Post by Buro Happold

Celebrating 50 years of Buro Happold at Copenhagen Contemporary Last week, colleagues, clients and collaborators came together at Copenhagen Contemporary - CC to celebrate Buro Happold’s 50th anniversary – set beneath the Earth/Tree installation, designed by KENGO KUMA & ASSOCIATES. The setting was a fitting one. Suspended overhead, the lightweight structure embodies the shared values that brought this project to life: collaboration, material sensitivity and a commitment to touching the earth lightly — a philosophy rooted in Ted Happold’s legacy and reflected in the project’s efficient structural design, circular thinking and careful reuse of materials. For Martin Petersen, Country Director for Buro Happold in Denmark, the celebration was as much about people as it was about projects – bringing together those who have shaped our journey, alongside partners who continue to inspire new ways of working. It also marked a broader reflection on a way of working defined by curiosity, experimentation, sustainability and collaboration. For Yuki Ikeguchi of KENGO KUMA & ASSOCIATES, the installation returns architecture to its fundamentals: creating a sense of shelter, comfort and safety – much like standing beneath a tree. The use of reclaimed wood and materials, once considered unsuitable for construction, also speaks to a shared commitment to resourcefulness and giving new life to overlooked materials. The structure’s lightweight form, intelligent use of tension and ambition to do more with less echo the pioneering work developed by Ted Happold alongside Frei Otto, while demonstrating how those principles continue to evolve today. The project itself is a testament to close collaboration from day one – from early form-finding through to the intricate detailing of the cable-net structure — and reflects 50 years of shared skills, knowledge and tradition. Thank you to everyone who joined us to mark this milestone and to our partners who continue to shape the next chapter of Buro Happold. Earth/Tree is on view at Copenhagen Contemporary until 21 February 2027. #burohappold #copenhagen #architecture #engineering #collaboration #lightweightstructures #sustainability #design

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