#320 - DORTE MANDRUP, Founder and Creative Director of Dorte Mandrup Architecture
SUMMARY
This week Architect Dorte Mandrup, founder and creative director of Dorte Mandrup Architecture joins David and Marina of FAME Architecture & Design to discuss her background in sculpture and medical school before transitioning into architecture; starting an office and the challenges of doing so today; winning projects through architecture competitions; design process; the architecture and design scene in Copenhagen; the influence architects have on cities; and more. Enjoy!
ABOUT DORTE
Studies in both sculpture and ceramics, and medicine have influenced Dorte Mandrup’s approach to architecture, which has always been ‘hands-on’. Shape and form constitute the company ethos - to create spaces that are aesthetically pleasing, contextually relevant, and invite people to engage.
Dorte Mandrup graduated from the Aarhus School of Architecture, Denmark in 1991. Eight years later she founded her Copenhagen-based studio where she continues to be Creative Director. Her design philosophy and artistic yet systematic mindset permeate the entire office as she is design responsible for all projects.
As a humanist with a distinct nonconformist outlook, Dorte Mandrup is well known for her commitment to the development of the architectural practice and her frequent participation in public debates. Receiving national and international acclaim for her work, in 2018 Dorte headlined at the curated international exhibition at La Biennale di Venezia.
Dorte is member of the Architecture Section in Akademie der Künste, Berlin, Vice Chairman of the Louisiana Museum of Modern Art, former member of the Historic Buildings Council in Denmark, Chair of the prestigious Mies van der Rohe Award 2019, Adjunct Professor at The Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts and holds frequent visiting professorships abroad, in 2018 at Cornell University College of Architecture, Art, and Planning and from 2021 at Mendrisio Accademia de Architettura, Switzerland.
TIMESTAMPS
(00:00) Background and why architecture?
“The deeper you get into architecture, the more you know that you don’t know and the more you want to learn. I think it’s an amazing field and it’s all-consuming. In that sense, it’s wonderful.” (10:43)
(12:35) Architectural education in Denmark and Dorte’s early career.
(22:29) Different architectural styles and influences on Dorte's work.
“The way we approach an assignment… It has very much to do with a mixture of intuition and a kind of sensitivity and interest in materiality. Then, on the other hand, a very thorough analysis of the site which is both a formal analysis but also an understanding of what are the premises here… We do spend a lot of time trying to understand where we are, so that’s in a way the basis of the design process. When you have this kind of basic knowledge or basis, then we start to work more intuitively because that’s, to me, I think the most important.” (32:53)
(36:56) Starting an office.
“This is not to sound arrogant… it’s just that when you are an architect, and I know that sometimes you don't have a choice, you need to take on projects that might not be all that interesting, but there is a possibility to say no. And I think that's a very egoistic and very personal thing. Your life is short and architecture is a long-term thing so when you work two years on a project that's not really satisfying, it's two years of your life.” (53:04)
(55:55) Architecture competitions.
(01:11:43) The architecture and design scene in Copenhagen.
(01:30:19) About Dorte Mandrup Architecture.
“In architecture school, we talk very much about the creative part of being an architect. But there are so many different positions that you can take being an architect. A Project Manager usually doesn't do any drawings anymore but it's such an important part of pushing a project. There are so many positions you can take. You don't have to be a wonderfully talented designer to be a really important part of an office… They can't all be designers and I don't think they should be. There are so many skills that are needed and in that sense, it's great to find your place in this machine or in this space of architecture.” (01:37:25)
(01:40:12) Leading an architecture office.
(01:44:06) Interests outside of architecture.
