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, 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 [https://dac.dk/en/]. Sound edits by Munck Studios.

I Danmark er vi europamestre i parcelhuse. Men passer parcelhusenes nuværende form – med masser m2, græsplæner og ligusterhække – til den måde vi lever på i dag? I hvert 6. parcelhus bor der nemlig kun én person. Der er altså meget plads til overs - i hvert fald, hvis vi skal lytte til de stemmer, der mener, at vi alle sammen skal bo på meget mindre plads. I denne episode af Byen Forfra diskuterer vi: Kunne vi skabe plads til flere uden at bygge nyt ved at deles om husenes kvadratmeter? Og hvad ville det kræve af os og af vores forestilling om det gode hjem? Medvirkende: * Kristine Virén, Medie- og Videncenterchef ved Videncentret Bolius, ekspert i TV-programmet Hammersl * Louise Heebøll, arkitekt og stifter af rådgivningsfirmaet V!GØR, aktuel med rapporten DelHus Byen forfra er optaget til Dansk Arkitektur Centers live-event, MorgenDAC, som er for dig, der vil have et nuanceret indblik i byens udvikling og arkitektur. Podcasten er produceret af Dansk Arkitektur Center og redigeret af 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! [https://www.houseeurope.eu/] 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 [https://www.shl.dk/], 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 [https://dac.dk/en/]. 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 [https://dac.dk/en/]. Sound edits by Munck Studios.