Every year, the RSUA runs the Alan Barnes Scholarship for 3rd Year Undergraduates. The Scholarship offers the opportunity for Architecture students to travel to discover architecture in a destination of their choosing. Find out more about the Alan Barnes Scholarship here.
Earlier this year Erin O’Connor, one of two winners of the 2025 scholarship, took a trip to Copenhagen in Denmark and Malmö in Sweden. You can read Erin’s account of the trip below.
‘The world is a book, and those who do not travel read only a page.’ – Saint Augustine
This was the quote I started my application with for the Alan Barnes Travel Scholarship. It is a quote I stand by, and once again, after my trip, I was proved correct. I truly believe travelling not only allows for personal growth but also cultural appreciation and sensitivity. It allows you to grow as a person by going to unfamiliar places, experiencing new cultures, languages, cuisines, lifestyles, and of course, architecture. These are all things that I hope will allow me to mature and become not only a good architect but also a better person.
With the Scholarship, I had the wonderful opportunity to visit two cities in Scandinavia: Copenhagen and Malmö.
My trip was primarily focused on Denmark’s capital; Copenhagen, with a day trip over to Malmö in Sweden. I was based along one of Copenhagen’s main roads; Vesterbrogade.
To start off, it is worth mentioning the place I stayed. It was unlike any accommodation I had experienced before: the City Hub sleep pods. The futuristic pods were self-contained modules stacked, meaning the lower unit offered standing space at the entrance, while the upper unit had a ladder with a standing space at the door. With the ability to control your own light and an internal built-in music speaker, making them a very comfortable and affordable place to stay.
Denmark’s reputation for forward-thinking, sustainable design and excellent urban planning lived up to my expectations. The key architecture I visited can be split into churches, museums, traditional, and sustainable architecture.
Grundtvigs Kirke, in my opinion, was the star of the trip. On entry to the silent church, the space felt so full of noise. There was a weight in the air of spirituality. The use of light and shadow flowing in from the strategically placed windows created a space full of life in an almost empty church. The choice of brick as the material gave the interior of the church a feeling of density and heaviness whilst remaining light and airy, creating a contrast due to the colour chosen. It filled me with inspiration and excitement for the rest of the trip.
The Louisiana Museum of Modern Art was my personal second favourite. I enjoyed the art, but the spaces in which the art was housed were the centre of my attention. Upon entry, it appeared to be a modest ivy-covered house with a ticket desk; little did I know it was a labyrinth of spaces beyond the house. You turn left and set off on a journey through the ups and downs of the site. The iconic wooden staircase with a handrail that integrates under the goings, leading down to the floor-to-ceiling window, was a showstopper. The view beyond the window onto the lake and the minimal number of art pieces in the room were perfection. It allowed the space to be appreciated for what it was: Beautiful.
The material choice for the museum was stunning. The use of very humble materials, such as red brick for the floors, whitewashed brick for the walls, and warm timber for the details, gave it a very timeless feel, making the museum feel like it had a personality of its own. It created a very warm and inviting feeling to walk around and enjoy the art, as opposed to the clinical, sterile atmosphere that art galleries can have.
The Danish Architecture Museum gave me a good insight into the history of architecture in Denmark, with a focus on Copenhagen. I saw the transition from traditional architecture to more modern, eco-friendly design and how they integrate in harmony, with an interesting exhibition about sustainable materials such as Gent Waste Brick. It is made from pulverised concrete and construction glass recovered from landfills. As opposed to being fired in a kiln like traditional brick, they naturally cure by absorbing CO2 from the air.
Tivoli Gardens had such a buzz and an enjoyable atmosphere. The integration with the landscape created such an experience that other theme parks don’t have. The hilly nature allowed for things to be hidden around corners, making every turn a surprise. It was impressive how small it seemed from the outside, but how large it was when walking around.
Sustainable design is a big interest of mine, and what better place to appreciate this than in Copenhagen.
CopenHill, the sustainable power plant by BIG architects, was a bucket-list building of mine. The power plant is located in an industrial area slightly off the beaten track. My favourite thing about the design is your physical approach to the building. I rented a bike and cycled to the power plant, and as you cycle along the road leading there, you turn a corner, and the design is revealed. The grand reflective façade of the power plant is also home to a ski slope, climbing wall, and hiking trail with a view that did not disappoint.
Another design from BIG was Cirkelbroen; the Red Circle Bridge. I accidentally spotted it from the viewpoint of the Danish Architecture Museum. I happened to look across the canal and noticed it neatly tucked along the canal’s edge and quickly changed course to see it.
It is important to mention the master planning of the city and the prioritisation given to pedestrians and cyclists. The focus on public spaces and improving air quality is achieved by restricting cars. This creates a safer, healthier, and cleaner city. Not only is the cycling infrastructure excellent, but the accessibility for bikes also makes them more convenient than cars. On any set of stairs I passed, there was a ramp for bikes to be pushed up, or there was a whole section on trains dedicated to bikes, making bikes more desirable as they are more useful on a day-to-day basis.
The public spaces scattered through the city created such a buzz at every corner, with people out enjoying themselves, making it feel like a very safe and vibrant city. Public spaces and pedestrianisation are something I think Northern Ireland, and in particular Belfast, lacks. The reliance on cars and the unreliability of public transport make it difficult to change.
The Copenhagen Opera Theatre, I got to experience for the first time at night, beautifully lit up, almost like a ball of fire with the orange lights. The location of the building, right on the edge of the canal just as it widens towards the sea, allows it to elegantly stand alone.
While visiting one of the sustainable capitals of Europe, the traditional architecture did not go unnoticed. The Round Tower, Rosenborg Castle, the City Hall, and the Church of Saviour were a few of the historical sites I visited and they were some of the most profound. After having visited the Danish Museum of Architecture and reading about the history of the Round Tower, experiencing it was exciting. The helical ramp running up the inside created a unique visitor experience with a stunning 360-degree viewpoint at the top, which made a great last stop on my Copenhagen trip.
Malmö, as a city, was a very different experience in comparison to Copenhagen. I got the train across the Øresund Bridge, which my great uncle was part of the team that constructed the bridge, making it an even more special journey. It left me into Malmö city just by St. Johannes Kyrka. I walked through what I thought was quite a sparse and spread-out city, with a much quieter dynamic than the one I had just left. As I made my way through the city, I walked past Henning Larsen’s ‘Calendar of Light’ extension onto Malmö City Library. It sat proudly above me, allowing you to see the different floor levels with nooks and crannies for people to study in.
I headed out to see the Turning Torso, where no Google Maps were needed to direct us. The Turning Torso dominated Malmö’s skyline, being visible from the city centre. As I made my journey across the centre towards the shore, there were some amazing designs, new and old, that shaped the city.
When walking around the Turning Torso, I accidentally stumbled across the Bo01 neighbourhood, not realising they were so close. It is the most idyllic, perfect neighbourhood. Each garden opens onto the stream that runs between the houses, in pure silence. The community, on a random Sunday afternoon in September, was all gathered down on the wooden pier, with many enjoying a brisk dip in the sea or simply enjoying the surroundings.
Malmö’s food hall was where I chose to go for lunch; a stunning renovation by architects Wingårdh Arkitektkontor AB, where the old freight train depot was transformed into a modern food hall. The existing brick frame remained, with rust-red corrugated steel cladding to finish it off.
I walked past Varvsstaden AB, across the Beijers Bro red cycle and pedestrian bridge, and over to the Centralposthuset, an example of Swedish national romantic architecture, built from red bricks with stone cladding detail and two copper-clad corner towers.
To compare the cities would be unfair, as I only spent one day in Malmö. However, the busyness was the most noticeable difference. Malmö has a much smaller population, but this didn’t shake the feeling of quietness, almost eeriness, that left me wondering where everyone was.
The creativity and innovation visible in Copenhagen is something I think all students who aspire to be designers should be exposed to. We, as the future of architecture, have an environmental and ethical responsibility to look after the world we live in, and visiting Copenhagen and the bonus of Malmo, I think, is a good place to start.
