Let's Talk Architecture

Join the Danish Architecture Center as we chat with some of the world’s leading architects, designers, planners, and engineers about their work and ideas. Let’s Talk Architecture introduces you to the creative and innovative minds behind the future of our buildings and cities. Let’s Talk Architecture introduces you to the creative and innovative minds behind the future of our buildings and cities. Get to know the creative and innovative minds that shapes Danish architecture. Author and journalist, Michael Booth, is not an architect, but he is curious about cities, and how they are built. In this podcast he ventures out into the city with architects, planners, and urban developers, while he asks them about the agendas, that shapes their projects and our built environment. They talk about everything from the aesthetics of the climate change, modernist masterpieces, extensive retail planning, rethinking of materials, sensuous architecture, transformation of existing buildings, the shaping of new architects, and much much more. Generous funding is provided by Realdania and the Danish Industry Foundation. Learn more at dac.dk/en/podcast

How The Future is Democratic Architecture not Starchitecture

Vandkunsten Architects is a studio that was born in opposition to the existing paradigms in architecture back in 1971. They wanted to build for people with respect for the environment. Their approach has not changed since - yet it might be more relevant than ever? Learn more about why the future needs democratic architecture and why we should build less. Featuring architect, head of research and development and partner at Vandkunsten Architects, Søren Nielsen and host Michael Booth.

01-07
37:10

How inclusive design can increase learning

Can ‘inclusivity’ as a design principle bring about new forms to our learning environments? In this episode of ‘Let’s talk architecture’ our guest expert, architect Eva Ravnborg from the architecture company Henning Larsen, shares insights on how inclusive design principles can create equitable learning spaces. She takes the host, Michael Booth on a tour to Frederiksbjerg School, which the studio designed to activate children in various kinds of ways that allow them ‘to get through the day in more than 100 different ways’. From accessible entrances and classrooms to considering acoustics and lighting for sensory sensitivities, Eva explains various ways to incorporate inclusivity. Join us as we explore the transformative impact of inclusive school architecture on student success and well-being. Let's talk architecture is a Danish Architecture Center podcast, sound edits by Munck Studio. You can hear previous episodes here.

06-08
30:30

How AI changes architecture as we know it

These days artificial intelligence (AI) is in the spotlight – from fearsome warnings about societal impacts presented by leading figures in the tech industries and on to hopeful imaginations of a better future. But can AI also help create better, more sustainable, and even more democratic architecture? At the architectural company Henning Larsen they seem to think so, and their use of AI in their architectural practices help running big operations more smoothly. In this episode of Let’s talk architecture the guest, Signe Kongebro, Global Design Director, Urbanism and Partner at Henning Larsen walks our host Michael Booth through some of the ways AI is already in use in their everyday work. For instance, high-speed AI-generated renderings can make design processes and citizen engagement more efficient, and in the end inspire new forms and layouts. Listen in on how AI is already helping to shape our cities. Let's talk architecture is a Danish Architecture Center podcast, sound edits by Munck Studio. You can hear previous episodes here.

06-01
30:36

How the rising sea levels call for new ways to imagine the future cities

The UN General Secretary proclaims the climate change consequences will be of ‘biblical proportions’. But what will that feel like in the cities we know and love today – and what can we expect from the solutions? That is what the team behind the Danish contribution to the Venice Architecture Biennale has set out to explore. The exhibition “Coastal Imaginaries” explores how we can secure the livability in coastal cities by staging the future scenarios theatrically to create emotional experiences of climate change. Join us for this episode of Let’s Talk Architecture when Michael Booth visits the Danish Pavilion in Venice to interview curator Josephine Michau and scenographer Christian Friedländer. Through the exhibition they intend to evoke a sense of hope in the audience while grasping a rather dark future. Let's talk architecture is a Danish Architecture Center podcast, sound edits by Munck Studio. You can hear previous episodes here.

05-25
26:37

Where to find ugly architecture in the World Capital of Architecture?

In 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.

05-04
30:46

How to protect a livable city against disasters

No one knows what the future brings, so how can architects make sure their design is resilient tomorrow as well as today? Resilience is a hot topic in architecture circles, and it’s increasingly on the agenda from the earlier stages of design and planning. But what does ‘resilience’ even mean? And how do you design for livable cities and resilient communities in an unknown future? We went to Berlin to discover how the German capital can be considered resilient. Martin Henn, the third generation of his family to lead HENN architects, and Caroline Nagel, project director at the celebrated Cobe architects in Copenhagen, joins Michael Booth in his quest to pin down the meaning of resilience in architecture, and how we can protect a livable city against disasters. Michael Booth is the host of Let’s Talk Architecture, a Danish Architecture Center podcast. You can hear previous episodes here. This episode is organized in collaboration with UIA2023CPH, and Creative Denmark and produced by Munck Studios.  

03-20
34:47

How office design impacts the way your brain works

How does the design of your office impact the way you work? In many ways our working and learning environments can be improved if you ask research and development architect Klaudio Muca from the architectural firm CEBRA Architecture. They have collected research and conducted interviews with leading scientists about the way space influences our emotions and state of mind – which then shapes our creativity and productivity. Some call it neuroarchitecture – a discipline where the neuroscience meets architecture. Innovative companies around the world have shared their approach to creating working environment that improves the creativity, and CEBRA has been curious enough about this that they have put all this knowledge in the WISE Journal. In this episode of Let’s Talk Architecture our host, Michael Booth, gets a tour of the CEBRA office in Aarhus, where they are experimenting with neuroarchitecture in their own working environment to support different workflows and needs of their employees. Let’s Talk Architecture is a Danish Architecture Center podcast produced by Muck Studios. You can hear previous episodes here.

12-20
38:23

How scarce resources shape architecture

By the hour we grow more aware that our planet’s resources are scarce, and that we urgently must shift from an exploitative to a regenerative architecture. But how? What resources do we have at hand, how are new materials engineered and experienced, and what new materials and design solutions will we have to get used to? In this episode of Let's talk architecture we went to France to explore the sensuous French-ness and talk about how we must rethink our resources in the way we build. We invited ourselves to ITAR architectures to talk to the founding partner Ingrid Taillandier, and she explained how they focus on densification as a way of reducing the use of land as resource. We also brought Scottish born architect Susan Carruth, who is partner GXN, a research based architectural firm with Danish roots. Together they talk about how new stories and aesthetics play a crucial role for reducing our use of resources – and how we get used to new materials and designs. Michael Booth is the host of Let’s Talk Architecture, a Danish Architecture Center podcast. You can hear previous episodes here. This episode is organized in collaboration with UIA2023CPH, and Creative Denmark and produced by Munck Studios.

12-08
35:21

How cities adapt to the changing climate

How can our cities handle the extreme weather the future brings? Architecture plays an important role in making our cities livable even in extreme weather conditions. As the future will bring turbulent weather of differing characters, the solutions too are diverse. In this episode of Let's talk architecture, you can hear about some of the manifold approaches to adapting the city to the dramatically changing climate and weather: Greening of buildings and flood protection of the city. Paolo Russo from the Italian architect studio Stefano Boerri Architetti, tells us about forest-covered high-rise buildings in the middle of Milan, a concept they are bringing around the world. Other approaches are presented by Ole Schrøder from the Danish studio TREDJE NATUR, who is behind several climate adaptation projects that helps Copenhagen to better cope with large bodies of water. They have specialized in making public spaces with respect for the urban life and cultural heritage. Michael Booth is the host of Let’s Talk Architecture, a Danish Architecture Center podcast. You can hear previous episodes here. This episode is organized in collaboration with UIA2023CPH, and Creative Denmark and produced by Muck Studios.

11-23
31:15

How partnerships became essential in architecture

How many organizations are involved in the construction of our cities? It takes a village, and no man is an island. So, how do we build partnerships of change, and what needs to be done to establish strong collaborations in time to make a difference? In this special edition of Let’s Talk Architecture Michael Booth has travelled to New York to ask: What makes a good partnership? Join in on this episode, where he talks to Brooklynite Ifeoma Ebo, founder of the urban design studio Creative Urban Alchemy, and the Copenhagen based architect, founder of the studio EFFEKT, Sinus Lynge. They both engage in diverse types of partnerships, which is crucial in changing the value chain of the built environment. Michael Booth is the host of Let’s Talk Architecture, a Danish Architecture Center podcast. You can hear previous episodes here. This episode is organized in collaboration with UIA2023CPH, and Creative Denmark and produced by Muck Studios.

10-06
39:12

Why retail is key in catalyzing urban identity

Can urban life be planned and programmed, or will it pop up by itself? At BRIQ Group, a Copenhagen-based design agency, they use careful retail planning to help foster better communities and bring life to public spaces. In this episode of Let’s Talk Architecture Peter Bur Andersen, BRIQ’s creative director, takes us on a tour of two projects in Copenhagen, and explains how their place-specific approach supports the place-identity of an area through strategic planning. Hosted by Michael Booth. Let’s Talk Architecture is a Danish Architecture Center podcast produced by Muck Studios. You can hear previous episodes here.

07-04
01:02:56

How to keep the expanding city at eye level

Aarhus, the second city of Denmark, is growing. Developing new areas rapidly, opening the harbor front, investing in infrastructure projects and cultural sites, the city is booming. The stakes are high for the new city architect, Anne Mette Boye, who took over the baton in 2021. Tune in to this episode of Let’s Talk Architecture, where she explains her vision of Aarhus as a mosaic of distinct urban neighborhoods with strong connections to the rural landscape. And how to keep the expanding city at eye level. Hosted by Michael Booth. Let’s Talk Architecture is a Danish Architecture Center podcast produced by Muck Studios. You can hear previous episodes here.

06-23
46:48

How city design shapes your eating habits

Does the surrounding architecture make your food choices for you? In a way, if you ask CEO and founding partner at Gehl Architects, Helle Søholt and CIO Jeff Risom. Their team of architects, designers, anthropologist etc. map ‘foodscapes’ that reveal what food choices surrounds us, and how that can be improved by design. Design for healthy choices is about exposing people to healthy food, but also considering how eating is a part of social interactions, and that is influenced by the urban design. Michael Booth is host. Let’s Talk Architecture is a Danish Architecture Center podcast produced by Muck Studios. You can hear previous episodes here.

06-07
44:55

How Danish architecture became world famous

The Arne Jacobsen Radisson SAS Royal Hotel was shockingly new for the Copenhageners when it was finished in 1960. It kickstarted a discussion about whether Danish architecture should express local building traditions or move to a more international and modernistic style. Tune in to this podcast, and learn more about the tensions that lie in bricks and steel, and how this discussion continues to influence the Danish architecture. And how Danish architecture became world famous. Featuring architect and CEO of the Danish Architecture Center in more than 20 years, Kent Martinussen and hosted by Michael Booth. Let’s Talk Architecture is a Danish Architecture Center podcast produced by Muck Studios. You can hear previous episodes here.

05-25
45:51

Why a good city for kids is a city for everyone

Copenhagen was broke. In the 1990’s families moved out of the city when they got the chance. This is not the case today, as the city has managed to flip the demographic by creating bigger and better apartments, improving public transport, and prioritizing urban spaces – suitable even for children. Tune in to this podcast, where we explore how Copenhagen grew to be a more livable city by making the city child friendly. Featuring Copenhagen city architect, Camilla Van Deurs, and hosted by Michael Booth. Let’s Talk Architecture is a Danish Architecture Center podcast produced by Muck Studios. You can hear previous episodes here.

05-18
47:16

Why architecture cannot speak for itself

Architecture can sweep us away, but communication about architecture is a different story. And a problem if you ask Josefine Lykke Jensen, architect, and CEO at JAJA Architects. She is engaged with how architects can use strategic communication to make people understand the role of architecture better – and make better architecture. Tune into this podcast, where Josefine Lykke Jensen talks about communication as a crucial tool – especially in the building industry's shift to more sustainable modes. Hosted by Michael Booth. Let’s Talk Architecture is a Danish Architecture Center podcast produced by Muck Studios. You can hear previous episodes here.

05-18
35:37

How architecture is the interplay between form and life

Jan Gehl is one of the most important Danish architects of the past half century. He has had a great impact on the way we design our cities today – with focus on creating the best possible conditions for urban life. In this episode of Let’s Talk Architecture, Jan Gehl is taking us on a tour of his Copenhagen, from Dragør to Ørestaden and Kartoffelrækkerne, on a journey through some of the best and worst areas of the city. A journey that shows us how form influences life.

10-18
23:33

How to change the conversation at the Venice Architecture Biennale 2021

Lundgaard & Tranberg Arkitekter is one of Denmark’s most celebrated and forward-thinking architect studios. On the occation of the well-acclaimed Danish pavilion, Con-nect-ed-ness, at the 2021 Venice Biennale, Michael Booth sat down with Lene Tranberg, co-founder and partner, and Erik Frandsen, architect and partner, to talk about the installation and how it changed the conversation at the studio. Let’s Talk Architecture is a Danish Architecture Center podcast produced by Muck Studios. You can hear previous episodes here.

09-16
25:04

Using waste as an architectural resource

Lendager Group is leading the conversation in Denmark around architectural upcycling – the practice of creating a product of higher value than the original. The firm takes a circular rather than linear view and uses creative solutions to connect the dots between building waste headed for landfills and new construction. Lendager sat down with DAC’s Jen Masengarb to discuss the firm’s latest work and the problems yet to be solved. Support for this podcast comes from Realdania. Let’s Talk Architecture is a Danish Architecture Center podcast, and you can hear previous episodes here.

10-29
22:38

How architecture shapes behavior

Danish architect Kasper Guldager Jensen, co-owner of 3XN and founder of GXN – a research practice within the larger firm – chats with DAC’s Jen Masengarb. In a thought-provoking conversation, they discuss GXN’s unique team of sociologists, anthropologists and psychologists researching how architecture shapes our behavior. He also explains the firm’s design for the new Children’s Hospital in Copenhagen, featured in DAC’s 2020 exhibition, Kids’ City. Let’s Talk Architecture is a Danish Architecture Center podcast produced by Muck Studios. You can hear previous episodes here. Generous funding for the podcast is provided by Realdania.

08-04
21:13

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