Stories from the Danish Architecture Centre’s recent reflections

How would you go about communicating what makes architecture special in your home city or country? What can the choices about what a society funds and builds, tell us about what a society values? Nineteenth century American architect Louis Sullivan once said, “our architecture reflects us as truly as a mirror.” For Denmark, it’s not skyscrapers or castles that stand out, but the high quality of buildings of everyday life. In 2020, the Danish Architecture Center opened a new exhibition that sought to tell the story of contemporary Danish architecture to both local and international visitors. ‘Hello Denmark’ provides a glimpse into six fundamentals of everyday Danish life and explores the ways these highly-valued ideas impact the design decisions for architecture and planning made throughout the country. Jen Masengarb – a DAC senior project leader and member of curatorial team – will start with a short tour of the exhibition, explain DAC’s challenge of creating an engaging exhibition for both local and international visitors, and share a few case study building highlights. And as an expat in Denmark, Masengarb brings a unique perspective, seeing the country’s architecture and everyday life with fresh eyes and holding up a different type of mirror.

Speaker: Jen Masengarb (Senior Project Manager, Danish Architecture Centre)

The Danish Architecture Center (DAC) is the meeting place for architecture, design and urban culture in Denmark. Jen Masengarb is an American who joined DAC in 2018 where her focus is on expanding DAC’s programs and perspective to international visitors and a wider public audience. At DAC, she heads up the tour program and guide training, and also led the creation and development of their first volunteers and gallery guide staff. Jen is the host of DAC’s English-language podcast, Let’s Talk Architecture and as part of the curatorial team, recently helped develop the organization’s first permanent exhibition, Hello Denmark. Prior to coming to Copenhagen, Jen served for 18 years at the Chicago Architecture Center, most recently as the Director of Interpretation and Research.