Welcome to an event where friends of Christian Norberg-Schulz, thinkers of place and outstanding practicing architects from Europe, Asia and South Africa come together to discuss the most central questions of the architectural profession.
CHRISTIAN NORBERG-SCHULZ (1926–2000)
ANNIVERSARY EVENT THURSDAY 27 AND FRIDAY 28 AUGUST 2026 NTNU TRONDHEIM
WHAT IS ARCHITECTURAL QUALITY?
__________________________________________________________________________
Our way of understanding the world is manifested in what we shape and create. For a child, the small sun in the sky is a given, but for a scientist, the sun is large; it makes up around 99.8 percent of all the mass in our solar system. Which of these ways of viewing the world must come first – indeed, which is most essential if we are to take care of both nature and historical buildings, and give shape to new places and houses?
Architect and professor Christian Norberg-Schulz's (1926–2000) architectural theoretical writings spanned nearly fifty years. In his desire to support the modern movement in architecture, he developed a way of thinking of place in which natural experience is given importance. Norberg-Schulz's thinking of place is founded in a critique of the division that has taken place within modernity, between nature and culture, aesthetics and ethics, measurable and immeasurable – a division that today manifests itself in instrumentally planned buildings on the one hand, and a retrospective, historicizing approach to design on the other.
Today, it is interesting to see how Norberg-Schulz's way of thinking resonates in an Eastern culture, while at the same time he is often criticized here in the West – perhaps because he can be said to be a counter-voice to the prevailing way of thinking of our time. In what way can Norberg-Schulz still be a companion in architectural education? Can his thinking point the way to a deeper understanding of the significance of place, and of architectural quality? And if so, what can this mean for architectural practice and policy?
We are grateful to be able to present the following contributors to the anniversary event: Gion Caminada (Switzerland), Philip Christou (England), Wilfried Wang (Germany), Raf de Saeger (Belgium) and Serban Tiganas (Romania), Hendrik Auret and Margaux Loubser (South Africa), and Nori Kawashima and Mio Tsuneyama (Japan). There will also be contributions from several prominent Norwegian architect on Friday, August 28.
THURSDAY AUGUST 27 AT 08:45-17:00
DAY 1: ERKEBISPEGÅRDEN BY NIDAROSDOMEN (NIDAROS CATHEDRAL)
FRIDAY AUGUST 28 AT 10:00-15:00
DAY 2: BUS AT 10:00 FROM SCANDIC NIDELVEN TO TEIGEN SAMFUNNSHUS, SELBUSJØEN (TEIGEN COMMUNITY CENTER BY LAKE SELBUSJØEN). BUS TO TRONDHEIM CITY CENTER AT 14:00
On Thursday, August 27, the seminar day is divided into five parts:
1. Friendship: Christian Norberg-Schulz – friend, architect, thinker of place, author and professor
2. Thinking of place: Building a bridge between theory and practice
3. Reading: What relevance can Norberg-Schulz's thinking of place have for the practice of younger architects today?
4. Architectural practice: What is architectural quality?
5. Teaching in the architectural profession/dissemination: Place, architecture, nature – what are our ambitions?
On Friday, August 28, the trip will take you to Teigen Community Center by Lake Selbusjøen (limited number of places). (Bus from the centre of Trondheim.
ORGANIZER: NTNU Faculty of Architecture and Design in collaboration with AHO School of Architecture and Design in Oslo
VENUE: Øysteinsalen, Erkebispegården in Trondheim (Day 1) and Teigen community center (Day 2)
PARTICIPATION FEE: See price information on Hoopla. Free for students. Reduced price for seniors.
PROGRAM COMMITTEE: Gro Lauvland, Geir Brendeland, Olav Kristoffersen, Fredrik Lund, Beate Hølmebakk og Bendik Manum
REGISTRATION: Via Hoopla by August 20th, 2026. NB: Registration is binding, no refunds
CONTACT: If you have any questions, please send an email to emily.h.sjogren@ntnu.no
NB: The conference program will be published in early May. Reservations are made for changes of the program along the way.
Les mer og kjøp billetter: https://ntnu-iat.hoopla.no/event/758738218
