Henning Larsen Architects
Professional services
UnclaimedA Danish international architecture practice recognized for cultural, educational, civic, and sustainable design shaped by daylight and public life.
Last updated October 17, 2026
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Overview
Henning Larsen Architects is an international architecture and urban design practice founded in Copenhagen in 1959 by Danish architect Henning Larsen. The firm works across architecture, urban planning, landscape, interiors, and design research, with a portfolio spanning cultural institutions, educational campuses, public buildings, corporate workplaces, housing, infrastructure, and large-scale masterplans. It is particularly associated with projects in which natural light, civic accessibility, local context, and environmental performance are treated as central design concerns rather than as secondary technical considerations. The practice became internationally visible through a succession of public and cultural commissions. Earlier work included diplomatic and governmental buildings in Saudi Arabia, including the Danish Embassy and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Riyadh. Later projects broadened its international profile, among them the Copenhagen Opera House, Harpa Concert Hall and Conference Centre in Reykjavík, the Wave residential complex in Vejle, the Moesgaard Museum near Aarhus, Bildmuseet in Umeå, and educational buildings in Denmark, Sweden, Germany, Norway, Hong Kong, the United Kingdom, the United States, and Australia. Harpa, designed in collaboration with Icelandic practice Batteríið Architects and artist Olafur Eliasson, became one of the firm's most prominent cultural works and received the 2013 European Union Prize for Contemporary Architecture, also known as the Mies van der Rohe Award. The firm has expanded beyond Denmark through offices and project activity in several regions. Reference material identifies offices in Riyadh, Munich, New York, Oslo, the Faroe Islands, and Hong Kong, in addition to its Copenhagen base. Its work includes both highly visible landmark buildings and less publicized civic, infrastructure, workplace, and urban-redevelopment schemes. Examples include the King Abdullah Financial District masterplan in Riyadh, Siemens headquarters in Munich, the Nordea headquarters in Copenhagen, the Solrødgaard Water Treatment Plant, public-service buildings in Minneapolis, and urban projects tied to former industrial and waterfront areas. Sustainability is treated as integral to the practice's design approach. Henning Larsen has worked with PhD researchers from the Technical University of Denmark on sustainable design and building components, with the stated aim of introducing environmental thinking at the start of a project rather than applying it only at the end. This approach has influenced the design of daylight, energy use, material choices, landscape, mobility, and the relationship between buildings and their surrounding communities. The firm's educational and cultural buildings often combine environmental strategies with spaces that encourage public interaction. Henning Larsen Architects became part of the Ramboll Group, linking the architecture practice to a broader engineering and consultancy organization. This relationship supports multidisciplinary work in which architectural design can be coordinated with engineering, infrastructure, sustainability, and urban-development expertise. The practice remains internationally active, but the supplied references do not establish current staff numbers, a complete office list, or a current executive roster. Its enduring identity is that of a Danish-founded, internationally operating design practice whose work combines architectural experimentation with public-facing and environmentally conscious planning.
History
Henning Larsen Architects was established in Copenhagen in 1959 by architect Henning Larsen. From its Danish base, the practice developed a body of work that connected modern architectural design with public institutions, education, culture, and civic life. Its early international commissions included diplomatic and governmental projects in Saudi Arabia, notably the Danish Embassy in Riyadh and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. These projects helped establish the firm's ability to work across different climatic, institutional, and cultural settings. During the following decades, the practice expanded into education, workplaces, housing, libraries, museums, performance venues, and urban development. Important Danish commissions included the Copenhagen Opera House, Nordea and Ferring workplace projects, the IT University, SDU Campus Kolding, and the Wave residential development in Vejle. The firm's work also spread through Scandinavia and northern Europe, including Malmö City Library, the Uppsala Concert and Congress Center, Norwegian university and hospital projects, and cultural buildings in Sweden. Cultural architecture became a defining part of the firm's international reputation. Harpa Concert Hall and Conference Centre in Reykjavík was selected by Gramophone magazine among the world's leading concert halls and won the 2013 European Union Prize for Contemporary Architecture. Other cultural projects include the Ny Carlsberg Glyptotek French Wing, Bildmuseet in Umeå, the Art Pavilion in Videbæk, Moesgaard Museum, National Museum Jamtli, and Hangzhou Yuhang Opera. These buildings demonstrate the practice's recurring interest in daylight, material atmosphere, public circulation, and the ability of cultural architecture to operate as a shared urban space. The firm expanded its international presence with a Riyadh office in 2008 and a Munich office in 2011. Reference material also identifies offices in New York, Oslo, the Faroe Islands, and Hong Kong. Its commissions have included corporate headquarters in Germany, Denmark, and Norway; schools and universities in Europe, Asia, North America, and Australia; civic buildings in Scandinavia and the United States; and masterplanning in Saudi Arabia and other international markets. Research and sustainability have been incorporated into the practice's design process. Henning Larsen has worked with PhD students from the Technical University of Denmark on sustainable design and building components. The stated purpose of this collaboration is to address sustainability at the beginning of a project, allowing environmental performance to influence form, construction, materials, and building systems from the outset. The practice's portfolio includes projects such as SDU Campus Kolding and the Solrødgaard Water Treatment Plant that illustrate the connection between architectural quality and environmental or infrastructural performance. The practice later became part of the Ramboll Group. This affiliation places architecture within a wider multidisciplinary organization with engineering, infrastructure, energy, environment, and consultancy capabilities. Henning Larsen Architects continues to work internationally across public and private commissions. The supplied references do not provide sufficient evidence for a complete current leadership list, precise present-day staffing level, or a definitive list of all active offices, so those details are left unspecified.
- 2019
Solrødgaard Water Treatment Plant completed
[1]The practice completed the Solrødgaard Water Treatment Plant in Hillerød, Denmark.
- 2013
Harpa wins the Mies van der Rohe Award
[1]Harpa received the European Union Prize for Contemporary Architecture, also known as the Mies van der Rohe Award.
- 2011
Harpa completed in Reykjavík
[1]Harpa Concert Hall and Conference Centre opened in Reykjavík and became a major international reference for the practice.
- 2011
Munich office inaugurated
[1]Henning Larsen established a Munich office as part of its European expansion.
- 2008
Riyadh office opened
[1]The firm opened an office in Riyadh, expanding its established work in Saudi Arabia.
- 2004
Copenhagen Opera House completed
[1]The Copenhagen Opera House became one of the practice's best-known Danish cultural projects.
- 1989
Aga Khan Award for Architecture
[1]The Riyadh Ministry of Foreign Affairs project received an Aga Khan Award for Architecture.
- 1984
Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Riyadh
[1]The practice completed the Saudi Ministry of Foreign Affairs building in Riyadh.
- 1979
Danish Embassy in Riyadh
[1]The firm completed the Danish Embassy in Riyadh, an early major international and diplomatic commission.
- 1959
Practice founded in Copenhagen
[1]Henning Larsen established the architecture practice that would become Henning Larsen Architects.
Products and positioning
High-end international architecture and urban design focused on daylight, public life, cultural and educational buildings, contextual design, and sustainability.
Professional services · 1959
Architectural design
The firm's core service covers concept development, architectural design, detailing, and delivery for cultural, civic, educational, workplace, residential, and infrastructure buildings. Its work frequently combines strong public spaces with daylight-led planning, contextual materials, and environmental performance.
Professional services
Urban planning and masterplanning
Henning Larsen develops urban frameworks, district plans, waterfront strategies, and large-scale masterplans. The King Abdullah Financial District in Riyadh is among the reference projects associated with this area of work.
Architecture
Cultural buildings
Cultural commissions include opera houses, concert halls, museums, libraries, and exhibition spaces. Harpa, the Copenhagen Opera House, Moesgaard Museum, Bildmuseet, and Hangzhou Yuhang Opera illustrate the firm's emphasis on civic identity, performance, public circulation, and architectural atmosphere.
Architecture
Educational environments
The practice designs universities, schools, research facilities, and academic campuses. Examples include the IT University of Copenhagen, SDU Campus Kolding, Umeå School of Architecture, Frankfurt School of Finance and Management, and educational projects in Hong Kong, the United States, and Australia.
Research and design
Sustainable design research
Henning Larsen integrates sustainability research into early project stages, including work with PhD students from the Technical University of Denmark. The research focus includes building components, daylight, energy, materials, and the relationship between environmental performance and architectural form.
Professional services
Interior design
Brand decisions
2011
Expansion into MunichStrategyBackground
The practice was developing a broader international network across Europe and other regions.
Action taken
Henning Larsen inaugurated an office in Munich, Germany.
Aftermath
The Munich presence supported the firm's work in Germany and continental Europe.
2008
Establishment of a Riyadh officeStrategyBackground
The practice had a history of major diplomatic and governmental commissions in Saudi Arabia and sought a more permanent regional presence.
Action taken
Henning Larsen opened an office in Riyadh.
Aftermath
The office strengthened the firm's ability to pursue and support projects in Saudi Arabia and the wider Middle East.
- Integration into the Ramboll GroupM&A
Background
The architecture practice operates within a larger engineering and consultancy group.
Action taken
Henning Larsen Architects became part of the Ramboll Group.
Aftermath
The affiliation created a multidisciplinary platform connecting architecture with engineering, infrastructure, sustainability, and consultancy expertise.
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