During 2020, Schmidt Hammer Lassen Architects opens design studios in North America and plans to bring the Danish team to one location in Copenhagen. Both initiatives are part of a strategic priority that is about continuing to ensure an ideal framework for visionary projects in Denmark and at the same time pursuing the ambition to place Danish architecture on the international map.

New York and San Francisco become the base for Schmidt Hammer Lassen Architects' employees in North America, and while new to offices across the Atlantic, the US market is not new to the award-winning company.

“We have several major projects underway in the US and Canada, so supporting our commitment to North America with the establishment of local offices is a natural step for us. We are getting closer to the market and our ongoing projects in North America. At the same time, this is in line with the growth plan we established as part of the sale to Perkins and Will two years ago. With the expansion into the North American market, we get the full benefit of the capacity that comes with being on the same team as a global player like Perkins and Will," says Sanne Wall-Gremstrup, CEO of Schmidt Hammer Lassen.

North American expansion and the desired collection of the Danish team in one location does not change that Schmidt Hammer Lassen is rounded by the Jutland. Projects such as Dokk1, ARoS, and Vendsyssel Theater help to emphasize the strong affiliation with Jutland, and the Danish market remains a high priority for Schmidt Hammer Lassen.

“Aarhus is our home town. That we now intend to settle in Copenhagen and open offices in North America does not change that. We are proud of what we come from, and several of our most important projects are located in Jutland and are important flagships for us. There is no doubt that we feel a special responsibility for contributing to the continued development and design of sustainable and visionary architecture in Denmark, ”emphasizes Kim Holst Jensen, Design Director, Aarhus.

The desire for a single location in Denmark is about creating even more synergy and promoting the power of innovation and good collaboration.

“We are organizing in a new way, giving us the necessary space for intense and focused collaboration. Architecture is a team sport, and it is in the close contact that we bring ourselves into the outer positions where we simultaneously move by our own and surrounding perceptions and boundaries. We are all driven by creating the best solutions at a highly specialized level on parameters such as engineering, durability, sustainability and not least architecture. It requires high-level knowledge sharing, which is why we want to move even closer together. I'm sure we're going to establish a true powerhouse for design and innovation," says Kristian Lars Ahlmark, Design Director, Copenhagen.

In the coming months, Schmidt Hammer Lassen will establish itself in New York and San Francisco. The two locations are selected based on their central location respectively. the east and west coasts, which provide proximity to the market and ongoing projects. Currently, projects such as the Seaport World Trade Center in Boston and the Monroe Blocks in Detroit are noteworthy for the benefit of having Schmidt Hammer Lassen very close. In addition, the team is working on a project for UCSF Parnassus Medical Center in San Francisco, in collaboration with Perkins and Will, and here too it will be an added plus to be in the same time zone as the rest of the team and very close to where things are happens.

Establishing new markets is always a big step, but Schmidt Hammer Lassen has done so successfully before. In 2013, the architectural firm opened a studio in Shanghai, which today has 24 employees. Joining North America, Schmidt Hammer Lassen will be represented in: Copenhagen, Shanghai, New York and San Francisco.