On September 18, 2025, the inaugural Copenhagen Architecture Biennale officially commenced, running through October 19. Hosted by the Copenhagen Architecture Forum (CAFx), this landmark event signifies a transformative upgrade from its annual architecture festival established in 2014. Led by Josephine Michau, who curated the Danish Pavilion at the 2023 Venice Architecture Biennale, the Biennale centers on the theme “Slow Down.” It aims to build a deeper international dialogue platform exploring the core value of the built environment in shaping society and addressing challenges. Breaking away from the professional barriers of traditional architecture exhibitions, this year’s event spreads its venues across multiple districts of Copenhagen, with the cultural district serving as a central hub. This approach dismantles the communication barriers between the industry and the public.
Recycled Materials Showcase ‘Slow Design’
The pavilion design for the biennale serves as a visual embodiment of its “Slowing Down” theme. In a prior open call for submissions, the winning proposals were “Inside Out, Downside Up” by Slaatto Morsbøl and “Barn Again” by Tom Svilans × THISS Studio. Both modular pavilions, constructed from recycled materials, are situated in key urban locations—Søren Kierkegaard Square and the Old Harbor—serving as venues for public events while embodying circular design principles. This “making new from old” practice directly addresses the high-emission, high-consumption challenges plaguing the construction industry, offering a tangible model for “slow architecture”—extending material lifecycles to counteract the “fast-paced obsolescence” inertia within the built environment.
Redefining Architecture Through ‘Slowing Down’
Over 250 exhibitions, seminars, and guided tours form the intellectual core of the Biennale. The events focus on environmental and social challenges in the era of “Great Acceleration,” inviting global practitioners and the public to collectively envision pathways toward “Great Deceleration.” Denmark’s Adept studio presents its research on “Fast Cities and Slow Architecture,” analyzing the dialectical relationship between urban velocity and architectural durability. International teams like BIG Architects showcase the DR Concert Hall Plaza renovation project, upgrading public spaces for “slower experiences” through landscape integration. Organizers emphasize that this biennale transcends mere concept promotion. By grounding itself in Copenhagen’s urban fabric, it positions architecture as a cultural force bridging sustainability and social welfare, driving the industry’s shift from “fast construction” to “careful creation.”
From Venice to Chicago, from Seoul to Copenhagen, a global dialogue is unfolding on how architecture responds to the challenges of our time. The unique value of Copenhagen’s debut lies in its reminder: in an era chasing novelty and speed, slowing down to think is itself a revolutionary architectural practice.
