Architecture is always a reflection of its time. It is embedded in economic systems, political priorities, cultural movements, and technological developments, and is shaped by available resources and the prevailing values of the moment. At the same time, however, it is never limited to the present alone. It is also a response to the past and its continuation. It draws on cultural, social, and historical values and thus operates in relation to time: with the traces of the past, the circumstances of the present, and the possibilities of the future.
Against this backdrop, Cobe presents 16 projects on the theme of transformation in the exhibition. The examples from two decades encompass a broad spectrum of scales and typologies—from large-scale master plans such as Nordhavn in Copenhagen, adaptive reuse projects such as The Silo in Copenhagen, to small, precise interventions such as Museum Wegner in Tønder. Some have already been realized, others are under construction, some are on hold, and still others are in the planning phase. In any case, each project tells its own story of a unique approach to the existing context.
In conjunction with the book of the same name, which is being published alongside the exhibition, the exhibition space has been set up as a kind of workshop. A series of limited-edition prints from the book are displayed on the walls, allowing visitors to compile their own reader. As a result, the exhibition is in a state of constant flux: what is removed reshapes what remains, and the space transforms over time. In the end, it documents its own transformation before being dismantled and returned to Copenhagen, where it will continue in a reinterpreted form.
Cobe was founded in 2006 by architect Dan Stubbergaard in Copenhagen and today has 175 employees. The firm gained international attention in 2008 with its design for the redevelopment of the former industrial port of Nordhavn (Copenhagen) into a vibrant waterfront district. Since then, Cobe has earned an excellent reputation in the field of transformation with projects such as The Silo (Copenhagen, 2017), Krulli Kvartal (Tallinn, since 2023), and the Future Danish Parliament (Copenhagen, since 2024). Since 2023, Dan Stubbergaard has been Professor of Practice of Urban Design at Harvard University in Boston.