Where to find ugly architecture in the World Capital of Architecture?
Release Date: 05/04/2023
How rebuilding war-torn areas can accelerate the sustainable transition
Let's Talk Architecture
Ukraine has seen many of its cities and towns destroyed. One day they will hopefully be rebuilt - with great costs and a large climate footprint as a result. But what are the alternatives? Danish NGO, (Architects Without Borders), is already working on a solution: With the pilot project Build-back-green a sustainable building system using biogenic materials - straw, clay, and timber – is introduced in the Ukrainian city of Voznesensk. Can rebuilding in war-torn or disaster struck parts of the world show a way forward to a more sustainable form of construction? And how do you...
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What comes after concrete?
Let's Talk Architecture
Concrete and steel. We know that both of these mainstream building materials come with a massive CO2 cost, and that we need to find alternatives. One way forward is the reintroduction of traditional materials and invention of new bio-based materials. But the implementation of the new materials requires large and challenging changes for the entire building industry. What will it take to kickstart these massive changes? And what happens when starting at a more tangible level: With the building materials themselves? In this episode, Michael Booth visits Denmark’s first bio-based...
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How to measure the unmeasurable qualities of urban space
Let's Talk Architecture
In Herlev, a suburb of Copenhagen, the site of a former asphalt factory is being transformed into a new housing area. At first glance, this is a building site like many others, dominated by cranes, concrete and safety helmets. But in fact, a pilot project out of the ordinary is taking place here. Leaded by innovation agency , the project invites artists to analyze the site that is being transformed. By interacting with the local biodiversity, diving into the landscape’s history, and arranging experimental workshops, the project uses art as a method of measuring some of the factors, we would...
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How to transform buildings with no waste
Let's Talk Architecture
Søren Pihlmann, founder of , is among the hottest up-and-coming names in Danish architecture right now. Known for his ambitious approach to transformations, Søren Pihlmann insists on reusing as much of the existing buildings as possible - from plumbing to concrete beams - and adapting them for the new purpose of the building. In this episode, host Michael Booth visits Søren Pihlmann at the building site of one of his most radical projects yet: Thoravej 29 in north-west Copenhagen. Here, a former office for a Danish fur company is being transformed into a diverse cultural center,...
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How to build high-quality housing on the road to reduction
Let's Talk Architecture
Living Places is an experimental village in Copenhagen that challenges the way we build and live today. Initiated by and built in partnership with and , the temporary village’s low emission homes suggest a whole new way of thinking about a series of urgent matters: From environmental footprint to indoor climate, biodiversity, affordability, and community building. As a case study for the project, a plan to reduce the CO2 emission of new housing projects, eschews costly, high-tech solutions, focusing instead on what can be done right now, for a relatively low investment. But what will it...
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Sydney Opera House 50 years: How to make art out of compromises
Let's Talk Architecture
What is the price to be paid for being an uncompromising architect? And is the uncompromising approach to architecture a thing of the past? In 2023 the Sydney Opera House can celebrate its 50th anniversary. The building was designed by the then unknown Danish architect, Jørn Utzon, and it has become a milestone in modern architecture. But the Sydney Opera House also represents an often-seen story of the complexities and challenges of large and innovative building projects: A story of interdisciplinary collaborations, and the controversies and compromises, that led to Utzon leaving the project...
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How architecture can drive social change
Let's Talk Architecture
How do you address the issues related to disadvantaged public housing areas, often affected by high unemployment, crime, and other challenges? The question is common to many cities across Europe. In Denmark the government is combining social and architectural interventions in the most troubled areas: With the ‘parallel society law’, up to 60% of existing residents are evicted, and entire housing blocks are being renovated and improved. The aim is to convert troubled housing areas into attractive, safe, and diverse neighborhoods. But can the built environment affect the social issues of a...
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Why waste cannot go to waste in the building industry
Let's Talk Architecture
One way the built environment can mitigate its massive negative climate impact is by focusing architecture on reusing, repairing, refurbishing, and recycling elements. Essentially building within a circular economy framework. However, many central players in the building industry are reluctant to change their approach to materials usage. So, what is preventing us from building a circular society? In this live episode of Let’s Talk Architecture, Michael Booth sits down in a cross-cultural conversation with leading experts on the circular economy within construction, Anders Lendager (), and...
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How experimenting can foster sustainable living
Let's Talk Architecture
Cities are attracting more and more people, but finding an affordable home can become a struggle – especially for students making the move. In Copenhagen the demand for student housing has led to new ways of building and living. The goal is to create space for more people by living smaller and sharing more. is a leading actor in constructing – and experimenting with – temporary and affordable housing. But this is no easy task changing the housing industry – and the law. In this episode of Let’s talk architecture the cofounder of CPH Village, Frederik Noltenius Busk, takes Michael...
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The secrets behind producing great architects
Let's Talk Architecture
What are the secrets behind producing great architects? This question becomes increasingly difficult to answer simply as the world becomes ever more complex and undergoes constant change. Therefore, creating a learning environment for students that empowers the next generation to tackle societal challenges was of utmost importance when needed a new home. In this episode of Let’s Talk Architecture, the host, Michael Booth, visits the Architecture School in Aarhus to engage in a conversation with the principal, Torben Nielsen, about the school's raw and simple design crafted by . They...
info_outlineIn 2023 Copenhagen is named the World Capital of Architecture by UNESCO due to the city’s livability and architecture which is renowned and praised by internationals as well as locals. But not all architectural realities deserve an award, and in this episode, we take a hard look at some of the Copenhagen buildings we condemn rather than praise. Your host Michael Booth takes a tour around the city with Holger Dahl, architectural critic from the Danish national newspaper Berlingske, and together they explore Copenhagen’s less popular sites. Even the home of Danish Architecture Center, BLOX, gets a few punches, although this construction seems to be growing on Holger Dahl. Come visit us some day and let us know what you think.
Let's talk architecture is a Danish Architecture Center podcast, sound edits by Munck Studio. You can hear previous episodes here.