Sigurd Larsen

He founded his studio in 2010 and has completed projects within the fields of housing, hotel, educational and cultural buildings and will continue to explore new fields. His work aims to combine the aesthetics of high-quality materials with functional concepts for complex spaces, designing furniture for various German, Danish and American design companies that are sold worldwide.

He has a master degree from The Royal Academy of Fine Arts, School of Architecture in Copenhagen and has worked at OMA-Rem Koolhaas New York, MVRDV Rotterdam and COBE Copenhagen. Since 2016 he is a professor of Applied Sciences (building design and visual communication) at Berlin International University.

SIGURD LARSEN: I see the work of artist like holding up a mirror towards society. They help us reflect about who we are and where we are going. With the help of sharp comments or even humour, a lot of interesting new thoughts can be triggered and hopefully make us move forward. We need this reflexion to be able to understand ourselves as a species. Especially in a time where we are forced to rethink how we live. The past months we have listened a lot to our politicians, journalists and scientists. Probably a bit more than usually. But I think it's also important to get input of groups with less bias or people who are able to spectate things from a distance. Artists are in a position to contribute with a different angle or perspective on our society, also in times of transition. ​

SL: Innovation starts in our thoughts. Before we can create things we need to imagine them. So I think in times where we undergo big changes, we also start communicating much more with each other, and perhaps a little sharper than before. Artists tell stories through all sorts of media like physical objects, performances or words. These stories can push our thoughts in a certain direction or inspire us to search for new paths. They are not only entertaining but also a possible way to generate unexpected solutions for the problems we are confronted with. Sometimes I feel like I'm running around with a lot of half-ideas. Then I need conversation and other people's opinions to complete them.

SL: Like many other architects, I find artists who work with spaces and physical objects very inspiring for my work. Artists have a certain freedom to tell stories rather than solve problems, as designers are obliged to do. I find this super exiting and inspiring. So I think artists and architects have a big overlap of common interest, though we work under very different conditions. I had the privilege of being commissioned to create an art piece for the 100th anniversary of the Bauhaus School in Berlinische Galerie last year. I think it was fantastic that someone "anti-casted" an architect to do this. I suppose something very different would have come out of it if you commissioned a scientist to do the art piece. There's a long list of artists who have designed swimming pools, such as Berthold Lubetkin, James Turell and less surprisingly David Hockney. I think this very direct exchange or even swapping of professions is a fun exercise. Perhaps a similar exchange could be imagined in a more future orientated or problem solving manner. To bring new input.​

SL: On the positive side I'm happy to see how the digital age suddenly reached Germany. Now we only need the improvement of digital infrastructure to support it. I often wish I could execute more meetings online and travel less. But the insecurity of a bad online connection often makes me fly around Europe to our projects abroad. Many work related short journeys could be avoided if the digital infrastructure would be better. Now we were forced to work like this for a while, and maybe it was a good timing to be pushed a bit.

On the negative side I'm sad to see the polarisation in the western world the past decade. A cultural gap between people in cities and on the country side has emerged. And a growing gap in opinions between my generation and my parents' is also a negative development. I wish we would become better in understanding the needs of each other. The gap is visible in the election maps and many other statistics, and I think we need to address this issue.​

SL: As an architect, my work is influenced by a lot of restrictions, both from law, budgets and the character of the client. So I start with the framework and limitations; how high, how deep, how loud, where's the good view… And then there's already something on the paper to play around with.