Dialogue on Design in Nature - Denmark

How do we design the collaboration between a plethora of public and private agents when it comes to design in nature?

The Embassies of Iceland in the Nordic capitals each hosted events in the countdown to the DesignMarch festival, happening in Reykjavík May 4th - 8th. Anna María Bogadóttir, architect moderated a conversation on  Design in Nature with panelists from Iceland and from each respective country Now you can listen to these informative dialogues in a four episode podcast series.

Can we design our relationship with nature? How does design encourage and enhance our engagement with nature? These are among questions that have been explored in the project Design in Nordic Nature launched as part of a larger sustainable tourism in the north initiative under the Icelandic presidency of the Nordic Council of Ministers.

By looking into the past, learning from vernacular design traditions as well as envisioning possible futures through innovation, new technologies and forms for collaboration, a selection of cases have been compiled in a Nordic Atlas, reflecting a broad range of design solutions and strategies that promote nature protection while encouraging responsible nature engagement. 

Anna María, architect and curator at Úrbanistan architects in Reykjavík lead the project on behalf of Iceland Design and Architecture in collaboration with Nordic partner organizations and experts. 

The podcasts were recorded in the Icelandic Ambassadors‘ residences in the Nordic capitals, in cooperation with Nordic partners, Business Iceland and The Icelandic Embassies in the Nordic countries.

Anna María was joined by other architects, designers, and stakeholders from around the Nordic region, to envision and discuss the role of design in the context of sustainable tourism in the north.

Participants in the conversation held at the Icelandic Embassy in Denmark:

Boris Brorman Jenssen is an independent consultant and practicing architect MAA, PhD with a background in research and teaching from schools of architecture and universities throughout Denmark and abroad, including the University of Sydney, and Harvard Graduate School of Design. He has authored, co-authored and edited numerous articles, papers and books on architecture and urban development. Recently, his practice has mainly involved strategic consultancy and concept and idea development within architecture, landscape design and planning.  He is lecturer at the Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts, School of Architecture, in Copenhagen with responsibility for the school’s two-year master’s degree in strategic urban planning.

Þórhallur Sigurðsson is co-founder of Andersen & Sigurdsson Architects, a practice focused on investigating architecture both on a theoretical as well as an artistic and practical level.Thorhallur is educated at the Danish Design School and at the Royal Academy of Fine Arts, School of Architecture in Copenhagen, where he has also taught. He has been an associated professor at the Technical University of Denmark (Architectural Engineering).

Stine Lea Jacobi  joined Realdania in 2011,  a philanthropic organization with a mission to improve the quality of life through the built environment. As Head of Program at Realdania Philanthropy, she is part of the leadership and heads a team of specialists with a focus on build heritage, architecture, placemaking and rural development. Stine Lea Jacobi holds a master’s degree in architecture from The Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts, School of Architecture and has previous worked as a practicing architect, specializing in public housing and community development, knowledge management and sustainable design.

Moderator:

Anna María Bogadóttir is a licensed architect, urbanist and curator engaging at the interface of architecture, art and urban culture. She is the founder of Úrbanistan, an architecture practice operating across the fields of architecture, planning and preservation combining research and design with curatorial and publishing practices. Anna has extensive experience in cultural planning and strategic design on municipal, national and transnational levels and has been lead-consultant for Iceland Design and Architecture in the Nordic project Design in Nature. Anna is assistant Professor at the Iceland University of the Arts.