Let's Talk Architecture

Volcano describes itself as a 'creative place-making agency '. In this episode of Let's Talk Architecture, host Michael Booth meets Kristian Riis, Volcano's co- founder to find out exactly what that means.  Volcano is not an architectural studio, although they do have architects working for them. Instead, the Copenhagen-based consultancy's work, which takes them from Los Angeles to Bhutan, Mongoli...

Copenhagen continues to build and expand, and the next stage will be the development of Refshaleøen, a former military base and industrial zone on the harbourfront across from the Little Mermaid statue.  But what will the mobility mix look like when the district is completed in a couple of decades' time? Copenhagen is world famous for its cycle culture, but the Danes are buying more cars than ever...

When Børsen caught fire on 16 April 2024, Denmark lost one of its most iconic landmarks. In this episode, we visit the historic building during its reconstruction and speak with Mette Tony, co-founder of Praksis Architects, about the challenges of rebuilding an important piece of Danish cultural heritage. How do you restore a building with 400 years of history, and which version of Børsen should r...

Visit most of the major architecture firms in  Copenhagen  and you might be forgiven for thinking the industry is more diverse than most, but as we learn in this episode, things  aren't  always what they seem.    Christine Bjerke is an architect and the co-founder of Building Diversity, a volunteer-run organisation  which focuses on inclusivity and aims to enhance diversity within the built enviro...

  The Hedeskov Living Lab in Djursland, on the Jutland Peninsula, points towards a potential paradigm shift  in sustainable architecture.   In this episode, we meet  architect  Justine Bell from Djernes & Bell, who tells the story of transforming a former school into a  centre  for education,  research  and experimentation with regenerative building practices. The project has been created using lo...

    You find Dinesen wood floors in museums, flagship stores, restaurants, galleries  and historic buildings around the world. But what is it about these extraordinary timber planks that architects love so much?     In this episode, host Michael Booth visits the 128-year-old family company in southern Jutland to explore how Dinesen has become one of architecture's most trusted material partners. T...

What happens when a national art museum moves beyond the capital ,  and into a small coastal village?   In this episode, host Michael Booth meets architect  Reiulf  Ramstad to explore SMK Thy, a new branch of the Danish National Gallery set by the  Limfjord . Reusing materials, preserving existing structures and working closely with the landscape, the project becomes more than a  museum ,   it's  ...

EV charging stations are usually places to pass through, not places to stay. But what if they could become green, restorative spaces instead?  In this episode, host Michael Booth talks with architect Louise Flach de Neergaard from Cobe about a new generation of charging stations designed for Clever. Using timber canopies, native planting and nature-based design, the project rethinks infrastructure...

Catastrophic cloudbursts are already reshaping Copenhagen. Instead of hiding the problem underground in massive pipes, what if rainwater could be used to improve everyday life in the city?   In this episode, host Michael Booth meets Mette Skjold, CEO and senior partner at landscape architecture studio  SLA,  to explore the transformation of  Bispeparken ,  a former stretch of anonymous lawn turned...

When BLOX opened in 2018, it divided opinion. Designed by OMA as the home of the Danish Architecture Center, the building was unlike anything Copenhagen had seen before, bold,  complex  and unapologetically different.   In this episode, host Michael Booth is joined by DAC CEO Kent Martinussen for a guided tour of BLOX, as the  centre  prepares an anniversary exhibition marking 40 years of DAC. Tog...

Timber  instead of tiles, curiosity instead of corridors, and a 15-metre-high atrium designed to make people feel safer,  healthier and more connected. Copenhagen's Centre for Health proposes a new typology for public healthcare architecture.   In this episode, Michael Booth meets architect Dorte Mandrup, widely regarded as one of Denmark's greatest living architects, to explore how a complex and...

Eighteen years, a 14-metre-deep crater, a rebuilt brick façade, and a glass dome set to redefine Copenhagen's skyline Denmark's new Natural History Museum is almost ready.   In this episode, Michael Booth meets architect  Claus Pryds , who was barely out of architecture school when he unexpectedly won the competition for the country's next great museum. What followed was a marathon of design,  eng...

Can architecture help us create a future where both humans and nature can thrive ? And is it possible to truly strengthen biodiversity in big cities – or are we just creating small, isolated pockets of green?   In this episode, Michael Booth meets ecologist , biodiversit y developer and founder of Oiko, Kristine Kjørup Rasmussen. Together they explore Copenhagen's Nordhavn district – from concrete...

What defines a megaproject? And w hy do they so often go over both budget and schedule?    Denmark has earned a reputation for successfully completing large-scale construction projects – whether they are bridges, tunnels, land reclamation or offshore wind farms. The latest Danish megaproject is the Fehmarn belt Fixed Link, a record-breaking 18-kilometer tunne l currently being placed on the seabed...

Right now, 150 new community spaces are being built across Denmark – primarily using recycled materials – as part of an extraordinary project called Vores Sted ( Our Place ). Funded by the Danish philanthropic association Realdania , the project aims to rein v ent the community gathering place for the 21 st century.   The community spaces, designed as four distinct types of pavilions, are the resu...

Has presence become a luxury in the digital age? And do we lose contact with the world around us when so much of our lives unfold in front of a screen?  In this episode of Let's Talk Architecture host Michael Booth meets Nikoline Dyrup, architect and founding partner of Danish architecture and design studio, Spacon. Together they visit the studio's newly opened exhibition at DAC, Meet Me Here, for...

Bjarke Ingels Group – BIG – is one of Denmark's most internationally acclaimed architecture studios , w ith high-profile project s across the globe . N ot long ago, the firm moved into its o w n seven-story raw concrete-and-glass headquarters, prominently located on the harbour in Copenhagen's Nordhavn district .   But what happens when a firm like BIG gets the chance to design its own headquarter...

If you want to see the impact that bold, brave, progressive urban planning can have on a city, go visit Odense, Denmark's third largest city. Odense has gone from being a city divided into halves by a four-lane main road, to one built on a human scale which is ready for the challenges of the 21st century. But how have they banished cars, how did the locals react, and what role has culture played i...

It's not every day a new park opens in the centre of a capital city, and this one is extra special. Copenhagen's new Opera Park is not just a nice place to relax in the shadow of the opera house. It represents a radical departure from the type of parks found elsewhere in the city: this harbourfront garden is a place for the contemplation of nature, of trees and plants from around the world, of wat...

What will it take to break the harmful cycle of demolition and new construction, when it's still cheaper to build from scratch than to transform our existing buildings?   HouseEurope ! is a European Citizen Initiative , aimed at making renovation the new norm in Europe. If the initiative can gather a million signatures, they  can force a debate in the European Parliament and bring transformation a...

What role does architecture policy play in shaping our cities and everyday lives? With a white paper on the future of architecture and planning in Denmark about to be published, we explore how policy can address major challenges—from climate change to urban revitalization.   Join host Michael Booth as he speaks with Kent Martinussen, CEO of Danish Architecture Center and a member of the expert com...

The Danes are among the least religious people in the world, with only 2.4% attending church weekly. So why are new churches still being built? And what does it take to design a religious space that meets the needs of the 21st century?   In this episode of Let's Talk Architecture , host Michael Booth visits the striking Trekroner Church, completed in 2019 by Rørbæk og Møller Arkitekter . Booth spe...

The Danish harbour town of Svendborg , l ike many cities , has faced severe storm surges and pluvial flooding in recent years. H ow can towns like Svendborg adapt to the increasing threat of flooding caused by climate change? And could learning to live with regular , controlled flooding – rather than fighting it – be the answer ?   This is part two of Let's Talk Architecture's deep dive into how D...

Catastrophic floods in recent years have highlighted the urgent water-related impacts of climate change, pushing it to the top of the global agenda. While much attention has been paid to rising temperatures, flooding poses an immediate and critical threat to millions worldwide.   So, how do we design urban spaces to handle increasing volumes of water? Can we learn to work with nature rather than a...

Mette Mechlenborg, senior researcher at Aalborg University, is the co-author of a new study on life in Danish high-rise residential buildings—the first of its kind in over fifty years. This long gap is partly due to Denmark's historical reluctance to embrace high-rise living, especially for families. However, the landscape is shifting, with several tall towers now rising near Copenhagen's city cen...