Dialogue on Design in Nature - Sweden

Can we diminish our footprint on nature and increase flexibility  with removable design ?

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 Sweden:

Helena Karlberg is a journalist and has worked with destination design and place innovation around Sweden for over 10 years for example in Kiruna, a city in the north of Sweden that is being moved and rebuilt due to the mining industry. Helena is a frequent lecturer in these subject areas and she has extensive experience of working with design projects in collaboration with SVID, the Swedish Industrial Design Foundation and Luleå University of Technology. Helena has previously been responsible for design and destination at SVID and is now a member of the Board. She is also the president of SVID's member association the Swedish Design Association.

Áslaug Traustadóttir, a certified landscape architect that graduated from the Norwegian Agricultural University in 1988 and has over 30 years of experience in design and planning in the field of landscape architecture. She worked at Pétur Jónsson's Landark studio from 1988 to 1993, had her own private practice from 1994-1995 and began working on projects with a Landmótun landscape office . Áslaug has been co owner of Landmótun from 1999. Recent projects include Geysir - design of a tourist attraction for The Environment Agency of Iceland, Sky lagoon geothermal bath for a private company and recently Landmótun got 1st prize in a planning competition at Leiðarhöfði in Hornafjörður foreseen as a new destination and a residential area. 

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.