People First; Danish approaches for well-being and quality of life

Founding partner and CEO at the Danish architectural office CEBRA. Chairman of the board at The Danish Association of Architectural Firms, Member of the Danish Art Society, Architect MAA and Architect RIBA

CEBRA is a Danish architectural office founded in 2001 by the architects Mikkel Frost, Carsten Primdahl and Kolja Nielsen. Based in Aarhus in Denmark and in Abu Dhabi in the UAE, CEBRA employs a multidisciplinary international staff of 50, who all share a strong passion for architecture.

At CEBRA they want to change the way to think, design and build architecture. They are always pushing for more. Pushing with a CEBRA attitude that combines an artistic approach to architecture with an understanding of its cultural context. Most CEBRA projects are within the fields of education, culture and housing –  thought, designed, and built in line with their mantra – Architecture with attitude.

CEBRA has gained recognition through award winning projects in Scandinavia such as The Iceberg and The Experimentarium and has a growing international portfolio, counting projects in Europe, the Middle East and Russia. 

Lars Emil Kragh leads strategic projects and developments for the Danish Association of Architectural Firms. He has a long experience from both public and private sector covering functions as Head of Innovation and Business Development, Client Service Director, Management Consultant and Strategic Planner.

Danish Association of Architectural Firms is an organization of private firms of consulting architects. Our objective is to represent commercial interests of practicing architects and to strengthen their position and improve the quality level and professionalism of Danish architectural firms. Member circulation is around 650 architectural firms, covering around 5,000 architects, landscape architects, building constructors and employees within administration, communication and IT, roughly corresponding to 80-90% coverage.

One of the major strategic projects is to demonstrate and document the value creation of architecture – in a social, environmental and economic perspective. A project which success depends on the level of agreed collaboration across the sector. Danish Association of Architectural Firms lead the project with Lars Emil Kragh and Peter Andreas Sattrup, Ph.D in Sustainable Architecture, as responsible. 

Educated as an architect at Oxford Brooks University and Westminster University Stephen has been based in Aarhus, Denmark since 1984. Stephen has combined practise as a partner at internationally acclaimed Schmidt Hammer Lassen Architects and with teaching and research as associate professor at Aarhus School of Architecture. Projects include award winning University of Aberdeen, Sir Duncan Rice Library and City of Westminster College in London.

For the past five years working as chief city architect in Aarhus City Council Stephen has gained insight and experience working within a politically led organisation. The combination of working in private practise and public office combined with research and teaching enables a keen understanding of the processes and demanding roles and responsibilities we architects have both at political and local community level as well as in a global perspective.

As Aarhus City Council’s chief city architect Stephen works towards ensuring the city develops in a way where architectural considerations are held in the highest regard and contributes towards continued innovation in relation to city planning, urban design and architectural quality.