The inaugural Copenhagen Architecture Biennial has unveiled a striking pavilion constructed entirely from salvaged materials, demonstrating the architectural potential of discarded bricks, timber, and ventilation pipes. The "Inside Out, Downside Up" pavilion, designed and hand-built by architecture studio Slaatto Morsbøl, opened at Søren Kierkegaards Plads as part of the biennial's "Slow Down" theme.
The pavilion represents a deliberate challenge to the fast-paced modern construction industry through its slow-building philosophy. Slaatto Morsbøl selected the project through the Copenhagen Architecture Biennial's Slow Pavilions open call, which specifically invited structures that responded to the event's central theme of slowing down construction processes.
"We would love people to come up to the walls and see the qualities in something that is used, that has past lives," explained Thelma Slaatto, co-founder of Slaatto Morsbøl, during a pavilion tour. The studio's approach directly confronts industry assumptions about reclaimed materials, which are often dismissed as too time-consuming and expensive to process.
"People say that it takes too much time and too much money to work with used materials, but maybe the problem is actually that it takes too little time and it's too cheap to produce the way we do today," Slaatto continued. "Now we need to change this mentality, and we think that to change people's mentality, it's okay to start with the aesthetics, and it's okay to focus on making something beautiful and attractive to people."
The pavilion's most distinctive feature is its grooved brick facades, created from old perforated bricks that the studio cleaned, cut in half, and hand-fitted into reclaimed timber frames. This innovative approach emerged from the founders' experiences working as brick cleaners during their gap years, where they discovered the architectural potential of perforated bricks typically discarded as waste due to their difficult cleaning requirements.
"We saw the potential from all of the bricks, and really loved that all the differences, the different colors and different sizes," said co-founder Cecilie Morsbøl. "The holes in the brick are what make a perforated brick a perforated brick, but it's also what makes it have lower value. So we wanted to turn this thing into something that is highlighted, so that the thing that makes the brick unique is really showcased, and it's not hidden."
The cube-shaped structure features a narrow ramp that winds upward between the brick walls, leading visitors into an open room equipped with seating and a large opening that frames views of Copenhagen's harbor. The pavilion's dimensions were determined entirely by the bricks themselves, with the architects designing the structure around the optimal size needed to hold the bricks in place without mortar.
"The size of the pavilion started with the size of the brick," Slaatto explained. "So we wanted to see how we could showcase the brick without mortar, and so we needed to have this specific size to hold them in place. And then it was the fact that it was an element that you should move so it shouldn't be bigger, because then it would be too heavy."
The pavilion's roof incorporates another layer of reclaimed materials, featuring old ventilation pipes cut in half and positioned with their curved edges facing upward, creating a design reminiscent of traditional Japanese temple roofs. Beneath this innovative roofing system, the ceiling is lined with dense thatching reeds that hang downward and sway with the wind, with the reed flowers left exposed as a playful interpretation of thatch roofs found in traditional Danish architecture.
Sustainability extends beyond material choice to the structure's modular design, which allows the entire pavilion to be easily dismantled and reassembled after the biennial concludes. This modular approach ensures that all materials can be reused for future projects, reinforcing the studio's commitment to circular construction practices.
The Copenhagen Architecture Biennial, directed by Josephine Michau and organized by the Copenhagen Architecture Foundation (CAFx), aims to provide practical solutions to global challenges exacerbated by the built environment. "It's time for activism," Michau stated in a recent interview. "I see ourselves as maybe more 'soft activists', but we really want to push for change."
The "Inside Out, Downside Up" pavilion will remain on display through October 19, 2025, serving as a tangible example of how architects can transform waste materials into compelling architectural experiences. The biennial runs from September 18 to October 19, 2025, featuring exhibitions and installations across the Danish capital that explore sustainable building practices and innovative approaches to urban development.
