2023 will be a year of architecture

Copenhagen will be World Capital of Architecture in 2023. This and the International World Congress for Architecture will showcase Danish architecture and urban planning to the world.

07.05.2020

As only the second city ever, Copenhagen has been named UNESCO World Capital of Architecture for 2023. This is the same year World Congress of Architects will be held with participants from all over the world. Aarhus School of Architecture is a partner in the congress and will contribute to highlighting the value of architecture to society.

On 5 May, Copenhagen Municipality agreed to be UNESCO World Capital of Architecture in 2023. It is a new title created by the International Union of Architects (UIA) and UNESCO given to the city hosting the UIA World Congress of Architects (UIA 2023 CPH); a congress which in 2023 will be held in Copenhagen.

Copenhagen’s role as World Capital of Architecture will allow Denmark to showcase architecture and urban planning to the entire world. The architecture congress, which will be one of the highlights of the Year of Architecture, is expected to attract 10-15,000 international architects and other professionals. The theme of the congress will be the 17 UN Sustainable Development Goals and sustainable development. The congress aims to involve students and recent graduates to as great an extent as possible.

‘The naming of Copenhagen as World Capital of Architecture and Denmark’s role as host of an international architecture congress in 2023 is a clear recognition of Danish architecture. We should take this opportunity to place an added focus on the value the architecture and the architects we train create for the individual and our community,” says Rector Torben Nielsen.

The year as World Capital of Architecture will be developed by Copenhagen Municipality in close cooperation with UIA, UNESCO and the secretariat behind UIA 2023 CPH. The stage is also set for establishing a partnership platform to ensure events, experiments and research involving educational programmes, companies and creative talent environments as co-creators.

Aarhus School of Architecture will be a partner in UIA CPH 2023 and will help develop and implement the congress. One of the contributions of the School will be a large research effort involving a number of our researchers.

‘At Aarhus School of Architecture we look forward to this cooperation leading up to 2023 and to presenting the work Danish architects do in the field of sustainable development and urban development to the world at large’, says Rector Torben Nielsen.