PLACE – An Exhibition by Dorte Mandrup
Exhibition
from Jul 1
Experience the international touring exhibition PLACE at the Danish Architecture Center — an exhibition by Dorte Mandrup’s studio about architecture’s ability to convey the deep significance of place.
How do you create architecture that belongs exactly where it stands? In the exhibition PLACE, the Danish architecture studio Dorte Mandrup invites you to experience five distinctive places where the surroundings, terrain, and history have shaped the architecture — from the flat marshlands of the Wadden Sea and Greenland’s dramatic ice fjords to historically sensitive Berlin.
At a time of major human-made imbalances, this smaller exhibition in DAC’s Hall shows how architecture can awaken our connection to our surroundings, with deep respect for the places we inhabit.
Through models, photographs, and film, the exhibition unfolds five striking projects in Germany, Greenland, Norway, and Denmark, showing how architecture can create strong connections between people, landscapes, and history.
The projects differ in form and function, but share a common ambition: to let the place shape the architecture, rather than the other way around.
Please note:
PLACE is a smaller exhibition shown in DACs Hall. The exhibition is supported by Dreyers Fond, Beckett-Fonden, and Knud Højgaards Fond.
The installation at DAC is supported by the philanthropic association Realdania.
Ice Fjord Centre in Ilulissat
Overlooking a protected natural area, the Ilulissat Icefjord Centre tells the story of climate change and what it means for the site’s unique surroundings, as well as its global consequences.
Wadden Sea Centre in Ribe
In beautiful Ribe, you will find the Wadden Sea Centre — a gateway to Denmark’s largest, flattest, and wettest national park.
The Whale
The Whale is a new knowledge and experience centre in Andenes in Northern Norway, opening to the public on 4 June 2027. The centre explores whales, their habitats, and how our relationship with whales has evolved over time — through science, culture, and storytelling.
Vadehavscentret i Wilhelmshaven
Dorte Mandrup integrates a wartime bunker into the future Trilateral Wadden Sea World Heritage Partnership Center in Wilhelmshaven — featuring exhibitions, views, and the history of the Wadden Sea.
Exile Museum
The Exile Museum Berlin, designed by Dorte Mandrup, takes the form of an arc that embraces and highlights the remaining ruin at Anhalter Bahnhof. The museum tells the story of people fleeing Nazism between 1933 and 1945 and draws connections to today’s global refugee movements.
Architecture Rooted in Place
Photo: Adam Mørk At Dorte Mandrup’s studio, place is defining for the architecture. Landscapes, climate, materials, and local narratives inspire architecture that should settle naturally into its location and bring its unique stories to life.
"Today, it is more important than ever that architecture strengthens our understanding of the places we are part of."
Photo: Adam Mørk An International Touring Exhibition
PLACE is an international touring exhibition that has already been shown at some of Europe’s leading architecture and cultural institutions, including Aedes Architecture Forum in Berlin, Le Bicolore – Maison du Danemark in Paris, Liljevalchs in Stockholm, and AiT ArchitekturSalon in Hamburg. The exhibition is now being shown at the Danish Architecture Center, DAC, before continuing its journey.
Photo: Tuala Hjarnø About Dorte Mandrup
Dorte Mandrup is an award-winning Danish architect with an international practice. Her studio is particularly known for site-specific architecture, where landscape, cultural history, and local narratives shape the expression of the buildings. The studio designs architecture from an artistic starting point, combining a firm grasp of reality with the courage to challenge the boundaries of form and materials.
Read more about Dorte Mandrup in DAC Magazine
What You Need to Know
- PLACE is an architecture exhibition about Dorte Mandrup’s site-specific architecture.
- The exhibition presents five projects through models, photos and film.
- The projects are rooted in places such as the Wadden Sea, Greenland, the Norwegian coast, and Berlin.
- The exhibition explores how nature, history, culture, and local conditions can shape architecture.
- PLACE connects architecture to current issues such as climate change, nature crises, and our responsibility for the places we live in.
- The exhibition is an international touring exhibition and will continue its journey after being shown at DAC.
This exhibition is developed by Studio Dorte Mandrup
Supported by
Dreyers Fond
Beckett Fonden
Knud Højgaards Fond
Realdania
Thanks to
Louisiana Channel
AEDES Architecture Forum
Le Bicolore - Maison du Danemark
Liljevalchs Konsthall
AIT ArchitekturSalon