Johannes Molander Pedersen and Morten Rask Gregersen, founders of NORD Architects in Denmark, will visit Australia as the next international architects to participate in the Droga Architect in Residence program.

As joint recipients of this Australian Institute of Architects Foundation initiative, Pedersen and Gregersen will alternate in the residency between February and May, with an overlap in late March, providing an opportunity to present a joint public lecture at Sydney Opera House.

Since establishing NORD in 2002, the partners have received wide acclaim for their outstanding body of work – as practising architects, urbanists, academics, exhibitors, lecturers and engaging in public debate.

During their residency they will investigate and exchange knowledge within what they define as ‘collective impact’, demonstrating how the process of developing architecture and urban areas can commit participants from different sectors along a common agenda. By engaging coalitions and relations they aim to create new alliances between the public, civic and private sectors. Architecture will be the common denominator, suggesting solutions to societal challenges, while strengthening communities.

‘Architecture has the ability to activate and combine knowledge from various professional fields and localities into something concrete and tangible. Additionally, the intricate process of developing architecture or an urban scheme holds the potential to become a structured form of collaboration that engages users and citizens to innovate the public realm,’ Pedersen said.

While in Australia the NORD partners will also supervise student workshops at UTS Sydney, and present lectures scheduled in Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane. Their report on their ‘research by design’ residency project will be available online towards the end of April.

The Droga Architect in Residence is the first residency program of its kind in the Southern Hemisphere and is awarded to distinguished architects based outside Australia whose architectural initiatives contribute to the development of the built environment, resulting in public and social benefits for communities around the world.

For more information about the Droga Architect in Residence program and event updates visit wp.architecture.com.au/residence

For more information about NORD visit www.nordarchitects.dk