OPEN26

From Syria, Palestine and Ukraine to Ghana, the United States and Denmark, OPEN26 brought together more than 1,100 participants from around the world on 18 September for a day of critical and investigative perspectives on architecture and its wider role in society.

Under the title Mies Didn’t Come Home That Night, OPEN26 looked to the legacy of modernism and its utopian aspirations as a starting point for reflecting on where we are today, examining the physical, social, political and planetary consequences of its ambitions.

At the same time, we turned towards what lies ahead. At a time when climate change, diversity and inclusion compete for attention with war, rearmament and geopolitical instability, OPEN26 created a space for reflection and exchange: how can architecture, as a profession, an industry and an institution, understand and contribute to a world in transformation? What can architecture do when the future no longer looks like the future we imagined? Together with prominent national and international voices from architecture, academia and politics, we explored how our discipline, industry and institutions might respond to the challenges ahead.

We’re already looking forward to next year, when we turn our attention to BEAUTIFUL, the theme of OPEN27.

Together, we will explore and question the role and complexity of the beautiful; what it implies, who it serves, and why it is so essential.

Save the date: OPEN27: BEAUTIFUL — 17 September 2027.

OPEN26: Mies Didn’t Come Home That Night was curated by Karen Kjærgaard, with co-curators Aysha Amin, Ida Bjerga and Aria Gilani.

Special thanks to all of our partners for supporting OPEN26: Danish Arts Foundation, the Dreyer Foundation, Landsbyggefonden, Realdania and Aarhus Kommune Kulturarrangementspuljen, Vola, Institut Francais, Velux, Kilden & Hindby, AART, Cobe, Kjaer & Richter, Ardess, Ambiente, Praksis Arkitekter, Arkikon, DETBLÅ, SLETH, Transform, Over Byen, GPP Arkitekter, CF Møller Architects, 3XN GXN, Søren Jensen, Cebra, Henning Larsen, ERIK Arkitekter, Luplau Poulsen Arkitekter, E+N, A. Enggaard, LINK Arkitektur, Arkitema, PAX architects, Rønnow Leth & Gori, Dinesen, Archidea and Vega Landskab