Nordic Bauhaus Events

Nordic Democracy Festival Tour 2023

Nordic Carbon Neutral Bauhaus participated in the Nordic democracy festivals in the summer of 2023, inviting diverse stakeholders to envision and drive a cultural shift towards a climate-neutral Nordic way of life. Throughout the festival a central question emerged: what defines “the good Nordic life” in a CO₂-neutral future?

The discussions took place at:

Almedalsveckan in Sweden (28 June 2023)

The event at Almedalsveckan presented a panel including artists and architects Joanna Henje (architect), Anna Danell (architect), Madeleine Nobis (architect) and Liljewall and Birthe Jørgensen (artists). The panel focused on architecture, urban and rural and arts and culture.

Arendalsuka in Norway (17 August 2023)

The event at Arendalsuka presented a panel including Tormod Lien (Miljømerking Norge), Christian Prip (Fridtjof Nansen Institute), Eirik Lohne Ruud and Mona Simers Mehus (Kahos – the climate student association at the Oslo School of Architecture and Design) and Christian Pagh (Oslo Architecture Triennale). The panel focused on architecture and design, eco-labeling and biodiversity.

Kulturmødet in Denmark (25 August 2023)

The event at Kulturmødet included Linnea Fonfara (copyrighter and communications consultant), Gitte Wille (Nordic Culture Point) and Graves Simonsen (Danish Association of Construction Clients). The panel focused on architecture, community development, and arts and culture.

Nordic Circular Construction and New Nordic Bauhaus seminar in Finland (13 September 2023)

The event in Helsinki presented a panel including Charlotte Nyholm (Vapaa Collective), Gitte Grønfeld Wille (Nordic Culture Point), Matti Kuittinen (Aalto University), and Antti Lehto (Aalto University). The panel focused on architecture, legislation, nature, and arts and culture.

Fundur Folksins in Iceland (16 September 2023)

The event in Iceland presented a panel including Arnhildur Palmadottir (SAP architects), Anna María Bogadóttir (Úrbanistan), Björn Karlsson (University of Iceland) and Halla Helgadóttir (Iceland Design and Architecture). The panel focused on architecture, innovation, legislation, nature, and arts and culture.

The debates at the democracy festivals were led by Nikolaj Sveistrup (Urban Agenda) and Mads Randbøll Wolff (Sustainability 2030).

Recommendations from the democracy festival tour

Throughout these panels, several common themes in developing sustainable construction surfaced:

Future construction must be deeply rooted in local context: sustainable building practices should be shaped by regional conditions, available materials, energy sources, traditions, skills, and cultural habits. This highlights the need for place-based sustainable development, ensuring solutions align with the unique challenges of different locations.
Sustainable practices need to include multiple voices: In addition, there was a broad recognition that shaping the future cannot be left solely to construction professionals. To truly move forward, voices from culture, the arts, biodiversity, future generations, and local communities must be actively involved in planning and design.
We need more debate: The debate format during the festival encouraged open-ended, exploratory discussions, prompting both panelists and participants to think beyond conventional solutions. This method, designed for situations where predetermined answers are inadequate, will inform future research and policy development. Such an experimental approach holds excellent promise also beyond the temporary festival events.

Read the full report of the democracy tour here.