Henning Larsen is proud to present It Begins with Curiosity, the studio’s first ever monograph after more than half a century at the forefront of Scandinavian architecture and urbanism. The studio has been a pioneer in and ambassador for Danish design, bringing its unique principles and approach to projects as diverse as the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Riyadh and Kiruna City Hall in Sweden. The book dives deep into the studio’s legacy, recent works, and outlooks to share their vision of how to create a more livable and sustainable future for all.
It Begins with Curiosity defines the mindset the studio has retained over its 60 years of practice: a respect for context, community, and a desire to infuse each project with knowledge. It is an essential approach unchanged even in a changing world. The studio sees their responsibility in architecture as one that is expanding: “…where once we were builders, now we are also conductors of a vast and technical orchestra, directing all pieces to play in harmony. In the future we anticipate, we add a new critical responsibility: to be representatives of our shared sustainable future.”
The book concentrates its focus on twelve recent works spanning a breadth of scale, typology, and location. Among them are the EU Mies 2013 winner Harpa Concert Hall and Conference Center in Reykjavík, the AIA International Region awarded French International School of Hong Kong and Nordea Bank Head-quarters, and the International Design Award winner Eystur Town Hall, among others. These works have drawn on the full expertise of the office, from landscape and design to construction, sustainability, and more. Project descriptions and insights from studio leadership, alongside essays by Kent Martinussen of the Danish Architecture Center and architectural historian Hans Ibelings, offer unprecedented insight into Henning Larsen’s legacy of community-focused design.
The release of It Begins with Curiosity coincides with the studio’s 60-year anniversary, an occasion also highlighted by the studio’s receipt of the European Prize for Architecture by the Chicago Athenaeum in August 2019. It is released by Arvinius + Orfeus, a Swedish publishing house that has also released monographs for COBE, Tham + Videgård, OOPEAA, and Gert Wingårdh. The book is available for online order now, and will be available in select bookstores from the start of December.
ISBN
9789187543852Title
It Begins With CuriosityAuthor
Hans Ibelings, Katherine Eloise Allen, Kent MartinussenPublisher
Arvinius + OrfeusPublication year
2019Binding
HardcoverLanguage
English
