She is one of the greatest architects of our day. For nearly a quarter of a century, Dorte Mandrup and her design studio in Vesterbro have been behind a string of award-winning projects both domestically and abroad.

Mandrup has designed aesthetically pleasing buildings that engage people for nearly 25 years, and you are probably already acquainted with her work. In Copenhagen, Dorte Mandrup is the creator of several cultural centers for children and sports halls, including The Prism in Amager and the Valencia conference center in Vesterbro. She is also the architect behind the new IKEA, which is being built on Kalvebod Brygge in Copenhagen.

Dorte Mandrup’s architecture stands out for its respect for the distinctive qualities of the locations and landscapes and their historical significance. Projects like the Icefjord Centre in Greenland and the Wadden Sea Centre in Ribe showcase perfectly Mandrup’s method of allowing the surroundings to inspire and shape the projects.

2018 was a banner year for Dorte Mandrup. She received the Finn Juhl Award, the Danish Arts Foundation’s lifelong Honorary Grant and was appointed chair of the jury of the prestigious European Union Prize for Contemporary Architecture – Mies van der Rohe Award – as the first Dane since the inception of the award in 1987. The architectural studio was also featured in the main Architecture Exhibition at the legendary La Biennale di Venezia.

“I’m not a signature architect who designs in the same style regardless of where in the world I’m working. Our process is the exact opposite, because we insist on thoroughly analyzing the potentials that are present in the location where the building is to be set.”

Dorte Mandrup, Byggeri+Arkitektur

In Brief

• Dorte Mandrup was born in 1961 and studied at Design School Kolding before enrolling at the Aarhus School of Architecture.
• In 1991, Dorte Mandrup graduated from the Aarhus School of Architecture.
• In 1999, Dorte Mandrup founded an architectural studio in her own name, where she is currently Creative Director.
• The design studio consists of an international team with projects in various locations around the world.