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PHI Contemporain Architects Dorte Mandrup colour credit Volker Renner COVE Rv2

FINALIST

PHI Contemporary
International Architecture Competition

Based in
Copenhagen, Denmark

Dorte Mandrup is a Danish architecture studio specialised in working with irreplaceable places. It is an exhilarating struggle - a negotiation between place, history, culture, and local identity where the architect is brought in to create new meaning. With an artistic footing and a scientific toolbox, the studio works to highlight what is there and create new relevance, both challenging the place and underlining its inherent qualities. This is innate in every project, whether a transformation, educational space, or cultural centre.

Established in 1999 by Dorte Mandrup, the studio has grown into an internationally renowned firm with a hands-on approach based on deep, contextual analysis and experimental prototyping. The studio employs 75 people from 12 different nationalities. All are driven by a devout belief in the possibilities of contemporary architecture and explorative curiosity insisting on outstanding craftmanship.

Dorte Mandrup designs with a unique sense of place and materiality that creates emotional impact. With a Scandinavian heritage, the studio considers all human scale aspects in their approach. Through significant projects such as the Whale in Norway, the Wadden Sea Centre on the west coast of Denmark, the Icefjord Centre in the Greelandic wilderness and the future Exile Museum at Anhalter Bahnhof in Berlin, the studio demonstrates a unique ability to evoke the identity of fragile places and actively involve the context.

Dorte Mandrup’s work has received wide acclaim – most recently the ICONICS Architect of the Year award, the AZ Award for Environmental Leadership, and the Meyvaert Museum Prize for Sustainability.