A project that explores what the British Museum would look like after returning its artefacts to their countries of origin and a carbon-neutral school made from rammed earth are included in our latest school show by students at the Royal Danish Academy.

The projects aim to create a more sustainable, environmentally friendly and democratic society by focusing on the United Nation's sustainable development goals.

Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts

School: Royal Danish Academy 
Course: Architecture and Design

School statement:

"Students at the Royal Danish Academy address the most significant challenges we face as a global community today. The curriculum is rooted in research, practice and artistic development. For the past five years, the academy has added a strategic focus on the 17 UN sustainable development goals (SDGs).

"We believe that the SDGs can inspire our students to consider how we should design and build in the future, using a holistic perspective to provide new, original and necessary global solutions to these pressing concerns.

"The work of our students demonstrates how architecture and design can create visions, new knowledge and solutions to complex problems in compelling and attractive designs. Future generations of architects and designers, like those we educate at the Royal Danish Academy, must be capable of releasing this vast potential."

The Silo Island by Mia Baltzer Nielsen and Vitus Karsten Bjerre

"Silos are tall towers that are used to store grain. This project is based on an old industrial area in the Port of Odense, known as the Silo Island. The buildings here are scheduled to be demolished to make room for the construction of new blocks of flats.

"By involving the buildings' distinctive character, the graduates create spaces that utilise the silos' potential in terms of material usage, space allocation and scale.

"The students have developed a master plan for the area and base their project on transforming a specific silo, which they convert into spaces for the city's citizens and The Royal Danish Theatre Ballet School."

Students: Mia Baltzer Nielsen and Vitus Karsten Bjerre
Course: MA Architecture, Cultural Heritage, Transformation and Restoration
Tutors: Christoffer Harlang
Email: mia_baltzer[at]hotmail.com and vituskarsten[at]gmail.com

The Collector by Therese Sirenius

"The Collector is a personal, artistic project that materialises time through the art of weaving. Using the experiences and topics that have filled the recent months of Sirenius' life, she philosophises about the concept of time in her textile tapestries. This includes the time in which we exist, the time that passes and the time spent performing the craft.

"The depictions rendered in this tapestry include excerpts from a newspaper and illustrate the contrast of our time between nature and human indolence."

Students: Therese Sirenius
Course:  MA Design, Textile Design
Tutors: Kjetil Aas
Email: sireniustherese[at]gmail.com

NeoAtlantis by Mikkel Møller Roesdahl

"Through his project, Rosendal explores the interface between the digital and physical worlds. He examines how we can understand and cope with the simultaneous presence of two spatial entities.

"How do digital spaces affect the way we perceive the world, and how do we translate conditions from the digital space into the physical: weightlessness, space without gravity, surfaces without a body?

"Rosendal examines these questions through his artistic models and drawings that arise where the two worlds converge, which he entitles NeoAtlantis."

Student: Mikkel Møller Roesdahl
Course: MA Architecture, Architecture, Space and Time
Tutors: Kristine Annabell Torp
Email: m.m.roesdahl[at]gmail.com

The Empty Museum by Rotem Yitzhak Soaye

"What would the decolonised British Museum look like after returning all the objects in its collection to their countries of origin?

"This project speculates on a future scenario, where the exhibition halls contain only black holes on yellow backgrounds.

"Each black hole represents a void in the heart of a looted culture, as well as the museum's missing artefacts. Instead of physical objects, the visitor experiences the cultural artefacts in augmented reality when scanning the black holes. This scenario is a far cry from today: the British Museum has around eight million objects, of which only one per cent are on display."

Student: Rotem Yitzhak Soaye
Course: MA Design, Graphic Communication Design
Tutors: Nikolaj Knop
Email: rotem.soaye[at]gmail.com

On Civic Grounds by Daniel Rea Kragskov

"The project uses an old industrial zone in Herlev – a suburb in Copenhagen suburb – as its point of departure where industrial buildings are to be demolished to make room for new housing development.

"Kragskov proposes a new creative programme that transforms an old asphalt factory into a civic space with open areas and whose architecture can support civic activities. He aims to create a captivating environment in which to build social meeting spaces.

"Kragskov seeks to depart from academic austerity by developing a personal style that goes well with the multicoloured diversity and imperfection found in civic activities where the colour red depicts the social community."

Student: Daniel Rea Kragskov
Course: MA Architecture, Urbanism and Societal Change
Tutors: Tamara Kalantajevska
Email: danielkragskov[at]gmail.com

Community by Julie Hendel Hunter Astrup

"What do you carry in your everyday bag? What is your favourite colour combinations? Which of these materials do you prefer?

"All of Astrup's designs emanate from her democratic way of working. She uses her community – family, friends, business partners – as sources of inspiration in developing her work.

"Her bags are made of second-hand, surplus materials. Recycled materials often produce a rough expression which she combines with a sophisticated design. For instance, she has made a bag from used lorry covers, inspired by the woven pattern of French bistro chairs."

Student: Julie Hendel Hunter Astrup
Course: MA Design, Fashion Design
Tutors: Ann Merete Ohrt
Email:julie_hendel[at]hotmail.com

School of Ecological Crafts by Jonatan Møller Larsen, Christoffer Bo Haaning and Simon McNair

"This project proposes a School of Ecological Crafts where it is possible to study eco-friendly building techniques. The building in the Nordhavn district of Copenhagen embodies ecological building solutions. The graduates have developed a carbon-neutral building that uses nothing but rammed earth and wood for its walls and structural components.

"The soil they use is taken from the vast earthworks found in the local Nordhavn harbour area, deposited there from the excavation works for the construction of Copenhagen's metro system. The school showcases experiments exploring building techniques and how to bridge the gap between the tradition and the potential."

Student: Jonatan Møller Larsen, Christoffer Bo Haaning and Simon McNair
Course:MA Architecture, Settlement, Ecology and Tectonics
Tutors: Anne Beim
Email: jonatanmoellerlarsen[at]gmail.com, c.haaning[at]hotmail.com and barton.mcnair[at]gmail.com

Energy Islands as Hybrid Landscapes by Christian Kamp Iversen

"This project asks: how can power production infrastructure become natural environments? This project proposes constructing an 'energy island' – a power substation to convert and distribute energy from offshore wind farms.

"A natural environment is established on the 'skin' of the island, inspired by the surrounding typologies of coastal dunes and cliffs: the island has flat areas on which sand and vegetation can be deposited, growing into shrubs, plants and trees and enabling the areas to be used for recreational purposes. It also has steep walls suitable for birdlife. New offshore wind farms are a crucial element in Denmark's current climate act."

Student: Christian Kamp Iversen
Course: MA Architecture, Landscape
Tutors: Kristine Jensen
Email: ckampiversen[at]gmail.com

Remote Futures by Elena Bauer and Lunia D'Ambrosio

"The pandemic has accelerated remote working worldwide and blurred the lines between the home and office. The question now is: how will remote work shape our work life in the near future?

"This design project envisions four personas in different work-life scenarios in 2030. Their workers' rights, level of competitiveness and work-life balance vary greatly from one to the next. Each persona is accompanied by speculative artefacts of the future that make their lives and conditions easier to imagine.

"The project is based on extensive research and interviews with professionals who are already working remotely today."

Student: Elena Bauer and Lunia D'Ambrosio
Course: MA Design, Graphic Communication Design
Tutors: Rasmus Spanggaard Troelsen and Nikolaj Knop
Email: hej[at]elenabauer.de and luniadambrosio[at]gmail.com

Copenhagen Light Rail by Stefan Perriard

"Copenhagen Light Rail is a retake of Copenhagen's future light rail system.

"The project presents proposals for how an electric light rail system can be integrated into the car-free streets, enhance the aesthetic qualities of local areas and make train interiors feel inclusive for all passengers.

"The design creates a new type of social and cultural infrastructure. The individual carriages can be converted into mobile healthcare clinics and libraries travelling between the districts. The carriages can also be used as pop-up shops or exhibition spaces. The train is designed as a modular system, with a rough yet local urban look."

Student: Stefan Perriard
Course: MA Design, Industrial Design
Tutors: Karina Mose
Email: stefan.perriard[at]gmail.com

Partnership content

This school show is a partnership between Dezeen and the Royal Danish Academy. Find out more about Dezeen partnership content here.