Young architects can help municipalities develop

Climate change, congestion, migration away from the area and closed shops. These are just some of the many challenges municipalities face today. This calls for creative and visionary urban development that understands the qualities of the place – and this is what architects are trained to deliver.

02.12.2020

However, many municipalities find it difficult to attract architects. For this reason, a new campaign entitled Planer for fremtiden (Plans for the Future) aims at making young architects aware of the many exciting tasks architects work within municipal offices.

Andreas Munksgaard Weir has moved from Nørrebro to Bogø. He is one of the few young architects who have taken the leap directly from the architectural programme in Copenhagen to a job as a planner in Vordingborg Municipality, where he is working with climate and urban planning. This has resulted in many opportunities and responsibilities, including being project manager for a development plan for Stege, on the island of Møn, a town which is part of a large municipality located in the southern part of Zealand.

Andreas Munksgaard Weir’s story is one of six stories about young architects who have chosen a career path in municipal offices. These stories will kick off the campaign “Plans for the Future” on 2 December. The campaign is aimed at architecture students, young architects and municipalities and focuses on the many different tasks that architects work within the municipalities and the competencies they bring into play.

Andreas Munksgaard Weir came directly from the architectural education in Copenhagen to a job as a planner in Vordingborg Municipality.

An understanding of the whole and the qualities of a place

Traditionally, architects have been at the helm of municipalities’ planning offices due to their ability to think holistically and ensure a sustainable development of buildings, urban spaces and landscapes that matches the area’s general expression, while respecting the spirit of the place. And this is also in demand, both in municipalities that are developing at a rapid pace, where new buildings are cropping up everywhere, and also where there is a need to initiate development.

Regardless, not many young, recently qualified architects look towards municipal planning and administration. And this annoys Lars Autrup, CEO of the Danish Architects’ Association:

“Many young architects do not consider a job in the public sector as creative and developing. However, architects who work in the municipal sector have great opportunities to influence the development or transformation of entire areas, or how the municipality’s new culture house should be incorporated into the urban area. You help create the overall framework that ensures beautiful, healthy, sustainable and functional buildings that relate to the qualities of the place. And this is where the architect can really make a difference”.

Good job opportunities in the municipalities

According to The Union of Architects and Designers (FAOD), there are also good reasons in terms of employment for young architects to be more aware of the opportunities offered by the municipal sector:

“We see that particularly young architects mostly orient themselves towards a few design studios located in the big cities. This is a pity. In the municipalities, there are many exciting challenges that call for highly skilled architects. The green transition often starts in the municipalities, and it is in the municipalities that the architects can leave their mark on the way society develops. Architects who find employment in the municipalities are often extremely satisfied with their jobs. This is due to the high potential for developing professionally and the responsibilities they are given – but it is also due to the well-structured and safe employment conditions”, says CEO of The Union of Architects and Designers, Arne Ennegaard Jørgensen.

Architecture students show an increased interest in urban and landscape development

In architecture schools, they see an increased interest in urban and landscape development among the students:

“These years, architecture students are driven by a social commitment and the desire to work across disciplines. And we notice a growing interest among students, who precisely see the municipalities as an opportunity to practice their profession and help influence the major agendas. But we want to open the eyes of even more architecture students and young architects to the municipalities’ increased focus on developing urban areas and landscapes, where environmental concerns and social sustainability are in focus along with architectural qualities”, say both Prorector at Aarhus School of Architecture, Kristine Leth Juul and Head of the School of Architecture of The Royal Danish Academy, Jakob Brandtberg Knudsen.

Architect Rikke Lequick works with urban renewal in Copenhagen.

Architect Lotta Tiselius works as a project developer in Vejle Municipality, where they have just arranged an idea competition on urban development and storm surge protection of the future.

Karen Bay Lindkvist works as an urban planner in Brøndby municipality. She is in the process of transforming a parking lot at Brøndby Stadium into a vibrant area.

About the campaign

The campaign ‘Plans for the Future’ will be launched on 2 December 2020 and will, to begin with, continue until March 2021. The campaign is continuously being developed to include stories told by architects who work with planning in all of Denmark.

The Danish Architects’ Association, The Danish Town Planning Institute, The Union of Architects and Designers, as well as the two schools of architecture are behind the campaign: Aarhus School of Architecture and the Royal Danish Academy – Architecture, Design, Conservation in Copenhagen. The campaign is supported by The Dreyer Foundation.

Learn more about the campaign and see the six portraits of the young architects who are working in respectively in the municipalities of Brøndby, Næstved, Odense, Vejle, Vordingborg and Copenhagen here:

planerforfremtiden.dk