NORRØN Architects: Renavigation / Regeneration - exhibition at DUČB

The last exhibition of this year presents the work of a relatively young but already highly respected architectural studio NORRØN from Copenhagen at the House of Art in České Budějovice.
NORRØN is characterized by a strong sense of place and an approach to context. It is not only about a sense of nature and landscape, which they focus on very intensely, but they are also able to adequately respond to the specifics and characteristics of all places, which they consider essential to their projects.

This is reflected in concrete realizations, often for example in their solutions for various visitor centers, which receive significant attention, especially in Northern Europe, a number of farms, but also recreational and residential areas. We encounter very sensitive renewals of areas, free from disruptive, unnecessary buildings, the establishment of nature protection plans, and indeed very sensitive integrations of new buildings.

Among their numerous projects, noteworthy are their plans for the Dune hotel in Blåvand, which boasts a beautiful view of the North Sea; cabins in the beach park Blue Plateau; a lookout tower in the bird reserve Lyttesholm; an educational center in Gribskov realized in collaboration with the University of Copenhagen; an observatory on the island of Møn; a visitor center for the natural path Camønoen, also on the island of Møn; and a visitor center for the ruins of a castle on the island of Bornholm. In the rural areas of Guldborgsund, Lolland, and Vordingborg, they have been entrusted with the renovation of abandoned buildings for recreational purposes with the aim of injecting life into the local economy. Last but not least, in the town of Thisted, they designed recreational facilities by the Limfjord, a project that was nominated for the Mies Van der Rohe Award in 2022.

The founding members of NORRØN Architects are Poul Høilund and Marco Berenthz. Their team is not only composed of architects but also specialists in landscape architecture and garden design, as well as in development and planning.
They place significant emphasis on dialogue and shared decision-making, which they see as fertile ground for bold solutions and innovations, typical of their projects.
Their buildings are characterized by a simple monumental form, even in realizations that do not display a large scale. They primarily work with natural materials and always strive for a distinctive handwriting, which they successfully complement the existing context without mimicking historical past.
At the core of NORRØN's practice is their Ethical Compass, a conceptual navigation tool that informs all aspects of their work. This exhibition in České Budějovice, titled Renavigation / Regeneration, presents four key principles through which they express the vision of NORRØN architecture, which is about both conservation and restoration as well as regeneration and innovations.
NORRØN finds themselves at the intersection of imagination and empirical exploration in their activities. They operate in two interconnected domains. One is the Territory of Visioning, which emphasizes visionary thinking and artistic creation, and the other is the Territory of Knowledge, which grounds these visions in rigorous research and practical experiences. This exhibition also demonstrates how artistic visioning is always tempered by a deep understanding of ecological, economic, and social conditions that shape our world.
The exhibition Renavigation / Regeneration explores architecture as a transformative form of art – one that bridges the gap between design and responsible action for the future. The goal here is to show how we can collaborate on regeneration and construction/reconstruction in a world where resources are limited, and the natural environments of our planet are under tremendous pressure.
Thus, NORRØN invites visitors to the exhibition to rethink the role of architecture in shaping human experience and their own responsibility as stewards of the environment.

Curator: Michal Škoda
WITHOUT FEAR IN SPACE – Wednesday, December 11 from 4:30 PM – workshop for parents with children