Henning Larsen

Transforming Betty Nansen’s Plads into a dynamic social hub, Betty Junkfood blurs boundaries between working, volunteering, and social interaction. The project is longlisted for Arne of the Year 2025. Located on the ground floor of a social housing block that is home to families, youth, the elderly and the disabled, Betty Junkfood is bringing an inclusive identity to a previously disconnected urban space. The space features a café, kitchen, and community center in the city of Copenhagen. The café is led by Kaffe Karma a socio-economic organization who integrate socially disadvantaged and mentally vulnerable individuals into the work force. The kitchen is run by JunkFood CPH, an NGO led by Michelin-starred chef, Rasmus Munk, which prepares nutritious, carefully crafted meals for those experiencing homelessness in and around Copenhagen. With help from the updated facility, the organization has gone from being able to produce 330 meals a day to 5000 meals daily. The kitchen also extends out into the city, delivering food for communal meals in other housing departments in the area. Learn more about the project here https://hnglr.sn/3Y86AYc. For more information on Arne of the Year 2025: https://hnglr.sn/41518IK. A big thank you to Arkitektforeningen for this recognition and to our collaborators KAB and Frederiksberg Kommune. The project was supported by the A.P. Møller and Chastine Mc-Kinney Møller Foundation. Images by Rune Bundgaard.

The biggest threat to nature is the lack of space, and every day, plant and animal species disappear. By utilizing the city’s vertical space, flora and fauna can be significantly increased, but we have to do it in a way that accommodates local climates and native species. "A building in Denmark can never look as lush as one in Singapore. So instead, we’ve designed a facade that adapts to the dynamic of the changing seasons in Scandinavia,” says Jakob Strømann-Andersen about the green facade system we developed together with KOMPROMENT and BG Byggros, Danmark. The first project to integrate the facade is in Nordø, in Copenhagen’s Northern Harbor district. For this microclimate, which includes harsh winds, cold temperatures, and salt from the sea, the team has selected plants with two very different sets of qualities; some plants look beautiful 365 days a year but are naturally low in biodiversity, whereas others are hosts to as many as 132 different native insects, albeit not very pretty on the eye during colder months. In that way, the facade accommodates the need for both an aesthetically appealing solution and one that promotes biodiversity. Read more about the facade here https://hnglr.sn/4cYo3IL. Photos by Rasmus Hjortshøj

Set in the town of Norðragøta within the Faroe Islands’ breathtaking landscapes, Eystur Town Hall stretches across the Eiðis River, bridging its two sides. Featuring a green roof that blends in with its surroundings and unites the riverbanks, the structure pays tribute to the tradition of Faroese architecture, in which buildings integrate seamlessly with the region’s natural landscape. A field in Norðragøta's center long served as an informal gathering place for the community but was paved over in the mid-twentieth century to make room for processing plants for the local fishing industry. Today the town hall building revives the location’s role as a public space and a space in which to gather. With a building so closely connected to a river, flooding can be a challenge. At the Town Hall in Eystur Municipality, we designed the volume under the building to be able to swell in case of cloudbursts or increased water levels, allowing the river to flow freely across the width of the building and towards the sea without causing damage. "The primary conceptual idea behind the design of the Town Hall is driven by the notion of this fleeting line between landscape and building," said Ósbjørn Jacobsen, Design Director and Partner. Read more about the project here https://hnglr.sn/4eNYXMS. Images by Nic Lehoux.

Stretching across the island of Singapore, the North-South Corridor is a central piece of the city’s development. Transforming 21.5 km of surface streets, our design aims to redefine mobility and urban living in Singapore and offer lessons for cities around the world on how to build resilient, inclusive, and green communities. Visualized as a corridor for the nation, the project will be co-designed with local communities and stakeholders through a series of public engagement sessions. Are you passionate about what the North-South Corridor will bring to Singapore’s future? NSC Ambassador Programme (Participate in Design) is holding an open call. Get involved to be part of a community that seeks to incorporate public voices into the masterplan for a better, more connected tomorrow. "Together with the community, we are building a corridor that will grow and adapt with Singapore, ensuring our city remains resilient, inclusive, and vibrant for generations to come." - Leonard Ng, Country Market Director, Singapore. Sign up: https://hnglr.sn/4eJJX2T. Learn more about the project: https://hnglr.sn/3MrrCf9. In collaboration with Ramboll, Cistri, Gehl - Making Cities for People, Participate in Design, LOPELAB, URBAN+, and Camphora Pte. Ltd. Visuals by Vivid Vision.

Celebrating 15 years of industrial PhDs! Kickstarted in the late 2000s, the industrial PhD program is integral to our way of work. By combining hands-on research with industry support our candidates go beyond theoretical exploration and address real-world challenges. From pushing the boundaries of design technology to exploring new ways to reduce our carbon footprint, their work is not only innovative but also makes a meaningful, tangible impact. Hailing from the UK, Denmark, Turkey, Israel and the US, our current candidates use an applied research approach, bringing new insights and perspectives to our projects, processes, and design community. We spoke with—Katie, Magnus, Gulin, Jesse, and Nitsan—about their research, passions, and what drew them to Henning Larsen. Read the conversation here https://hnglr.sn/4fyuMe4. Cover image by Rasmus Hjortshøj.

In the heart of Oslo, Lilletorget 1 is one step closer to realization. The project is set to redefine Vaterland with the transformation of the existing building, creating an impact that extends beyond its walls. At the intersection of three inner city districts, and at an essential public transport hub, our design of Lilletorget 1 aims to contribute to the comprehensive development of the Vaterland area. The building and park activities will collaborate to support an inclusive, safe, and diverse urban space unlocking the area's inherent potential. Lilletorget 1 is designed to meet the city at eye level, with three lower floors welcoming everyone with public spaces and activities that establish an active city center. With a focus on street-level interaction with open facades, the design aims to create a seamless blend of office users, visitors, and neighborhood residents. We have submitted the planning application for Lilletorget 1 alongside Entra ASA, SLA, Asplan Viak AS, Multiconsult, and LÉVA Urban Design AS. Discover more about the project here https://hnglr.sn/3RzYc1v. Visuals by Vivid-Vision.

The design approach for the HQ of Copenhagen’s largest housing association, KAB, is a deceptively literal one, taking traditional elements of the home – the living room, stairs, garden, kitchen – and applying them to the workplace. Within the atrium, nearly everything is clad in wood, giving the space a soft, 'hyggelig' feeling and adding scent and texture not often associated with the workplace. The slender stairs cut back and forth across the middle of the atrium, landing on large community kitchens on each floor. "The stairs are a play on the classic stairwell of residential buildings, which is typically the place you meet your neighbor. In the KAB House, we added layers of visibility, texture, and beauty to what is usually a very practical space," said Troels Dam Madsen, Associate Design Director. The building is a gathering place for 44 housing organizations, representing approximately 120,000 residents in Greater Copenhagen and provides the framework for KAB's 400 employees' daily work. Situated in a 'leftover' space that lies not quite within, but rather between, several neighborhoods and a multi-layered intersection with traffic from cars, buses, bikes, and trains, KAB is positioned at the heart of Copenhagen’s future growth sites. Find all the details here https://hnglr.sn/3YKfBqZ. Images by Laura Stamer.

Dongguan Central Park has won the IFLA AAPME Outstanding Award. Awarded in the ‘Flood and Water Management’ category, the project is being recognized for its water-sensitive design approach and resulting community impact. Located along Xinji River in China, the park spans 12 hectares on the site of a former dilapidated village dating back to the Qing Dynasty. Once plagued by pollution and frequent flooding, this area has been transformed into a vibrant public space that integrates flood management with community engagement, setting a new standard for urban parks in China. Guided by the “P-L-A-C-E making” principles—People-oriented, Legible, Active, Cleansed, and Ecological—the park is designed not only to address environmental challenges but also to create an inclusive, welcoming space for the community. Learn more about the project here https://hnglr.sn/3ObHqUk. Thank you to the International Federation of Landscape Architects, Asia-Pacific Region (IFLAAPR) for this recognition. Images by DiD Photography.

We have won the turnkey contract alongside AF Gruppen to design Diakonhjemmet, an upper-secondary school and VID university college in Oslo. Central to the project's vision is a community centric space with a focus on biodiversity and low carbon; an inspiring learning environment for its students. The vibrant campus area is intended for use by both students and the public all year round, and so our ambition for the new educational institutions is to embody the values of environmental stewardship that anchor their identity. Geared towards reducing the building's carbon footprint, we have chosen design solutions with hybrid structures in wood and low-carbon concrete, as well as bio-based materials that will provide inviting habitats for insects, animals, and plants. The core focus of the site’s landscape is growth, achieved by integrating vegetation and water into the urban setting to increase biodiversity and wildlife. Due to open in 2028, the secondary school will house 800 students and the new college will also be established on site. Special thanks to the Oslo City Education Authority, Diakonhjemmet, and our partner WSP for collaboration on this project. Learn more about the design featured in Arkitektur here https://hnglr.sn/3UR0sTr. Visual by Hald & Ravnborg.

How far can you walk or bike without breaking a sweat? We all know the city heat on a summer day, but what about future temperatures? Introducing our open-source #ThermalMap, now available to explore (https://lnkd.in/dez4w2da). This tool visualizes how travel distance (walking or biking) relates to metabolic heat stress of an average able-bodied individual, starting with Singapore as our case study. Here’s what the future might look like: Today: 🚲 3.2 km, 🚶♀️ 800 m 😓 2040: 🚲 2.8 km, 🚶♀️ 700 m 😓😓2050: 🚲 2.2 km, 🚶♀️ 575 m 😓😓😓2070: 🚲 1.8 km, 🚶♀️ 450 m Will our beloved 15-minute cities have to become 10-minute cities? And what about the needs of less able-bodied individuals within this changing climate?! Curious how this might shape your own city or neighborhood? Let’s connect! ThermalMap is based on Gulin Yazicioglu's PhD research at Henning Larsen, titled “Urban Cooling Strategies Informed by City Morphology: A Systems Thinking Approach for Enhanced Thermal Comfort at City Scale.” The user interface development was handled by our brilliant Ashkan Rezaee. #UrbanPlanning #ThermalComfort #ClimateAdaptation