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Copenhagen Architecture Biennial will be held from 18 September to 19 October 2025

Denmark Architecture News - Jun 24, 2025 - 13:00   3024 views

Copenhagen Architecture Biennial will be held from 18 September to 19 October 2025

The inaugural Copenhagen Architecture Biennial makes its debut from 18 September to 19 October 2025, under the theme Slow Down. Organised by CAFx (Copenhagen Architecture Forum), the new biennial marks a shift from the previous annual festival format, to a more expansive platform for architectural exploration. Led by Josephine Michau, CEO and Founder of CAFx and curator of the Danish Pavilion at the Venice Architecture Biennale 2023, the event aims to foster critical reflection on architecture's role in shaping societies and the environment.

The theme Slow Down invites participants to reconsider the rapid pace of modern life and its impact on the built environment. As the world faces the consequences of the Great Acceleration—characterised by unprecedented growth in population, energy use, and resource consumption—the biennial seeks to explore how architecture can contribute to a "Great Deceleration." This involves envisioning spaces that promote sustainability, longevity, and mindful engagement with our surroundings.

Visitors to the Biennial can look forward to more than +150 exciting events. Visitors will experience Danish household names such as Adept with the event ‘Fast City/Slow architecture’ and Lendager with the event ‘Living Lab’ as well as exhibitions with international stars like Atelier Bow Wow, Rem Koolhaas, sonic architecture by Ying-Hsueh Chen and an event with the Japanese philosopher Kohei Saito. As well as Open House Copenhagen, that invites audiences inside buildings typically closed to the public.

The full progamme can be viewed here.

A Preview of the Boldest Ideas and Installations at Copenhagen Architecture Biennial 2025

Winners of the Slow Pavilions Revealed

Barn Again’ is a collaboration between architectural designer Tom Svilans, UK-based THISS Studio, engineers Bollinger+Grohmann, and Danish carpenters Winther A/S. Installed at Gammel Strand, the pavilion reimagines the traditional Norwegian barn using reclaimed timber from a disused structure. By layering hand and machine-crafted techniques, the project offers a space for pause and reflection in the city, while extending the life cycle of aged materials through precise, expressive design.

At Søren Kierkegaard Plads, ‘Inside Out, Downside Up’ by emerging duo Slaatto Morsbøl (Thelma Slaatto and Cecilie Morsbøl) transforms found and reused elements into a pavilion that invites sensory engagement and contemplation. Halved ventilation pipes, exposed perforated bricks, reclaimed timber, and thatching reed form a tactile structure that flips conventional material hierarchies. Through simple gestures and minimal intervention, the pavilion reclaims slowness as a physical and emotional counterpoint to the speed and abstraction of contemporary construction.

The two modular pavilions will serve as hubs for public programmes and embody the principles of sustainability and circular design. The pavilions will be built using recycled, regenerative, and reusable materials in a partnership with Revalu, Dreyers Foundation and Buro Happold, reflecting the biennial's commitment to zero waste and long-term ecological impact.

Transdisciplinary contribution in the Slow Down exhibition

In addition to pavilions, throughout the Biennial a group exhibition titled Slow Down will be held across two venues, bridging the geography between Denmark and Sweden: Halmtorvet 27 in Copenhagen and the Form/design Center in Malmö. The exhibition features transdisciplinary contributions at the intersection of art and architecture challenging the fast paced status quo, while giving physical form to aspirations of a different future through a range of media. The exhibition aims to present new narratives and concepts for a cultural imagination tied too much to speed, such as shock and surge, friction and frenzy, weariness and whirl. Visitors will be invited to engage in work presented by Dark Matter Labs, Studio Tideland with Emma Rishøj and CENTRALA among the contributors tackling the theme.

Slow Down film programme portrays diverse perspectives

For the film programme the Biennial will present world premieres, hidden gems and classics that are recontextualized. The curated film series examines architecture through film history while addressing the Biennial’s theme. Visitors can also look forward to film selections by invited curators and world class portrait films. Films will offer diverse perspectives on the relationship between space, time, and human experience.

Copenhagen Architecture Biennial is proud to present the world premiere of ‘Make Materials Matter’, a new film portrait of Søren Pihlmann of Pihlmann Architects, the curator of the Danish Pavilion at the Venice Architecture Biennial 2025. Visitors can also look forward to portrait films of established names including: Aldo Rossi, Scarpa, Rem Koolhaas and Kengo Kuma.

The film programme also includes selections by renowned urban planner Jan Gehl, who presents Jacques Tati’s ‘Mon Oncle’ and William H. Whyte’s ‘The Social Life of Small Urban Spaces’. Dorte Mandrup and Kate Orff will also screen their film selections. Additionally, the iconic duo Bêka & Lemoine return with two films: the Danish premiere of ‘Softly Brutal’, set in Bangkok’s Khlong Toei district, and ‘Transmutations’, a nine-part series exploring industrial sites around Brussels, presented in collaboration with Rotor.

New legislation at Assemble! Symposium

Assemble! Is a two-day professional event exploring the structural challenges in today’s building sector and the cracks through which new opportunities might seep into the future. This symposium will bring together architects, urban planners, policymakers, and other stakeholders to discuss and develop strategies for implementing slower, more sustainable architectural practices.

Speakers such as Kate Orff, founder of SCAPE, Indy Johar, Founder of Dark Matters Labs and Anders Lendager, founder of Lendager will propose new legislation and discuss and showcase how these future-oriented ideas are already taking shape in built and planned projects.

The programme will also include panel discussions and best-practice case studies with Søren Pihlmann (Pihlmann Architects), Dan Stubbergaard (Cobe), Rikke Juul Gram (Schønherr), Michaël Ghyoot (Rotor) and more.

Tickets for the symposium are available here.

Opening Celebration at Thorvaldsens Museum

The 2025 Copenhagen Architecture Biennial launches on 18th September with a festive public celebration at the iconic Thorvaldsens Museum. The day features performances, DJ sets, and food offerings for all ages, creating a vibrant atmosphere for families and architecture enthusiasts alike. Taking place in the heart of the Copenhagen Cultural District, the opening coincides with a district-wide celebration where many of the area’s 16 museums offer free admission and special events. The entire celebration is free and open to the public.

The Copenhagen Architecture Biennial 2025 is created with support from the City of Copenhagen, Realdania, Dreyers Foundation, The Danish Arts Foundation, The Danish Film Institute, LINA/Creative Europe and other partners, including the Obel Award and Copenhagen Cultural District.

The top image in the article courtesy of Copenhagen Architecture Biennial.

> via Copenhagen Architecture Biennial