Approach

The firm works with the development and realization of architecture in the form of buildings, urban and landscape planning and product design. We work with both new buildings and renovation projects. In each and every project, we aim to create visionary, site-specific and sensuous architecture that makes a positive contribution to people’s lives and to the community at large. We are rooted in the Nordic architecture tradition with humanism, simplification and craftsmanship as core values.

In our view, sustainable architecture is about taking a forward-looking and responsible approach, using the best technology and knowledge available at the time of design. Through quality architecture we contribute to a sustainable built environment where projects have a long lifespan, materials are used efficiently, and buildings are resilient enough to be repurposed. Sustainability is always an integrated aspect of our projects.

We are a team of architects, constructors and academics, known for our capacity for innovation, collaboration and leadership in connection with the design and realization of buildings. We are proud of the fact that Lundgaard & Tranberg’s employees have an average seniority of ten years. That gives us a strong team spirit and optimal conditions for offering our clients essential knowledge and experiences from previous projects.

The firm works mainly with projects in Denmark and the near region, including the other Nordic countries.

1985

We win the Blangstedgaard competition and found the firm

Boje Lundgaard and Lene Tranberg found the architecture firm after winning the competition for a master plan for the Blangstedgaard development near the Danish city of Odense. The firm moves into offices in Skindergade in central Copenhagen. From this base they begin the work of converting a former fruit orchard to a new suburban district with 800 homes. In addition to the master plan, the firm designs about 100 homes, common facilities and a preschool.

A clear focus on construction technology insight and detailing
From the outset, the firm’s architectural approach rests on insight into construction practices, a focus on detailing and interdisciplinary collaboration. This approach is rooted in the professional environment around the Department of Building Technology, where Boje Lundgaard is a professor and teacher. Many of the firm’s employees have studied here over the years, including several of the current partners.

1987

The beginning of a prolonged engagement with museum architecture

Trapholt, museum of modern art and design, and the Workers Museum, our first museum projects, mark the beginning of a long range of projects for cultural institutions. After adding Sorø Art Museum and the Danish Castle Centre to the list in 2011, we win the competition for the Natural History Museum of Denmark in 2012 and the competition for the Museum of Danish Resistance in 2015.

1989

Horsens Kraftvarmeværk (combined heat and power plant) leads to a series of projects related to complex technical facilities

We win this project in an open competition. This heightens our interest in designing complex and large-scale technical facilities. Throughout the 1990s, further technical projects are added: combined heat and power plants in the Danish cities of Fåborg, Herning and Svendborg, a water purifying plant in the Danish city of Elsinore and an innovative industrial laundry facility in Århus.

1990 ⟶

We win our first project in Sweden

A housing development for elderly people, Bellevue Park, marks the beginning of our professional engagement in Sweden. Our projects here range from public university architecture – the Faculty of Health and Society (1998) and Niagara (2010) at Malmö University – to socially oriented housing in Malmö, with the Culture Casbah in 2012 and the multi-user complex T30 in Stockholm in 2014. In 2017 we embark on the expansion and renovation of the Royal Swedish Opera in Stockholm. In collaboration with Ahrbom & Partner we design a large, complex program to realize a new national venue with facilities for opera and ballet with an emphasis on fitting the architecture into a historically sensitive area straight across from the Royal Palace, Riksdagen (Sweden’s national legislature) and Gamla Stan, Stockholm’s Old Town.

1992

Dannebrogsgade – urban renewal and sustainability in the Copenhagen district of Vesterbro

The city block between the streets of Dannebrogsgade and Westend offer an opportunity to address the themes and scales of urban renewal. The project includes courtyard design, infill, building renovation and new buildings. It is a pilot project for sustainable and energy-efficient solutions. We incorporate passive and active solar heating in the form of solar panels embedded in the full roof area of the apartment block. The courtyard facade is fitted with a glass envelope that extends the apartments with an added outdoor/indoor zone. Rainwater is collected and used for flushing toilets.

1994

The firm relocates to Pilestræde

The new bright offices in central Copenhagen now form the setting for just over 20 employees. From this new base, over the coming years we become one of the most respected and award-winning Danish architecture firms.

1995

Emphasis on research, development and sustainable construction

The innovative architectural approach we develop throughout the 1990s leads to a number of research and development projects. We collaborate with the Danish Building Research and other knowledge centers on projects that promote more sustainable construction and a productive construction sector. The Solrækkehusene (Sun Row Houses) project involves the use of active solar energy although the houses are not restricted to a north-south orientation. Glashuset (the Glass House) illustrates how high-insulation glass can be used as a primary facade material.

1996-2003

Charlottehaven

On the former Cryolite Site on Strandboulevarden, a new concept that combines private homes with shared communal facilities is realized. Charlottehaven is the first of its type in Denmark, inspired by dwellings in England. We seek to create a project that reaches out to the environment and is interwoven into its urban setting with public amenities such as a preschool, a fitness center, conference and meeting facilities, a café and a restaurant.

2002-2008

The three big ones

In the early 2000s the firm embarks on three major new projects: the Wedge – Copenhagen Business School, the Royal Playhouse and the Tietgen Dormitory. The firm grows, and so does international interest in our projects.

2004

Boje Lundgaard passes away

Boje Lundgaard passes away before he can see the three major projects completed.

2005

Expanding the number of partners

After Boje’s death the architecture firm is restructured, and long-term employees become partners. Erik Frandsen, Filip Heiberg, Henrik Schmidt, Peter Thorsen, Nicolai Richter-Friis and Trine Troelsen, together with Lene Tranberg, now constitute the partnership.

2006

Tietgen Dormitory is completed

Tietgen Dormitory is created in an ambitious and generous collaboration with the private foundation Nordea-fonden. The design aims to rethink and develop the concept of the student residence hall and create a building that can serve as an international reference project. We aim to realize a social vision of promoting a sense of community among the students living in the building. The project involves a combination of innovative and traditional construction methods based on a high degree of prefabrication and repetition. Ultimately, the spatial and functional organization and the constructive structure fuse together in a unified expression within the clarified and balanced circular form of the building.

2008

The Royal Playhouse is completed

We win the Royal Danish Playhouse in an open international competition with about 330 projects and complete the project on budget and on time. The Playhouse is a generous building with a foyer and a harbor-front promenade that fuse into one and add a new public space to the city. The Playhouse has a strong positive impact on urban life on Copenhagen’s waterfront and provides an optimal venue for the Royal Danish Theatre’s productions.

2010 ⟶

A deeper integration of buildings, urban space and landscape

The firm’s architectural ideals develop toward a deeper integration of buildings, urban space and landscape. SEB-Bank & Pension (2010) is a clear example of the new direction, with buildings and a landscape that seem to have emerged naturally in accordance with a common biological order.

2011-2018

Fjordenhus – realizing a complex building

Our interest in innovative construction techniques and interdisciplinary approaches is clearly exemplified in the collaborative project to design Fjordenhus, the head office for the holding and investment company Kirk Kapital. The artistically ambitious building, designed by Studio Olafur Eliasson, is a project that requires a high level of expertise with regard to the design and handling of complex geometries. Our employees help realize the artistic vision for the project, including double-curvature geometries in rounded brickwork, arched windows, doors and interior walls and underwater construction.

2015

DGNB gold certification of sustainable pilot project

Pier47 is one of a handful of sustainable pilot projects designed in connection with the introduction of DGNB certification in Denmark. It is an innovative project based on a combination of natural ventilation, utilization of ground water for cooling and heating and thermo active construction. When completed, the building’s energy consumption is 75-80 % below that of conventional office buildings.

2016 ⟶

Several large projects contribute to Copenhagen

In recent years we have had unique opportunities to contribute to the development of Copenhagen. Ofelia Square (2016), Axel Towers (2017), Kalvebod Fælled School (2018), the Museum of Danish Resistance (2020) and the Natural History Museum of Denmark (exp. 2023) are all projects that contribute to the community and city life while each living up to their specific purpose.

2020

10 new partners are appointed

The 10 new partners are all long-standing employees and key figures in the firm. The appointment underlines that our firm in the long term will continue to be a partner-driven working community with the ambition to development original and thorough architecture.

2021

The Danish Pavilion at Venice Biennale of Architecture

We create the Danish contribution for the Danish Pavilion at Venice Biennale of Architecture.

2021 ⟶

We win two museums in Germany

Danevirke Museum and Archäologisches Landesmuseum in Rostock become our first projects in Germany. Danevirke Museum tells the story of Northern Europe’s largest ancient monument and UNESCO world heritage site. Archäologisches Landesmuseum will be the home of a distinguished archeological collection from the Baltic Sea region.