Cobe

#CobeNotes on paper, second edition, is here! Published in connection with CAFx - Copenhagen Architecture Forum's Biennale, which this year revolves around the theme ‘Slow Down’, this edition explores how time shapes our cities - and how urbanism, landscape, and architecture evolve with us: from the first sketches to decades of adaptation, layered with memory, transformation, and reuse. Designing with time means creating places that stay relevant, resilient, and alive. Get your free copy at our in-studio café in Nordhavn, Copenhagen. Design and art direction by Alexis Mark.

Thank you Helsinki Design Week and the Embassy of Denmark in Finland for inviting Cobe to be part of last week’s design week. Our CEO Mari Randsborg - who is half Finnish - joined Finnish designer Tino Nyman for a Design Diplomacy talk hosted at the Danish Ambassador’s Residence in Helsinki. At Cobe, we have always believed in collaboration, and dialogue. The event provided the perfect setting for an inspiring conversation - and a wonderful opportunity to connect across cultures and disciplines.

The City of Toronto recognizes Maple House with a 2025 Urban Design Award! The jury put it best: "One of the most striking features of this project from the Jury’s site tour is the way in which the built form and new spaces nestle comfortably into the existing context (...) The project successfully extends the pedestrian dominated environment from the west and through the site whilst also creating its own distinct sense of place, characterized by the careful programming of the street with the quality and complementary nature of the landscape design. The depth, colour, finish and texture of the building façades is a reminder of the importance of an elevation’s contribution to the public realm and the urban landscape not just at the human scale but also at the scale of the city." Now in its 35th year, the award celebrates projects that shape Toronto with creativity, resilience and design excellence. A huge thank you to the City of Toronto and the Toronto Urban Design Awards jury for this recognition. And congratulations to the whole team and our partners: Tricon Residential, Dream, Kilmer Group, architectsAlliance, CCxA, Thornton Tomasetti, and M.V. Shore Associates.

The Tip of Nordø is longlisted for Dezeen Awards! From 4,300 entries across 89 countries, the project has been selected in the Workplace category. Designed by Cobe together with Vilhelm Lauritzen Architects and Third Nature Architects, the project is a circular office building and public space, located in Copenhagen’s Nordhavn. Rising like a lighthouse - a nod to the area’s silos and industrial heritage - it is conceived as both a workplace and a public destination. With its lush winter garden and waterfront urban spaces, it creates a vibrant interface between work, leisure, nature, and community. #dezeenawards Dive into the nomination here: https://lnkd.in/d5fbHX9U

As climate change, urban overcrowding, and biodiversity loss reshape our world, what should architecture envision? In the latest issue of Esquire magazine Japan, Cobe founder Dan Stubbergaard joins Rem Koolhaas, Tadao Ando, and Carlo Ratti to share their blueprints for the future. Where cities once expanded outward - clearing farmland and building new towns - Dan’s vision focuses on transforming the cities we already live in: reimagining existing structures, improving infrastructure within our current urban areas, living more efficiently in less space, and creating places where people and nature can thrive together. Explore snapshots here from the interview at The Opera Park in Copenhagen, and read the full feature via this link: https://lnkd.in/d3dJjgxc Images by Maya Matsuura, and interview by Chieko Tomita

Pop-up exhibition at Cobe! Step into our studio café and discover Museum Wegner up close - from the first sketches to the final design, construction and materials. Dedicated to the life and legacy of Danish designer Hans J. Wegner, the exhibition highlights the design behind the museum in Tønder - his birthplace and where he trained as a carpenter. Designed by Cobe, the museum transforms a historic 15th-century farm with an extension, merging sculptural form with everyday function in Wegner’s favored material: wood. The project celebrates craftsmanship, tradition, and the balance between nature, context, and legacy, conceived as an architectural tribute to Wegner himself. Open on weekdays between 08:00 AM to 3:00 PM. Images: Francisco Tirado

Founder of Cobe and professor at Harvard University Dan Stubbergaard will be joining a panel discussion at the Assemble! conference 18 September in connection with CAFx - Copenhagen Architecture Forum and Biennial 2025. Under the topic 'Breaking barriers through law', Dan will explore how we can shape a building sector that stays within planetary boundaries while ensuring a thriving future for both people and the planet. Read more and buy tickets here: https://lnkd.in/eTN2EWaH

We’re excited to share our design for Museum Wegner - dedicated to the life and legacy of Danish designer Hans J. Wegner, also known as the Master of the Chair. Located in Tønder in southwestern Denmark, the town where he was born and trained as a carpenter, the museum celebrates Wegner's design philosophy and commitment to craftsmanship. Designed by Cobe, the architecture draws inspiration from Wegner's approach: merging the sculptural with the functional, and built in his favored material - wood. The project transforms a historic farm dating back to 1445 and adds a timber extension, all in keeping with local building traditions and cultural heritage. Through visible, simple constructions, traditional building techniques, and an honest use of materials, the architecture embraces a clear connection between form and function. Much like Wegner, who blended iconic, sculptural design with everyday functionality, the museum’s architecture strikes a balance between form and rationality. It is conceived not merely as a building but as an architectural tribute to Wegner - engaged in ongoing dialogue with nature, context, and Wegner’s legacy.

'Det Ender Grønt' (It Ends Green) - a new book on hopeful visions of a green future - is now also a podcast. In the first episode, Cobe's founder Dan Stubbergaard shares his vision of a future where we live in smaller spaces, share more, and build tomorrow's cities with what already exists. Listen here: https://lnkd.in/dcQBfGuT

Out now: Our latest Cobe Note telling the story of how a single apple tree in a forgotten corner of Copenhagen’s Nordhavn grew into something much bigger. Senior Landscape Architect & Biodiversity Specialist Stine Bærentzen and Landscape Architect & Project Manager Andreas Kloster share how this unexpected find turned into a living design project focused on developing landscapes in collaboration with nature. The Cobe Note also celebrates the joy and power of knowledge sharing across disciplines, creating awareness of our changing landscapes through site-specific design. Read the full piece here: https://lnkd.in/d-cWN2VY, and subscribe to #CobeNotes for more insights on urbanism, landscape, and architecture.