Current Work: In Transformation, with Dan Stubbergaard

The founder of the Danish firm Cobe will discuss how adaptive reuse, urban repair, and a deeply contextual approach to design can guide the regeneration of cities across scales.

Founded by Dan Stubbergaard in 2006, Cobe is an architectural practice known for its work in urban regeneration and adaptive reuse, transforming cities into what the firm describes as “extraordinary places for everyday life.” Based in Copenhagen and inspired by the Danish capital’s evolution from a port city to a global model for livability, the firm gained international attention in 2008 with its master plan reshaping Nordhavn, Copenhagen’s former industrial harbour, into a lively waterfront district. The firm has developed a widely awarded, multi-scale portfolio of projects that range from strategic master plans and cultural institutions to public spaces and residential developments, united by a rigorous commitment to revitalization through design excellence and the creation of places that are rooted, livable, and built to endure. 

In this lecture, Stubbergaard will unpack Cobe’s belief that “architecture must be built for people, shaped by its context, and designed to stand the test of time,” which guides the firm’s work across urbanism, landscape design, and architecture. 

Recent projects include:

• Nordhavn The largest urban development project in northern Europe, this ongoing masterplan envisions a series of dense neighborhoods on the Copenhagen waterfront to be developed one island at a time, transforming the former industrial harbour into a livable city district
• The Silo This 17-story residential building in Copenhagen’s Nordhavn district was adapted from a former industrial grain silo, and preserved much of its original concrete structure while adding a distinctive steel facade
• Krulli Kvartal Cobe’s masterplan for the redevelopment of the historic Krulli Steelworks in Tallinn, Estonia, maps out existing industrial buildings and their reuse potential, aiming to transform the formerly industrial area into a mixed-use city district

Dan Stubbergaard is an architect, professor, and the founder of Cobe. He trained as an architect at the Royal Danish Academy in Copenhagen, Denmark, and leads Cobe with the belief that “architects carry a profound responsibility to create resilient, long-term solutions that improve quality of life through shaping cities, buildings, and landscapes,” in his own words. Stubbergaard is the recipient of the C.F. Hansen Royal Medal from the Danish Academy Council in 2020, Nykredit’s Architecture Award in 2012, and the Golden Lion at the Venice Biennale in 2006, among other recognitions. He currently serves as professor in practice of urban design at the Harvard University Graduate School of Design, where his research focuses on resilient urban development and urban repair to transformation and reuse.

The event will be moderated by Karen Stein. Stein is an architectural advisor and critic. She has been a member of the faculty of the Design Criticism program at the School of Visual Arts in New York, editorial director of Phaidon Press, and senior managing editor of Architectural Record. She served on the jury of The Pritzker Architecture Prize from 2003 to 2013. Stein’s writing has been featured in a variety of books and publications, including New York Magazine, a+u, The Wall Street Journal Magazine, and The World of Interiors. She is a member of the Executive Committee of The Architectural League of New York and of the Advisory Board of the Experimental Foundation in Berlin.