Barn Again Pavilion at the Copenhagen Architecture Biennial 2025 – Photo by Maja Flink. All photos arecourtesy of the biennial.

Architecture. Copenhagen is breathing a little slower this autumn. Until October 19, the city is home to the inaugural Copenhagen Architecture Biennial, a new cultural platform inviting us to pause, reflect, and reconsider the pace of contemporary life. At its core lies a simple yet radical question posed by Artistic Director Josephine Michau, founder of CAFx – Copenhagen Architecture Forum: How can architecture contribute to a Great Deceleration?

RELATED STORIES: Read more the Copenhagen Architecture Biennial.

Poetic Daylight Pavilion – Photo by Laura Stamer.

The guiding theme, Slow Down, sets the tone for the entire event. It’s more than a call to take it easy—it’s an invitation to think critically about how design shapes our societies and environments, and how slowing down might unlock more sustainable and meaningful ways of living.

Pavilions of Pause

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Answering this call are two striking Slow Pavilions, born from an open call earlier this year. Barn Again—a collaboration between architectural designer Tom Svilans, THISS Studio, engineers Bollinger+Grohmann, and Danish carpenters Winther A/S—reimagines the archetype of a Norwegian barn. Constructed from reclaimed timber, it layers hand-crafted and machine-made techniques, extending the life cycle of aged materials while creating a city refuge where visitors can stop, breathe, and reflect.

Inside Out, Downside Up Pavilion – Photo by Maja Flink.

A few streets away, the emerging duo Slaatto Morsbøl (Thelma Slaatto and Cecilie Morsbøl) have conjured Inside Out, Downside Up. Their tactile pavilion flips conventional hierarchies of building materials by piecing together halved ventilation pipes, exposed perforated bricks, reclaimed timber, and thatching reed. With a light touch, they transform what’s usually overlooked into a sensory space of contemplation—an architecture of slowness and intimacy.

Crossing Borders

Slow Down exhibition at the Copenhagen Architecture Biennial 2025 – Photo by Maja Flink.

The Biennial stretches beyond Copenhagen, bridging Denmark and Sweden through the Slow Down exhibition at Halmtorvet 27 and the Form/Design Centre in Malmö. Transdisciplinary contributions blur the line between art and architecture, challenging the obsession with speed in design. Contributors like Dark Matter Labs, Studio Tideland with Emma Rishøj, and CENTRALA encourage visitors to slow down not only in space, but also in thought.

Light, Clay, and Windows

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Light itself becomes a protagonist at the Royal Danish Academy, where the Poetic Daylight Pavilion allows visitors to experience the shifting moods of natural light throughout a day, from morning brightness to evening shadows. This gentle play of perception reminds us of the quiet power light holds in shaping our sense of place.

Clay Pavilion – Photo by Isak Worre Foged.

Not far, the Clay Pavilion explores another elemental force: earth. Using clay harvested from Danish fields, the project showcases unfired building tiles assembled into expressive, functional structures—proving that low-impact, locally rooted materials can carry architectural ambition.

Villum Window Collection – Courtesy of the biennial.

Windows also take centre stage thanks to the VILLUM Window Collection. Window Behaviorology, curated by Yoshiharu Tsukamoto of Atelier Bow-Wow, investigates the social and cultural role of windows, while Rem Koolhaas’ Wall of Windows presents an architectural time capsule of English windows spanning the 17th to 20th centuries. Together, they reveal how frames and panes shape not just views, but ways of life.

Reusing, Not Erasing

The Chapel Retold – Photo by Laura Stamer.

One of the most poetic chapters of the Biennial unfolds in a former funeral chapel and its surrounding garden. Here, a group of Danish architects, artists, and artisans worked with care and restraint, adapting the site for new purposes while leaving much of its original character intact. A ‘chapel retold,’ a gentle project that embodies a rising movement in architecture: reuse rather than erase, honour what exists instead of starting over.

Inside Out, Downside Up by Slaatto Morsbøl at the Copenhagen Architecture Biennial 2025 – Photo by Maja Flink.