Copenhagen Biennale 2025: Sustainable Architecture and the Philosophy of Slowness

Copenhagen Architecture Biennale 2025

A Global Architectural Event in Its Inaugural Edition

The Copenhagen Architecture Biennale kicks off in September 2025 and runs until October 18, under a striking theme: “Slowness”. This theme serves as an entry point to understanding the nature of the challenges posed by the biennale, arriving at a historical moment dominated by what is known as the “Great Acceleration.”

Who is Behind the Biennale?

It is led by the Copenhagen Architecture Forum (CAFx) and supported by a number of prominent European institutions such as the LINA European Architecture Platform and the Obel Award. The artistic direction is managed by Josephine Michou, who previously oversaw the Denmark Pavilion at the 2023 Venice Biennale.

The Theme of Slowness and Its Significance

The biennale presents a wide array of projects that offer spatial responses to the period of the Great Acceleration, a phase characterized by unprecedented economic growth accompanied by massive energy consumption.

Through these projects, the biennale explores the possibility of rethinking the concept of growth within the construction industry, as an attempt to address environmental challenges and the imminent collapse of the global ecosystem.

Copenhagen Biennale 2025 and the Theme of “Slowness”

The Central Exhibition

The biennale revolves around a main collective exhibition that embodies the idea of slowness by showcasing multiple design options and solutions. This exhibition takes place at the Halmtorvet 27 Cultural Center, serving as a starting point for visitors to explore the city through a series of art installations, field projects, and events, all interconnected with the central theme of the event.

From the Exhibition to the City

The event is not confined to an indoor space; it extends into the city itself. The exhibition encourages visitors to explore Copenhagen as part of the experience, transforming the city into an open laboratory for ideas of slowness and resource rethinking.

The Slowness Pavilion

At one end of this creative spectrum, emerging architects Slaatto Morsbøl present a remarkable project: “The Slowness Pavilion” in Søren Kierkegaard Square. The pavilion spans 28 square meters and is based on the reuse of neglected materials such as bricks, wood, and straw.

What truly sets it apart is the innovative repurposing of these traditional elements, giving them a contemporary appearance, a clear reference to the potential of recycling in the construction industry.

Material Reuse in the Slowness Pavilion

From Demolition to Construction

The pavilion’s materials were sourced from various demolition sites across the Greater Copenhagen area. The simple structure is based on a wooden frame filled with bricks to form both walls and floors simultaneously.

Bricks as a Multifaceted Element

Common perforated bricks in the city were cut in half, effectively doubling the amount of available material while revealing an interior surface with a unique texture. This surface was creatively leveraged by the architects, adding both aesthetic and functional value to the project.

Differences Between Floors and Walls

• Floors: Bricks were set using traditional mortar to create a visually tile-like effect.
• Walls: Bricks were used as infill in their natural state, highlighting a deliberate contrast in architectural expression.

The Educational Dimension

The pavilion is not limited to aesthetic or functional aspects; it also carries an educational message. It demonstrates the multiple expressions of a single building material, showcasing how traditional materials can be employed in new ways that invite reflection on the possibilities of reuse.

Slowness as a Philosophy in Construction and Experience

The Manual Construction Process

The theme of slowness is embodied not only in the overall concept of the pavilion but also in its very execution. The following processes were undertaken:

• Cutting bricks manually in half.
• Sorting the straw used for roofing by length and stitching it into fabric strips attached to the roof units.
• Recycling ventilation pipes by cutting them in half to form a wavy shape, adding visual rhythm to the pavilion’s ceiling.

Questioning Speed in Construction

All of these deliberate, slow processes challenge the logic of speed dominating traditional construction. Instead of relying on accelerated production, manual labor and attention to detail emerge as core values.

An Uncommon Sensory Experience

The pavilion also creates a unique sensory experience for visitors:

• Hanging straw in the ceiling instead of its natural position on the ground.
• Displaying bricks in unconventional ways.

These choices break conventional architectural aesthetic expectations, encouraging visitors to contemplate more mindful alternatives in materials and construction methods.

Turning Flaws into Strength

The founders of Slaatto Morsbøl, Thelma Slaatto and Cecilie Morsbøl, emphasize that focusing on the imperfections and variations in the materials used is not seen as a shortcoming but as an opportunity to add value to architecture.

According to them:

• Materials that have been previously used carry a past life, giving them richness and uniqueness.
• These characteristics can contribute to a more resource-conscious architectural design, encouraging deeper and more sustainable architectural thinking.

With this concept, the biennale becomes a platform to explore how repurposed materials can become a source of strength and aesthetic value rather than being considered an obstacle.

Larger-Scale Reuse: Thoravej 29 Building

Transforming the Former Factory into a Multi-Use Space

The biennale highlights the Thoravej 29 building, a former factory dating back to 1967, which has been repurposed to house exhibitions, cafés, and workspaces. Here, the approach to reuse is pushed to its limits, with an additional ambition to integrate any leftover excavation or demolition materials into the final outcome wherever possible.

Structural and Creative Challenge

The project required establishing vertical connections between existing floors, necessitating construction openings within the design. Instead of discarding these pieces, the team retained and repurposed them at different angles to form supports for new staircases, reflecting a philosophy of additive design through subtraction in architecture.

Reuse as a Design Tool

This approach is not limited to practical considerations; it offers a lesson in creative architectural thinking: how constraints and leftover elements can be transformed into effective design components, enhancing both the aesthetic and functional value of the building.

Transforming Familiar Elements into New Experiences

Creating New Architectural Energy

Repurposed buildings generate a kind of new energy, where familiar architectural elements such as walls, doors, and floors are reconfigured to serve unusual roles.

Stairs as a Tool for Re-Engagement

For example, the new stairs, crafted from previously wavy slabs, invite visitors to reconsider and interact with spaces they thought they knew well, creating a fresh sensory and cognitive experience.

Transforming Materials Across Different States

Elsewhere, old façades are transformed into walkways, and doors into pieces of furniture, reflecting a consistent philosophy of shifting materials between different states. This approach gives buildings a second life and expands design possibilities in an innovative and sustainable manner.

Every Layer Has Value: The Philosophy of Material Retention

Søren Beilmann, founder of Pihlmann Architects and responsible for the project, emphasizes that every layer of the building, even those typically regarded as insignificant, is treated as a valuable resource.

From this perspective:

• Approximately 95% of the existing materials were retained.
• These materials were repurposed within the building itself, reflecting a design philosophy based on sustainability and the intelligent reuse of resources.

This approach highlights the potential of sustainable architecture and demonstrates how every part of a building can be transformed into an effective and aesthetic element rather than being considered waste or surplus.

Diverse Architectural Approaches and Rethinking Constraints

These projects, and others across the city, offer a compendium of architectural approaches, ranging from:

• The incremental efforts of small-scale practitioners,
• To large-scale commercial projects.

In all cases, the constraints traditionally associated with reusing materials and existing structures are reimagined as productive tools rather than obstacles.

This shift opens new horizons for spatial design possibilities, allowing architects to create innovative architectural expressions that reflect flexibility and creativity in the use of existing resources.

✦ ArchUp Editorial Insight

The Copenhagen Biennale 2025 reflects a clear vision in engaging with resources and material reuse, proposing innovative ideas about slowness in architecture and sustainable design, providing visitors with a sensory and intellectual experience unlike the usual.

On the other hand, some may feel that the strong emphasis on recycling and repurposed materials makes certain projects appear limited in terms of visual diversity or design ambition. Additionally, the overarching philosophy of slowness may not easily translate to all types of architectural projects or everyday uses of spaces.

Overall, the biennale offers a valuable and inspiring perspective on sustainable architecture, while leaving room for discussion regarding the balance between practical and aesthetic innovation in future projects.

Prepared by the ArchUp Editorial Team

Don’t miss the chance to explore more from Architecture in fields like Building Materials and Architectural News on the ArchUp website.