen engineers have won the competition for Marthagården day care centre in Frederiksberg, Copenhagen.

The project includes the renovation and transformation of two existing buildings and an extension facilitating groups of children and workshops. Furthermore the project offers a remodeling of the exterior landscape and playground. More information and complete architect’s description after the break.