Open House goes to Copenhagen, World Capital of Architecture for 2023

Open House Worldwide is a network of 50 organisations that have been hosting architecture festivals and discussions about architecture, design and the city all over the world since 1992, making the initiative the world’s greatest celebration of the urban landscape. The network was founded and is administered by Open City, a non-profit organisation registered in the UK concerned with introducing the general public to little-known buildings. Open House will be coming to Copenhagen in a prelude to the great event of 2023, for UNESCO has designated Copenhagen World Architecture Capital for 2023. The festival will include a vast programme of events under the title "Copenhagen in Common”, implemented by the City of Copenhagen with the Danish Architecture Center as its main partner, along with the International Union of Architects (UIA).
According to Phineas Harper, director of Open City and Open House Worldwide and columnist at Dezeen: "We are delighted that Copenhagen has finally become part of the Open House family in collaboration with Danish Architecture Center. Architecture is a universal language that we can all relate to at a fundamental level in terms of how it makes us feel: Do we feel happy, safe, discomfort or alienation? Copenhagen is packed with secret places featuring fantastic architectural experiences, fascinating neighborhoods and wonderful communities.”
We still have almost a year to go before over 40 selected locations open their doors to the general public, offering an opportunity to approach the amazing architecture of Copenhagen and listen to the countless stories the city’s bricks and cement have to tell. Participants will be able to visit buildings of all kinds, from beautiful palaces to fascinating electrical power plants and private homes, experiencing the splendour of history or learning about contemporary architects’ position on how we ought to live.
Open House’s mission is clear: opening architecture to everyone, a way for citizens to get to know their city better, an event bringing new input to the local community. The 2023 edition in Copenhagen will stand out for its accessibility, allowing for visitors with baby carriages, in wheelchairs or with mobility issues. The partnership with Danish institution Bevica Fonden attempts to improve this kind of accessibility to the built environment and promote a better understanding of design for all. “ Universal design is about inclusiveness and ensuring equal access for as many people as possible – something an event like this can help us all to be more aware of," explains Marianne Kofoed, director of Bevica Fonden.
In the organisation of the event and the opening of the buildings, the Danish Architecture Center collaborates with, among others, Karberghus, which owns a number of Copenhagen’s beautiful historical buildings. With the images shared by DAC, we can offer you a preview of some of the treasures concealed behind the doors of Zieglers Gaard, the Rococo building where one of Denmark’s most influential citizens, poet, writer, philosopher and priest N.F.S. Grundtvig, lived in the 1850s. Visitors will also be able to see Brønnum Hus on Kongens Nytorv, where Hans Christian Andersen once spent time, and which is home to a unique Japanese gilt-leather tapestry and a summery frieze painted by one of Denmark’s renowned Skagen Painters. 
What better opportunity for architecture lovers to explore the thousand faces of Copenhagen! Time to start planning a visit! Here at Floornature, we will of course be keeping an eye on all the events involved in “Copenhagen in Common”.

Christiane Bürklein

Copenhagen in Common - World Capital of Architecture 2023
https://www.copenhagenincommon.kk.dk/
Images: David Kahr - courtesy of DAC