Cobe

Architecture is always a reflection of its time. It is embedded in economic systems, political priorities, cultural trends, and technological developments, and is shaped by available resources and prevailing values. At the same time, however, it is never limited solely to the present. It is also a response to the past and its continuation. It draws upon cultural, social, and historical values and thus relates to time: to the traces of the past, the realities of the present, and the possibilities of the future.

Against this backdrop, Cobe presents 16 projects on the theme of transformation in the exhibition. The examples from two decades span a broad spectrum of scales and typologies—from large-scale master plans such as Nordhavn in Copenhagen, to adaptive reuse projects such as The Silo in Copenhagen, to small, precise interventions such as the Wegner Museum in Tønder. Some have already been realized, others are under construction, still others have been put on hold, and yet others are in the planning phase. In any case, each project tells its own story of a unique approach to the existing context.

In conjunction with the book of the same name, which is being published alongside the exhibition, the exhibition space has been designed as a kind of workshop. A series of limited-edition prints from the book are displayed on the walls, allowing visitors to compile their own illustrated book. As a result, the exhibition is in a state of constant flux: what is removed shapes what remains, and the space transforms over time. Ultimately, it documents its own transformation before being dismantled and returned to Copenhagen, where it will continue to exist in a reinterpreted form.

Cobe was founded in Copenhagen in 2006 by architect Dan Stubbergaard and today employs 175 people. The firm gained international attention in 2008 with its design for the transformation of the former industrial port of Nordhavn (Copenhagen) into a vibrant waterfront district. Since then, Cobe has earned an excellent reputation in the field of urban renewal with projects such as The Silo (Copenhagen, 2017), Krulli Kvartal (Tallinn, since 2023), and the future Danish Parliament (Copenhagen, since 2024), Cobe has earned an excellent reputation in the field of urban regeneration. Since 2023, Dan Stubbergaard has been a professor of urban design at Harvard University in Boston.

Opening: May 21, 2026, 7:00 p.m.
Speakers: Olaf Grawert, Dan Stubbergaard

Talk: June 18, 2026, 7:00 p.m.
Speakers: Jacob Blak Henriksen, Mads Birgens Kristensen, Sigurd Larsen, Karoline Liedtke-Sørensen, Ole Storjohann