Sydney Opera House 50 years: How to make art out of compromises
Release Date: 10/23/2023
Why biodiversity Matters and how to get more
Let's Talk Architecture
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, biodiversity developer and founder of Oiko, Kristine Kjørup Rasmussen. Together they explore Copenhagen’s Nordhavn district – from concrete cityscapes to wild wastelands – to see how biodiversity can be measured, protected, and even enhanced in the midst of urban development. Guest: Kristine Kjørup Rasmussen,...
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How to build a megaproject: The Fermern Belt Link
Let's Talk Architecture
What defines a megaproject? And why 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 Fehmarnbelt Fixed Link, a record-breaking 18-kilometer tunnel currently being placed on the seabed from the island of Lolland to Northern Germany. In this episode, Michael Booth joins Professor Christian Langhoff Thuesen of Denmark’s Technical University on a visit to the...
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Can design strengthen community?
Let's Talk Architecture
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 reinvent the community gathering place for the 21st century. The community spaces, designed as four distinct types of pavilions, are the result of a collaboration between Danish architectural firms ReVærk, Cobe, Archival Studies, pihlmann architects, Rumgehør og Studio XYZ. In this episode our host Michael Booth, takes a trip to the...
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Designing for presence in a digital age
Let's Talk Architecture
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 a conversation about how design and architecture can shape the ways we connect. Let’s Talk Architecture is a podcast by Danish Architecture Center. Sound edits by Munck...
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BIG HQ: When architects design for themselves
Let's Talk Architecture
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...
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Make Odense great again
Let's Talk Architecture
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,...
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A New Park is Born
Let's Talk Architecture
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...
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How to make renovation the new norm
Let's Talk Architecture
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? 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 , is one of the Danish national organising members of HouseEurope. In this episode he explains why...
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New policy, better cities?
Let's Talk Architecture
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...
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Designing a 21st century church
Let's Talk Architecture
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 . 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 Sound...
info_outlineWhat 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 before it was finished.
In this episode of Let’s Talk Architecture, Director of Exhibitions at Utzon Center, Line Nørskov Davenport, takes us through the myths, the facts, and the truly remarkable story behind the opera house’s difficult birth, and talks about what we can learn from the process. Host is Michael Booth.
Let’s Talk Architecture is a podcast by Danish Architecture Center, with sound edits by Munck Studio.