Save the dates for 18 to 21 May 2016 as we have an architectural tour exclusively arranged for Patrons of Architecture and American Patrons of the British Architectural Library to Copenhagen.
Although subject to change, the schedule is as follows:
DAY ONE
WELCOME TO COPENHAGEN!
We check into Hotel Nimb, an exquisite Moorish folly in the Tivoli pleasure gardens, now the city’s most luxurious boutique hotel. Our first day introduces us to the city with a canal tour of the historic sites. That evening, we are officially welcomed by the British Ambassador at a party in our honour, introducing us to the movers and shakers of the Danish design scene. We head for dinner at one of the city’s celebrated restaurants then back to Nimb for our first night’s sleep.
DAY TWO
MODERN CITY
On our second day, we visit two contemporary additions to historic cultural buildings with their architects: Henning Larsen’s ‘building within a building’ at the Ny Carlsberg Glyptotek and Schmidt Hammer Lassen’s Black Diamond extension to the Royal Library. We will be hosted for lunch by Danish design firm Louis Poulsen before a hard-hat tour of Bjarke Ingels Group (BIG)’s latest Copenhagen landmark: a waste-to-energy plant complete with public ski slope. That evening, we are free to explore New Nordic Cuisine or head to Henning Larsen’s waterside Opera House for an evening performance. We sleep at Nimb.
DAY THREE
ESCAPE THE CITY
We begin day three by celebrating Arne Jacobsen, arguably the most famous name in Danish design. In the company of Tobias Jacobsen, the architect’s grandson, we visit the SAS Hotel and National Bank before heading up the coast to Bellevue, Jacobsen’s beach resort a few miles north of the city. We stop at Kokkedal Castle, a country retreat of 1746, now a luxury hotel. We spend the afternoon here for lunch and to enjoy the grounds or relax in the spa. The evening begins with a tour of the Louisiana Museum of Modern Art, where the landscaped galleries overlook the narrow water to Sweden. After a sunset drink here, we travel to Helsingor for dinner at BIG’s Maritime Museum. This bold design is embedded in a former dry dock in the shadow of Hamlet’s castle. We will meet those who delivered a design and engineering miracle, helping regenerate an abandoned industrial site. We sleep nearby at Kokkedal.
DAY FOUR
DESIGNING THE FUTURE
Our final day starts with another mid-century classic: the Varming House. Jørgen Varming’s grandson Søren will show us domestic innovations that exemplify the spirit behind Steensen Varming’s mechanical engineering, not least the Sydney Opera House. Back in Copenhagen, we explore the future of Danish architecture: first at the Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts, where the Head of Architecture will introduce us to the students as they prepare their final projects for presentation; then we visit Ørestad, a developing city district. From the Sky Bar on the 23rd floor of 3XN’s Bella Sky Hotel, we meet those shaping the new town concept and view the distinctive urban plan and architecture. From here it is a short drive to the airport or transfer back to the city for those who wish to extend their trip.
For more information and pricing, please get in touch with us on patrons@riba.org.
