How to make renovation the new norm

Bjarke Ingels Group – BIG – is one of Denmark’s most internationally acclaimed architecture studios, with high-profile projects across the globe. Not long ago, the firm moved into its own 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 headquarters? What role did sustainability play in the process, and what can the new BIG HQ tell us about the company behind the name? Join us as founder of BIG, Bjarke Ingels, invites host Michael Booth on an exclusive tour of BIG HQ and shares the thinking behind the building’s design – and what it’s like to be both architect and client.  Let's Talk Architecture is a Danish Architecture Center podcast. Sound edits by Munck Studios.

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 in the transformation of Hans Christian Andersen’s birthplace?  These are some of the questions host Michael Booth asks in this episode, as he visits the city with Marianne Tonim Nielsen, an architect who has worked in the municipality there for 29 years and has closely followed the development of Odense. Let's Talk Architecture is a podcast by Danish Architecture Center. Sound edits by Munck Studios.

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 water, and of sky. It’s blessedly free from programming - there are no cycle paths, no running tracks, no outdoor gyms and no playgrounds. For this episode we are lucky enough to be joined by its designer, Maj Wiwe, landscape director at Cobe. She explains the original idea behind the park, but also the extraordinary technical challenges involved in constructing a mature garden with 10 metre-high trees and a cafe. On top of a multi-storey car park. Which is buried underground. On reclaimed land. In the harbour. You see what we mean by challenges?

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 and renovation to the top of the agenda.  Enlai Hooi, Head of Innovation at Schmidt Hammer Lassen, is one of the Danish national organising members of HouseEurope.   In this episode he explains why he has become such a strong advocate for adapting and transforming existing buildings - even the ones no one likes. Let’s Talk Architecture is a podcast by Danish Architecture Center. Sound edits by Munck Studios.

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 committee tasked by the Ministry of Culture with drafting the policy, and Jesper Pagh, Chief Architect of Horsens Municipality, about the past, present, and future of architecture as a tool for societal change.  Let’s Talk Architecture is a podcast by Danish Architecture Center. Sound edits by Munck Studios.

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 speaks with architects Nicolai Overgaard and Irina Maksimovich about this innovative building, designed not just for worship, but also for contemplation and community. Let’s Talk Architecture is a podcast by Danish Architecture Center. Sound edits by Munck Studios. 

The Danish harbour town of Svendborg, like many cities, has faced severe storm surges and pluvial flooding in recent years. How 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 Danish architects and planners are addressing the water-related challenges of climate change.   In this episode, host Michael Booth speaks with architect Anna Als Nielsen from Svendborg Municipality about the town’s innovative response. Instead of investing in costly sea walls and flood barriers, Svendborg is embracing a new approach: allowing controlled flooding in specific areas and transforming them into attractive recreational spaces.  Let’s Talk Architecture is a podcast by Danish Architecture Center. Sound edits by Munck Studios. 

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 against it, and even enhance urban life in the process?  In this episode of Let’s Talk Architecture, host Michael Booth meets Rikke Juul Gram, creative director and partner at the Danish landscape architecture firm Schønherr. Together, they visit Schønherr’s recent project in Copenhagen, Karens Minde Aksen - a space designed not only to manage floodwaters but also to serve as a beautiful, functional community area. Rikke shares her insights into why embracing water could be the key to building resilient, sustainable cities.  Let’s Talk Architecture is a podcast by Danish Architecture Center, with sound edits by Munck Studios.

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 center and more on the way. So, what has changed since the last study?  In this episode of Let’s Talk Architecture, host Michael Booth meets Mette at Nordbro in Nørrebro, one of the buildings featured in her research. Together, they explore the qualities of high-rise living and ask the question: Can Danish families truly live happy and fulfilling lives 100 metres above the ground?  Let's Talk Architecture is a podcast by the Danish Architecture Center.

How do we decide which buildings are worth preserving? And will the climate crisis reshape our answer to this question?  In this episode of Let's Talk Architecture, host Michael Booth joins Kristoffer Lindhardt Weiss, CEO of The Danish Architectural Press, for an architectural tour of Copenhagen - from the iconic yet controversial Palads Cinema to Arne Jacobsen’s Modernist SAS Royal Hotel.  Together they explore the landscape of architectural preservation, and ask: Could sustainable preservation become the future of urban development?  Let's Talk Architecture is a podcast by the Danish Architecture Center with sound edits by Munck Studios.